Member-only story
About Me — Dorota Gordon
Finding My Path: From Leaving Poland at 16 to Founding a Global HR Consultancy
I’m Dorota, but I mostly go by ‘D’. I was born in Poland, where I spent my childhood; I then left when I was 16 and have been living in the UK ever since. It is hard to believe that I have been in the UK now for almost half of my life!
What Made Me ‘Me’:
I don’t often talk about my story, but it has made me who I am today. I left when I was very young, perhaps not quite realizing how young I was. Some people call it brave; I actually think it was a bit reckless! Before moving to the UK, I’d never even flown on an airplane! Never mind actually being able to speak English.
But yet, I said, so I did — I think that’s the motto that has stuck with me for life. In June of 2013, I set foot in the rainy Manchester; and I quickly realized that things wouldn’t be as easy as I envisaged them to be. All the usual thoughts came to my head…
‘What on earth have I done?’;
‘This place is so different than anything I’ve imagined’;
‘None of this makes any sense’.
I thought I could speak English… oh how wrong was I? I couldn’t even go to a post office to post a parcel by myself. I couldn’t get a job. I…
