Michael Rickoff - PBHS1981

Brief

After school, I was accepted into the SAAF pilots training course after the rigorous selection at SAAF Institute for Aviation Medicine. Sadly, an astigmatism was later discovered in my eye and I was forced to resign from Pilots Course and Officers College. I went on to complete my Service in 2 years and six months (had to restart National Service). When I finished in the SAAF I joined the Standard Bank as I wasn't really sure what to do. I had been accepted by Van Zyl & Pritichard to Study Computer Programming but I needed R2000 and just didn't have the money so I wrote a short aptitude test and started working as a clerk in the Trust Company side of SBSA. I studied my bank exams for the Licentiate Diploma and then also Bcom part-time through UNISA. At the age of 34 I was promoted to Senior Manager (General Manager) and ended up sitting on the board of Standard Trust. I was then selected to read for the Six Sigma (Lean Sigma) Programme through CCI New York (we later switched to the Juran Institute USA). At forty I decided I needed a change and left the bank - studied Landscape Design through City & Guilds, London and qualified in 2009. Was asked to become a lecturer and I also started my own consultancy. . I was also asked to do some TV work with Melanie Walker and have since completed six years of work as landscaping and gardening presenter on television. I also do a lot of radio and podcast work, public talks as well as writing articles for newspapers and magazines. Still going strong