Antoine Foukal may be a bit younger than many who decide to take that hard turn away from a career choice, but even at 30 he’s experienced the same kind of restlessness that motivates older workers to make a bold move.
In his late 20s Foukal had established himself as a day trader, and while fairly lucrative it left plenty to be desired.
“I didn’t feel like I was building anything except for a bank account,” he said. “It was always a stressful job and one I found was rewarding in only a financial sense – you’re more or less sitting at a computer and finding ways in the markets to make money. And when your success is tied directly to whether you make money or not I found it hard to find satisfaction in it.”
But when Foukal cracked his first beer from Hoyne Brewing he quenched his thirst and found a calling – brewing craft beer.
After leaving his gig as a trader, Foukal tried several times to break into the craft beer industry in Victoria. Eventually he landed a volunteer job with Hoyne and months later he was taken on staff.
Gone is the big money that helped Foukal buy a home and get established, replaced with a $16 an hour job delivering beer and doing whatever needs doing around the brewery.
For Foukal it’s about the love of beer and finding a path that resonates within.
He has been with Hoyne for just over eight months and it’s yet to feel like work.
“In general I’m more energetic, I’m happier and the days fly by and I enjoy every minute of it, it doesn’t feel like work,” he said.
And while watching his pennies has taken some getting used to, Foukal said there’s both job satisfaction in being in an industry he is passionate about and the understanding that his work now is an investment.
“I see a future in this, I’m hoping this turns out to be an education,” he said, adding he hopes to grow with the company, or perhaps move to another brewery and maybe one day “do something on my own.”
-Courtesy of Victoria Times Colonist
