Sonny Davis credits his parents with playing an influential role in his attitude to work

Sonny Davis is only 18 but has already worked at a holiday programme, in a café, in telemarketing, as a hotel porter, and done volunteer work at a hospice. But far from flitting aimlessly between jobs, he has deliberately chosen work that offered a range of skills and experiences to help him decide on the right career.

“When I was about 13, my parents wanted me to get a part-time job, like a paper round. So I thought, 'Right, I’ll do something cheeky – I’ll go and volunteer'.

“So I went and volunteered at Te Omanga Hospice, in their shop, and have been doing that ever since. It was my first step into employment.”

Sonny credits his parents with playing an influential role in his attitude to work. When he began his first paid job, in a café, they told him, “Don’t ever be embarrassed about where you work and what you do”. But before he made his next job move they advised him to try to find work he would enjoy. “So I went into working in holiday programmes and really enjoyed working with the kids.”

Sonny's next job was part-time, in insurance telemarketing. “I thoroughly enjoyed it – it was a whole new ball game. And even though my parents were against it, I decided I’d go on my own boat, and do what I wanted to do. I wanted to get all these different skills under my belt, and get experience in different fields, so I could figure out what I wanted to do.”