Share

This tech exec resigned and turned to organic farming

Jerusalem - Former hi-tech executive Dotan Goshen carefully arranges some melons at the bottom of a crate, followed by courgettes, tomatoes and lettuce.

With a smile of satisfaction, he contemplates his "organic basket" ready to be delivered to a customer.

Goshen, a graduate of Israel's prestigious Technion technological institute, made a dramatic change of course after his boss called him at home one evening and berated him for not devoting himself sufficiently to his work - even though he was putting in at least 50 hours a week.

The following day, the 37-year-old father of three handed in his resignation and set out to realise his dream of producing organic fruit and vegetables.

The search for self

He is one of a growing number of Israelis who entered the flourishing tech industry at a young age before abandoning high-flying jobs and good salaries for a lifestyle more suited to their ideals.

The phenomenon is not uniquely Israeli.

In many technologically advanced countries, executives are being tempted by adventure, the chance to embrace a simpler, healthier lifestyle and by the "search for self".

Dotan Goshen works at his organic fruit and vegetable farm in the kibbutz of Hama'apil, in central Israel. (Jack Guez, AFP)

But, in Israel where job mobility is the norm and recruitment tends to be more informal than elsewhere, the desire for change is heightened, said Daniel Barkat, himself a former hi-tech executive who switched to producing vegan chocolate.

The army hothouse

"In Israel, when you leave the (army's) 8200 unit without a university education, you can find yourself launched into a position of responsibility in hi-tech, then wanting to do something different after a few years," he explained.

Israelis are drafted into the army aged 18 and generally only begin higher education on completion of their service.

The elite 8200 military unit collates and analyses intelligence using sophisticated information technology.

In a country where most youngsters perform mandatory military service - 32 months for men and two years for women - 8200 is considered the superhighway to a job in the lucrative tech field.

Many of its veterans have gone on to found internet technology startups.

Recruited to a management job in a financial information company directly after his military service, Barkat, now 29, abandoned that world to create his chocolate business.

"At the age of 24, I had achieved what adults spend their entire lives to achieve: steady, prestigious, well-paid work," he said.

"But my work was very technical, boring, meaningless. I asked myself, 'where do I go now?'"

A vegan, like a growing number of Israelis, he and his girlfriend launched a line of chocolate substituting coconut and soya for milk.

Tough transition

His company now employs 12 people and its products are distributed to about 100 points of sale around the country.

The high proportion of the Israeli labour force employed in hi-tech - an estimated 10% - increases the likelihood of early migration to other sectors, said Daniel Haber, consultant and author of "Surprises of the Economy of Israel".

The transition can be tough, said Eli Cohen, who left a job at one of Israel's largest mobile phone operators to teach a holistic wellbeing method combining tai chi and qi gong exercise and meditation techniques.

"It wasn't easy at first, it didn't work," he said. "I had to keep working a bit in my field and learn at the same time the secrets of my new vocation."

Goshen said he has changed his priorities since the career shift.

"Before, I had a company car, a very good salary and today I do not know exactly how much I earn, but to spend more time with my family and to have this contact with the soil is priceless."

In Israel, the desire to return to spirituality and to the soil seen in other countries has an added connotation of nostalgia for the early, pioneering days of the Jewish state, said Haber.

"In this country under pressure - exacerbated pressure, in the case of hi-tech - there is nostalgia for the old days of the kibbutz, sharing, the foundational and spiritual myths of the state."

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE UPDATE: Get Fin24's top morning business news and opinions in your inbox.

Read Fin24's top stories trending on Twitter:

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.90
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent-ruolie
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders