My First Manifestation

I was around 10 years old and playing with a friend on his Carrera 124. If you are over 40, you might still remember this toy race track. He was the son of an entrepreneur and, of course, had many, many toys. Every time I beat him in the car race, he would go to his closet and pull out a package with a silver 911 Porsche. This one was not only faster than the other cars; it even had foam tires for better grip in the corners. I didn't stand a chance against that car back then. I swore to myself that someday I would have a similar sports car, but a real one.

30 years later, I did. After leasing my Porsche Boxster for three years, I finally got a real Porsche. It was going to be a 911 Turbo. However, the dealer in Frankfurt told me it had a three-year waiting time, as other customers were buying regular 911s in the meantime.

I thought, "Okay, I'll take the 911 Carrera 4 and order the Aero Package (front spoiler, side skirts, and rear wing) to make it look like a Turbo."

Two weeks later, I got to drive it. What can I say? Not bad, but I still preferred the Porsche Boxster with its convertible top, or with the top down. I also liked the sound better. The mid-engine's road handling was, of course, much more exhilarating.

But who cares? I had ordered my 911 from the universe a long time ago.

This manifestation was my longest one so far. To achieve it, I had to complete my secondary education, finish an apprenticeship as a machine fitter, study mechanical engineering, take a computer science course during my studies, completely change course, drop out of my studies, and work as a software developer for a few more years.

I would say I owe this manifestation more to my persistence than the universe, but...

Certainly, the universe played a part because, as a secondary school student, who goes on to achieve such a career? I didn't even major in computer science. That C-programming course was only 60 hours at the adult education center.

Today, not only do you have to study computer science for at least 6 years, but you also need strong connections, and even then, you'll only be able to work as an employee. Leasing a Porsche won't be on the table.