The two and a half months of *~funemployment~* are finally ending on Tuesday, August 22, as I begin working for my first job EVER. It’s intimidating. It’s scary. But it’s also very exciting.
You see, for the past three weeks I have been tutoring students grades 1 and 2 in a homeschooled setup where my aunt works. It gave me something to do with my mornings, with the added learning experience. I admit that for the most part, I decided to do that for the resume. But it’s been fun helping kids learn and understand even the simplest of things that you take for granted. And it stopped my family from nagging me to “GET A JOB ALREADY!!!!!”, as my youngest brother said word for word.
When I got interview invites from companies that both applied and did not apply to, I suddenly felt a listlessness that wasn’t there previously. I did not know what companies I should refuse, even though some were clearly out of my comfort zone. I thought, hey why not try to see what they have to offer? And that was my motto during the job hunt. Take the opportunities being given and see what they have in store for you. Ultimately, these opportunities are there because you have the choice to direct the future you will have. And as my Tita would say, “God has a plan for you. Take it.”
I certainly didn’t think that this would be my first job. I had dreams and plans of writing for magazines a la Devil Wears Prada, but these made way for an opportunity to work in the advertising industry. Since I would be working for a small company, it’s not as glamorous as it’s portrayed in books and movies. The pay would not be that high because it is an entry-level position. I would be contributing a small amount to the household expenses because I refuse to keep all of my salary for myself. But I tell myself that this is in line with my long term plan of working in the publishing industry abroad. This is the learning experience I am given, and I will make the best of it for the next three to four years.
It’s scary to think that I would be opening a new chapter of my life in a few days. Tomorrow I say goodbye to my students that have endeared me to them in the three weeks we’ve been together. I was telling one of my Ate’s in CW (creative writing) that I felt unqualified and inequipped to be the sole copywriter for the company. She was in the same situation that I am now. I brought up the fact that we were never taught how to interact with clients or even simulate an interaction with them outside of our internship program and two semesters’ worth of classes on how to be a creative professional. Especially for us FA kids that are kind of solitary when it comes to our work. We can work well in a group if we know what exactly is expected of us. Starting a new job certainly isn’t that. It’s not predictable. It’s a learning curve. As Ate Isabela said, “Every start is a good start. It means you’re moving [forward].”
As I begin preparing for #adulting, I promised myself that I would write about something I learned or am learning about each day and post it here on the blog. I think that this would get my brain going, the creative juices flowing, in preparation for my first job.
On to the next adventure!
Alyana Marie 