A Profession You Could Have Been

I am working as a sales person for more than 3 years now. I am still new compared to a lot of sales people who are in this profession for more than 10 years. I am still an amateur but i know i will excel in the future. I love talking to people and knowing what they need and being able to provide their need. Sometimes customers go overboard and ask for more which makes you even better. Knowing when to say yes and when to say no is a hard trick to master but i guess i am learning slowly but surely.

I did not choose this profession, it was offered to me. I accepted it since it pays better than working in a non-government organization. But don't get me wrong, working in an NGO is 10 times more fulfilling. Too bad it pays bad. I don't know about international NGO's, they pay better for sure but it is really hard to qualify.

Sometimes i wonder if i could have been the person i was dreaming of when i was a kid. I really planned to be an engineer. I was amazed by man made structures like tall buildings, long bridges, large airplanes, etc. I also dreamed of being a pilot. I liked thinking that i am in control of a large commercial airplane or a fast military plane. Even helicopters amaze me until now. I don't know. What could have happened if my plans were fulfilled? Will i still be here in the Philippines? Will i be married and have a kid or kids by now? Sometimes it is really nice to imagine.

I love my family and i love spending time with them. If my plans of being an engineer or a pilot were materialized, i might not probably meet my wife and could have married somebody else. Now, that's a thing to think about. If i was not married to my wife right now, i would not have my son right now. That would be sad. I could not imagine life without them. They are the reasons why i work hard everyday and not thinking of not being with them makes me sad. It is probably right that God really has plans for each and everyone of us. We are just normal human beings that we could not see beyond one day. And that makes it very interesting.....

How about you? Are you in the profession you thought of when you were a kid? If not, any regrets?

Do You Love Your Job?

When we were just studying, our parents would always remind us to study well to get high grades, graduate with honors and get a high paying job. To most Filipinos, this is a common practice, to some, parents would teach their children the value of money and the advantage of having their own business instead of working for someone. Others would just support their children whatever they want when they finish school and just pray that they would get married, have kids and be happy.

Honestly, i am one of the millions of kids who did not take their studies seriously. I was one of those who were serious with my friends, girlfriends, outings, parties and other extra curricular activities outside school. Hell, i just went to school to get my allowance, meet my girlfriend, watch movies and attend drinking parties. For me, school is a big party. Totally different from my cousins who took school very seriously.

What happened? I got a job even when i was studying. Partly to support my studies and partly to escape school. I stayed for 5 years, got promoted and eventually resigned because it got boring. After a few months, i decided to put up a business, but got caught with too much competition. Another few months and i decided to work again, this time related to my interests---the environment. I figured if i enjoyed my work, work would not be work, true enough, i enjoyed everything about it but i noticed i was not getting any younger. I met my wife from this organization and after a couple of years, decided to get married.

After the wedding, i figured i have to get a high paying job to support my family and start planning about our future. I got a good one, got a decent starting salary and got a nice raise. But honestly, i did not like the job. In fact i hated it. Once in a while, i got miserable, during breaks, call my wife at home and ask her support for me to call it quits. Eventually, i quit. I got an offer from another non-profit organization and decided to accept it. Again for the second time, i loved my job, but being non-profit, the pay sucks. How would i support my family?

It seems God always listens to my prayers and i got another offer. Not so high, but a little better that my previous job. Things were getting better, we were starting to build our savings again but after a year, tragedy struck my wife's family. We had no choice but to use our savings to help. Since then, we have never recovered financially and i am worried about my family's future. I am now thinking of ways to earn extra or try to look for a higher paying job. But being not young anymore, competition is tough. I am now thinking of working abroad. This has never been my option because i never want to be separated to my family. But things change. My son is getting bigger and sooner or later he will go to school. We might have another child in a few years but 2 kids is our max. Eventhough, my salary combined with my wife is not enough. And i don't want my kids to grow up with yaya's. Values should be taught by parents, specially the mother. If i have a high paying job, my wife can quit working and will have more time to watch our kids.

I have to make a decision soon, like i said, i'm not getting any younger. I really hope i would get another opportunity. I love my family so much and i don't want my kids to experience the hardships i had when i was a child.