MY CAREER
I have been exposed to business-related undertakings for most of my life. My parents owned and managed a contractor’s business when I was in my younger years. I have seen their efforts, their struggles, their successes and their dreams. Most children with business people for parents would love to have their own business in the future too. For one, managing your own business makes you the boss and spares you from having to deal with strict supervisors. Second, you would not have to prepare your own resume to distribute to different companies, undergo the hassles of examinations and interviews, and then end up frustrated when the human resource personnel tells you, “We’ll just call you.” Finally, having a family business guarantees instant employment after graduation. However, I am my own person and I have my own interests. I respect my parent’s achievements, but I wanted to have my own success story too.
So I went out and searched for my own “niche” in life. I landed a job in a trucking business. It was a fun one and challenging too. I was able to utilize what I have witnessed from my parents’ experiences in our family business. I copied their motivation and their daily business attitudes. I borrowed some of their practical expertise. They became my role models and my job became an easy endeavor in its entirety. But then, I had to grow up. I felt like there had to be something new. So I resigned and eventually started on my quest for a perfect job again. I was lucky. This time, in a bank. I was employed in the customer service department. The job was far more different from the trucking business position that I handled. My daily existence in the office was not anymore in front of business paraphernalia only. Every single day, I was confronted with people as well. Customers and clients with their diverse concerns and unique personalities. I talked to them, got irritated by them, laughed with them, praised by some, befriended some and also offended some. But I took everything as they came. After all, they were part of the job. Dealing with people was a learning experience. It made me understand human nature in its most basic essence. The customer service moment was a satisfying experience in general. My satisfaction with the job earned the respect of the management. Hence, I was transferred to a more challenging position – in the risk management division within the same bank. The position exposed me to all the possible issues and risks that a banking facility can ever encounter. I was part of a team and that was a whole new experience for me. I also had colleagues in my previous two jobs but being in a team was different. It meant I had an established group for all my daily responsibilities. I had to consider their individuality, their plans, their purposes and even their problems. My team for the risk management position was tasked with the basics of risk management. We identified the internal and exogenous threats for our firm, measured the degree and level of their impacts, and conceptualized the necessary strategies to counter these threats. The job was tedious and greatly demanding. But not as demanding as being a manager which was the highest position that I handled in the banking industry. I became a manager through hard work. I earned it and I was very fulfilled with the job. However, deep inside I knew I still wanted more. There was still a hollow emptiness inside of me that I needed to fill. So I decided to sort myself for what I really wanted. Then I realized that I was not really a business person. I can handle business but that was not my home.
I have always loved teaching. The idea of me sharing knowledge to other people makes me feel very happy. I adore discussions and sharing of information. Being an educator is the greatest dream that I can ever have. I always imagine myself in front of a group of students reading a book with them or facilitating a class lecture. Consequently, I decided to take up a degree in education. I hope to have my own business or adult education class someday. That would be the best source of my life’s fulfillment.
Right now, I am in the midst of some personal challenges. I moved to Texas when I started my education studies. I did it for a change in environment as well as to widen my opportunities for a career change. But I have not been very happy with my decision. Moving to Texas has not really made any difference. There is even an urge for me to return to my hometown in North Carolina. But I am presently taking it one at a time. I cannot rush everything. For one, I have been on a medical leave of absence for a year now due to some problems of my lumbar and cervical spine. Without work to do, I have tried to concentrate more on my school activities. I cannot wait to graduate and earn my license to be an educator. Although my medical condition poses some restrictions, I never let impatience or frustration consume me and make me lose my focus. I would never let anything hinder me from finishing school and getting a teaching job. I know I have to get better so that I can fulfill all my dreams. When I am already a full-pledged educator, then I can go back to North Carolina to share my skills to my hometown’s people.
The story of my career is not yet over. I have experienced many types of employment. I have also learned a lot. I have learned to be patient and to take the moments as they come. I have also met some people who helped shape the kind of person that I am today. Overall, I am satisfied with all the responsibilities that I have performed in all the jobs that I handled. I gave a lot of things and I gained a lot of things in return too. Someday, when my teaching career starts, I would have another story to tell.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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