My friend Anita...

Anita pretty in pink....

Nothing much to write really this days, nothing much to say either. It’s Wednesday, so I’d probably be looking forward to my weekend. Today I got an invitation from a friend to have a late lunch at Faisaliah Hotel. That would definitely be a treat to me; I won’t have to spend for my lunch today. Other than that, I don’t think my weekend would be as exciting as it used to be, I can see it. My friends would be laying low on partying at ranco, I would guess. Seeing each other almost every weekend can be a bit exasperating. Lolz! Sometimes you got to have time for yourself alone reflecting whatever or spend time with other people.

So much with myself, I have decided to post this quite an inspiring article sent to me by my friend Anita. His professor from college wanted him to write something inspirational for their school paper and this is what he came up with.

Facing a life ahead…..
By Marlon B. Vicente

We often say that life is unfair because of the many struggles we encounter in our daily lives, but, it never was. We should live our life the way it is calling us. Don’t make it so hard to understand that sometimes it may lead us into nothing. Life always has its ups and downs. Let our downfall be our strength and serve as our mighty weapon to reach the other side of our life, the ups side.

Many of us have lived a life that we never dreamt of. We wished to have a better life as what fortunate people have. But destiny has put us into a life that we never expected, a life wherein we have to face a battle in order to supplement our daily needs. And sometimes if we failed, we tend to surrender because of our defeat that is weakening us. At times we blame Him for all our sufferings due to the impact of poverty: poverty which is the number one problem of our country wherein we are affected because we belong to the low-class community. But, we should not be ruined by poverty instead let this be an inspiration for us to dream big and pursue a career.

To start with, I have lived my life as a less-fortunate like most of us do. I went to public schools for all my education from preparatory up to college. But I am deeply thankful because these public schools that I went through have molded me into a person with pride and dignity. I learned of not being influenced by poverty instead it made me even stronger and determined to achieve all my dreams and aspirations in life. For I believe education is the only treasure that we can inherit to our parents, true to the fact that nobody can take away from us.

The last school (Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University-NLUC, Institute of Computer Studies) that I have attended was the reason why I am here right now. My college years did a lot of changes in my personal and social life, my professional career, goals and objectives. The teaching strategies and methods they have implemented helped me cover up with what is happening in the recent technology, being an Information Management graduate. The curricular offerings are in line with the latest trends in Information Communications Technology. Thus, they trained and molded me to become who I am in the future. Also, having been an active student leader, student journalists and a cultural member during my school days has made me received a scholarship grant thru Special Talent Program wherein it shouldered my full tuition fee. It was indeed a big help in pursuing my college education. I was able to attend Provincial, Regional and even National trainings and conferences. These tremendous experiences during the years that I was still studying made such a great impact in my social life especially my professional career. It does not only help me developed and honed my skills and talents, but it also made me a stronger and better individual who’s globally competitive.

After graduating from college, I did a job related to my profession as a private secretary (home based) to my uncle who’s a Sales Manager in an elevator and engineering services company. It was a good start for me because the experience that I gained has taught me to develop my skills and capabilities in terms of office management. But my first professional job was working as a call center agent (technical support representative) at Advanced Contact Solutions in Makati City. It wasn’t that easy venturing into the call center world. We had to undergo rigid screening, pass at least 3-5 interviews not to mention undergoing the English proficiency examination. After passing these interviews with flying colors, another 4-5 weeks training required before finally facing the battle field, taking a call. Training requires a lot of effort because we need to be familiarized with the account we would handle. Likewise, series of examinations both practical and written are needed as the basis of our performance evaluation whether we made it or not and be called a quality agent who’s fit to work in a call center environment.

At first, it was hard for me to cope with the training because of the new environment I was with. I had to deal and mingle with people who are graduates of La Salle, UP, UST and other prestigious schools and the fact that it was my first official job after college. It wasn’t really a walk in the park. Other than that, the training involves technical aspects like the Verizon DSL, an internet service provider. But thanks to my Alma Matter who provided me with good education. The things that was discussed and taught during the training are all in line with Information Technology. That was the time I begun to realize how excellent DMMMSU in producing graduates. And based on experience, almost all of the knowledge I acquired during my college years has helped me pass the training and continue being a call center agent.

And as they always say, that the world is round and pregnant, full of possibilities. Another opportunity knocked my door. A friend of mine referred me to her agency to apply for a secretarial position in Saudi Arabia. At first I was hesitant to accept the referral because my initial plan of working abroad is in Macau where my cousins are based there. Still I tried to apply because in the first place I know that I am capable in the said position not only because of my work experiences but also the knowledge I have gained during my college years and also being one of the student leaders. I was trained to make memorandums, do business letters, make minutes of the meetings, deal with campus and university officials and the opportunity of attending conferences, trainings and seminars outside school premises. And so I accepted the job knowing that I will be working away from my family, my friends and all the people I loved.

My special thanks goes out to Dr. Samuel Pablico, my adviser and Dr. Jaime Manuel, my ever supportive SAS Coordinator and to all campus and university officials. Truly, DMMMSU’s teachings methods and strategies are excellent because the graduates they have produced are highly and globally competitive.

These are some of the experiences that I will forever treasure. I would never forget the DMMMSU community, NLUC folks and my ICS family. Yes, I have experienced lots of downfall in my life but the reason why I tried to get up and continue facing the battle of life is because of my family, relatives, friends and most especially the institution who trained and molded me as a professional. The teachings and guidance they have given me served as my tool in conquering a better life ahead. But let us not forget that there is someone above who is beyond all of these whether negative or positive. We should not forget to remember Him for us to continue soaring high.

And up to date, I am working here in the oil-rich Saudi Arabia for barely 5 months now in one of the departments here in Riyad Bank and continue reaping the fruits of my labor.