Carpe Diem

Careers V

Turning two months, I’m enjoying a good level of ease with my work. Somehow, I’ve never developed complacency as I am constantly looking for ways to see my personal contribution with my work. Because I belong to the subjective literary world, I strive to bring my work to the terse–yet objective–world of technical writing as it should be.

I’ve developed time management strategies which gives me “rewards” when I knew that I finished a number of tasks within the time block I’ve set for it. I’m starting to like this method because I don’t feel guilty leaving the office at exactly 5pm. Slowly, I’m beginning to understand how some of my colleagues would step out of the office at exactly 5pm and leave without a tinge of guilt.

This is one of the reasons perhaps why the walk home is more pleasant now. More stories to come folks. I checked my blog stats earlier, and am happy that the site traffic is picking up, but I never have a clue who my readers are. Would be nice to hear from you too.

Cheers

Last Friday, I completed my first month of work, which I secretly (and collaterally) celebrated at Hon’s restaurant together with my colleagues. Unlike my other work before, the adjustment period is taking longer than it should. There isn’t much that comes to mind, really, but every morning–before coming to work– I would always think, “How can I do better today?” At first, it sounded like a desperate cry of a sorry new hire. Days turned to weeks, I still ask the same question but this time it’s close to becoming my mantra. I am convinced that the earlier I commit my mistakes, the sooner I learn and hopefully give a shot at success.

The disarming experience of adopting new work practice and standard heightens my constant need for affirmation. It’s not something like I getting the usual pat on the back at the end the day—as I now realized that my work before involved a bigger audience who would applaud at my “public speaking”, which I call work. Right now, I only have audience who can be my coach and my executioner.

To be continued…

Opportunity never comes late; she arrives precisely at the time she wishes to. She is often elusive to people who needs her most. In that, she need to be teased to reveal her real beauty and appeal.

A couple of months ago, I mentioned about joining a job workshop and getting job leads from it. I found Opportunity there. She was sitting behind my case manager, who pointed me to more job leads and resources, and still reluctant to speak up. I tried to catch up with with my fellow classmates in that workshop, while I busy filling my personal directory of contacts. I knew that she was just tailing me, but each time I turn, she would sprint like a gazelle. Because I journal all of my job applications–keeping the contact details, people I spoke to on the phone and even some side notes about how the receptionist sounded like–I tried to look for her there, but she’s hardly ever there. Looking at my resume (nth version), there’s not much I can do just for her to open doors for me, she is an ill-mannered drama queen who loves unsuspecting victims of sudden fate twists. Rumours has it that she and Fate are sisters?

My job search was turning into a cheap melodrama of an ill-fated immigrant who was snagged by false dreams, and now treads the long mile of scratching a living from placement agencie’s pittance. I nearly raised my white flag when I phoned my friend Rico. She appeared from a cloud of ambiguity anon!

“Dex, our company has been looking for a Technical Writer for quite sometime now.”

“I can match my qualification and experience. I’ll give it a try.”

To be continued…

I have yet to decide if I will go back to school and earn a bachelor’s degree here in Canada, or should I go for certificates or diplomas to get me a better chance on landing specific jobs. Whilst a bachelor’s degree is always preferred, most high paying jobs around Canada belong to the trades. Take for example a licensed practical nurse (LPN) who are raking $24/hr as compared to an office assistant, who most prolly is a degree holder, but only $13/hr. What would it merit me then to have a Canadian bachelor’s degree?

Two days ago, I was discussing with my friend Frank on skills-upgrading options and how it would impact on successfully landing an arguably decent paying job in relation to our qualification. A couple of things came out: (a) is an unemployed person running away from the problem if s/he decides to go back to school? (b) will skills-upgrading give any assurance about faster absorption into the mainstream labour market?

After about 3 months of pondering over these issues, I’ve come to a realization that qualifications, in itself, is not a guarantee for employment. The interplay between the applicant’s plea to the company’s prevailing selection process and the society’s observed founded principles on job recruitment. Despite having the legit credentials and formidable qualifications, one cannot demand to be accepted in a company. On the other hand, the company has to exercise fair, non-discriminatory recruitment practice. The applicant is often caught in the void between these two concepts, like a stale mate in a chess match. By the way the recruitment process operates, it is neither flawed nor too exhaustive and perhaps the only way to look at the situation is by considering a third element called “networking”.

To be continued…

My mind is riddled with options, which I fear would lead to a cul-de-sac. To frame my thinking right now, I throw you this:

Proposition 1: At the height of my teaching career, I thought it was my passion.

Proposition 2: At the height of my teaching job–which I’m passionate about–I thought it was my career.

Believe me, I could run a lengthy argument on proving and disproving both prepositions with a simple play of words and twisting them to create an entirely different meaning. I could relate to the second preposition though.

…but this is not I wish to share with you today.

I’m beginning to wonder what a “career path” truly means for me, if I’m charting my destiny. When I look back at my trail, can I actually tell that every step was deliberate and with purpose?

Lately, the approach for job hunting has been a sporadic and desperate attempt to be the productive person that I am; it’s when putting on a positive attitude until it feels like compromising standards and pruning one’s self-esteem; it’s when to ’sleep over it’ wouldn’t actually change a single bit of what’s yet to come.

I guess Robert Frost perfectly captured my state of mind and how it is bent on the idea of living the consequences when he said “how way leads on to way”.

To be continued…