My Job and My Dreams June 27, 2009
Posted by jennipot in Life, Uncategorized, Workplace.trackback
“People who do not focus on the work in front of them have no right to talk about their dreams.”
I got this quote from Bambino, a Japanese telenovela about a young man who wants to be a chef. It’s starring my favorite Jun Matsumoto 
These Japanese shows are really good, including the cinematography ha. He was considered good in his province but when he went to Tokyo he found out it’s a whole new ball game. Currently he’s being assigned as a waiter and he’s really upset because he wants to work in the kitchen.
The quote got me reminiscing the early years of my second career. My second life started on 1998, when I decided to go back to school to take up B.S. Computer Science. I already had AB Economics degree but I was aiming for computer jobs. At that time I was at the lowest point of my life and I really hit rock bottom. I decided to get that degree and go into IT, maybe one day finding work abroad.
I started as an OJT with no allowance, armed with my own laptop. I’m glad I was hired after that, and started as an employee at 32 years old. At that time I felt pressured because I was competing with people 10 or more years younger than me. I felt lucky that I was given a chance, and with that I gave my best effort. Actually some people predicted I wouldn’t finish my degree, but I did. Then it was predicted that for someone who has been her own boss since 20 years old, I wouldn’t last working for someone. Was that a challenge or what?
I started as a developer, but part of my job was also to make sure that the services were well maintained and running 24/7. I guess I did a good job because about a year after, I was asked to take care of the support part, and take care of the programs that were developed.
At that time, for the next 6 months I wondered if I made the right decision. But inspite of that I still gave my best, and it took a while but I learned to like what I’m doing, and take pride in it. To make the story short I was upgraded 5 steps up in 4 years, ending up being a manager. I felt blessed to have bosses who recognized my efforts, and it made all the sleepless nights worthwhile. I also know that I did work hard and deserved the rewards. Don’t get me wrong, I made mistakes, cried buckets, but everytime I did, I just kept getting back into it.
One of the most memorable moments was when I made a mistake that caused all my other team mates (about 10 of them) not to go home, to fix the mess I created. If I made a mistake and fix it that would be good, but to have someone else carry my burden was really painful, and worse, no one scolded or yelled at me. They just sat down and got to work. I remembered sitting on the floor in a corner crying. After about 20 minutes of being ignored and feeling sorry for myself (all of them were guys and I was the only rose by the way), I asked myself what the hell I was doing sitting there being useless. True I can’t do what they’re doing, but I can help by checking and testing what they did. So I wiped my tears and got to work. It took a few hours but things got back to normal.
Since then I became REALLY careful before hitting the ENTER key. I’ve trained a lot of fresh graduates after that, and that is one thing I ALWAYS tell them. Double check! Triple check! Crap happens when you’re not looking! Always back up! 
There’s no rewind button in the computer.
One thing I learned also, is that when you do not do your part in the organization, or you are useless, it’s not really the company who’s paying your salary. It’s your team mates, those who do their jobs, and doing YOURS because you couldn’t or won’t, that are paying your salary.
Although I was grateful for the companies and the bosses who hired me, my main motivation then was to be able to sleep every night with the peace of mind that I did my part and helped, that my wages were earned by ME. One of my bosses before who is also a friend told me, if you’re not the solution, then you’re the problem. That stuck to me. My daily goal even now is to be the solution, and later, if you ask me to describe myself in an organization, I would tell you that I’m a problem solver.
I used to keep comparing myself with my colleagues, and felt that I had less opportunities than they do. I felt that I was the least useful person in a group. Later though I realized that making a living doesn’t always mean we get to do what we like at times. There really is no perfect job, but whatever we are tasked to do, we should do it well and give our best. That’s being professional. Even now, handling so many personnel, I look for those who do the same. One of the biggest mistakes one can make is to think that one job is less than the other. Everybody who works, can be the best in their fields. It just takes focus and dedication, and in every organizaton, everybody has a part to play.
If we don’t focus on the job at hand, how can we expect to reach our dreams? Sometimes the path we want to take isn’t what was given to us, but as long as we keep our eyes on the goal, and do ordinary jobs extraordinarily, I don’t see why we can’t reach it. And along the way, don’t forget to enjoy the good things that happen as you walk towards that goal.
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