One Down, Decades To Go.

As I've mentioned, I have been officially working for a year now.


Cliche as it may seem, but it seems like it was only yesterday when I signed on that contract that I'll be slaving off for eight (or maybe nine) hours a day, from Monday to Friday, and get paid a certain amount during the golden dates we all know as pay day. And it's great. Really. Not that there's any hint of sarcasm there, but for most people I talk to, it was not a walk in the park for me.


First off, I was so lost on which career path to take. Being an entrepreneurship major, your career choices are basically limited, as you only know little of this and that, and have no mastery of one thing alone. But depending on how you look at it, there's really a lot of choices to choose from, including not working and just setting up your own business and have people work for you. And with that being established, I decided to take the long, long road of gathering up money and experience hence I became someone's employee. And I bet you wouldn't be able to guess the job offers I got.


Some offers are just really too good to be true, and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd qualify for such job. On the other hand, not every application gets noticed, but I think I was better off not working for those companies anyway. The bottom line is, you may get a lot of offers, but you'll just know which one is worth taking.


And I think I made the right choice when I went on with my first job. Everything was so fast and full of pressure, yet systematic and organized in a way. But unlike in school, there will be no advisers to correct and defend your mistakes. You're basically on your own. And a sense of independence is what I really need.


But sometimes, people don't understand that I am just this one kid who is so innocent and helpless. There are times when you'll need mentoring. And sad to say, I lacked mentoring when I really needed it. Sometimes being too independent can burn you out. And when I got burned out, I walked away, fearing I wouldn't be able to save myself when the time comes I'd fall apart. And it's better to walk away limping, than not being able to walk at all.


And as of today, I am now at my second job. Not that I'm loving it more than the first one, but I'm enjoying it more. There's just the right amount of mentoring and independence. I am close to my seventh month here. I have learned, and still learning, a lot - more than I can ever write here. And I know there will also be harder challenges ahead, but I'm ready to face them head on.


It's just one year that has passed, and being an employee basically changes everything. I don't want to forget the little kid who entered that yellow office last year, completely naive and clueless about the so-called real world, and I'd like to know more about the high-power career-woman who'll be leading tomorrow, which is why this blog has been born.


It was a great ride during the first year, and I'm looking forward to sailing through the years ahead, be it smooth or rough, and you're free to get hop on, and sail with me. ;-)