365 Days And Counting...

What a year that was…

Today I’m exactly one year at work, and I can’t help but feel [just a little bit] awed at some of the changes in my life –good or otherwise – for the past 365 days.

Just to give you a brief background, this is my second job so far, after having resigned from the previous company I worked for for almost 3 years. Along with my changing jobs, it was also a change of industry. Being adept in the ins and outs of the local semiconductor industry, transferring to the telecoms industry was an unplanned but welcome change. In terms of work and responsibilities, man, it was so different! Way back in 2004 I was the module engineer working with robotics and machines that reach up to the production floor ceiling. I’d get my hands dirty (and oftentimes a bruise here and there) during machine maintenance activities, with the help of the friendly neighborhood production technicians who, in some way, most of them I’ve befriended already. (Believe me, these technicians can do wonders for the machines… and sometimes a lot hell of time, too!) I’d go to work in my signature tees-and-jeans-plus-sneakers-and-backpack outfit just like the rest of the people in my previous company, not even wearing earrings nor bracelets, and definitely no makeup for me! Yep, that was how my Mondays to Fridays went.

Fast forward to 2008, and here I am in the big city as a business process analyst in one of the major telecoms company in the country. I don’t do dirty machine works now; instead I have to deal with software developments, technical documentations and the works. I had to trade in my sneakers for girly flats and sandals, my tees for casual blouses and tops, and my backpack for a shoulder bag. My day normally starts at 8:30 in the morning, whereas in my previous work I start as early as 7:00 in the morning!

The better part of my first year at work was spent on learning the ins and outs of the industry, specifically the department with which I’m a part of. I’ve met a couple of diverse people as well. Though I’ll not mention their names, some of them might be reading this and they’ll most probably know that I’m talking about them. There’s my boss who’s blood level harbors on an alarmingly low scale that it usually worries me whenever she calls in sick for the day. On the outside she may seem like the usual workaholic (glasses and all) but she’s one ultimate beach bum and a jet setter who can very well pass as honorary member of the Korean team. I also have two officemates who unwillingly becomes the center of everyday pranks and jokes by our in-house prankster (I’ll tell you more about the Prankster later on). These two are good friends of mine, and coincidentally their boyfriends share the same name. One is a Cabalen chocolate lover who’s got a name for each one of her stuffed toys (teddy bear = ‘Beary’, dog = ‘Doggie’, star = ‘Starry’), while the other is a pure Chinese lady with a penchant for anything that’s pink who, ironically, does not speak the language. The Prankster (as I will call him for anonymity’s sake) loves to play pranks and jokes that usually harbors to too much. He’s one of those so-called ‘obedient’ boyfriends who do the semi-admin responsibilities to his girlfriend. When teased about this, he defensively says “Mapagmahal lang…” The team does not usually take his word for it, though. Oh yeah, there’s also the walking encyclopedia of the team who’d gladly sit in the front row with pompoms if Wikipedia was part of the Wold Cup series. He adores everything that’s Japanese, and his ideals are sooo Atenista that sometimes, we just can’t help but stop and stare at him thinking. “Get on the next plane to Japan and get the freaking out of here!!!” Of course, I was only kidding (or am I, really?).

These people, and many others, make the work life a little more interesting than the usual 8-5 of the average yuppies. My current job has some some downside to it though, that I admit; like the costly transportation cost, desktop instead of laptops, and the higher risk of running into something really nice that often results to unplanned expense during a lunchout at one of the nearby malls. But still, there are lots of perks to be enjoyed (bonuses, on top of everything else) and the people [so far] are great. True, they're one diverse set of people (some of which I really can't figure out) but still we're one happy bunch at the office. As far as the career ladder is concerned, for now I'm pretty much enjoying the responsibilities I'm currently handling but it doesn't stop here. It's a competitive industry out there and one can only do so much as to grab whatever golden opportunity presents itself in the horizon. I'll always be on the prowl for something better and change is inevitable, eventually.

Overall, I guess the last 365 days have been good - 365 days of exploring new possibilities, new friends, and a new career... AND COUNTING! Cheers! =)