I graduated from a known private school here in the Philippines and took up Bachelor of Science – Hotel Restaurant Institution Management major in Culinary Arts. The reason why I chose that course was because I wanted to work in a cruise ship. I thought that someone would back me up and as it turns out he doesn't really want me to be working in a cruise because I was a girl. He didn't elaborate the reasons but in short he doesn't want me to work there.
I got pissed because if I had known this earlier, I would've shifted to a different course. I do love cooking but not as passionate as some of my friends. I also thought that after I graduated that my course would be my ticket to a golden future especially some of our higher batchmates were telling us the salary range when you are working in a cruise. So my eyes were beaming a lot of dollar signs.
Well even if I that someone didn't backed me up in a cruise company, I still had the choice of applying by myself but I didn't. Why? Because I was already heartbroken. I always think of that person who was discouraging me to work in a cruise. So I worked here but then my parents felt that my career wasn't going anywhere so I have decided to try applying for a job in Singapore though an agency here. I passed but I didn't grab it because the salary that was offered to me and to other applicants was small. I think it was less than the minimum wage for Singapore. Again another reason.
Then someone referred me to work at the commissary kitchen of the Philippine Airlines but I didn't send my email. I mean there was still no assurance that I could land the job but I didn't send my email. Although I know that my backer would be one of the biggest bosses there. So I got more nervous especially I am not good in interviews. I felt like I would let the person who referred down. But I still let him down because he found out that I didn't email my resume. I didn't send my resume because if I passed the job, I would be working at a place far from our home. Maybe it was a 2-3 hours or more travel time just by going there. I wasn't up to renting a space.
In short, I didn't want to go outside my comfort zone. From the cruise thing to Singapore and to working in a commissary kitchen, it was all because I didn't want to be far away from home. Has anyone felt that? What did you do? I know that is part of life that there will come a time that you need to be seprated from the people you love and to stand up with your two feet. But what if there is a good paying job that doesn't require you to leave or to tire yourself? That was what I was always thinking.
Remember the one who referred to me at the commissary? After a decade he again referred me to someone and this time I already sent my email. Then that someone endorsed my CV to a human resourse practicioner. Everything happened really quick. I sent my resume then I think after 2 days I got a reply that my CV was being forwarded to someone and that someone turned out to be the HR practicioner. In a week I think I already got a call from him and he was actually impressed by my CV and he was referring me to a restaurant near our place or probably half an hour (without traffic) away from our place. After hearing that it was for a restaurant, I repeated the name of the restaurant and he immediately knew that I was having second thoughts. He said yes and the name of the restaurant and asked why. I answered him honestly that I was actually hoping for a job not in the food service industry. Then he said that my experiences were all in a restaurant so he looked for a restaurant position for me. I forgot how we ended the call but I never heard from him again.
Again the person who referred to me was disappointed with me for 2 things. First, I didn't notify him that I already got the call. And second, I didn't accepted the job again. I think that is the reason why he isn't talking to me for a year now.
I have been working in a food industry "on and off" for 14 years now. Why on and off? Because I always change companies. I resign-rest-work for a different company-repeat. It was like a pattern that one interviewer had noticed on my work experiences and it really didn't looked good. Well I was able to reason out why the change of companies without it having to look bad on me. But I am telling you that changing companies more often isn't really a good thing unless you have a good reason for quitting.
I thought that I would be staying with my last employer for a long time because that was what I have told my interviewer but I was wrong. There were many reasons as to why I quit my job with them but majority ofmy decision was because I got burned out.
How many companies have you worked with? What was hour longest stay in a company? Correct me if I am wrong as I have only read it before but they say that millenials tend to quit their jobs easily and they don't have that will to stay in a company. I don't know if I am a millenial but compared with my friends, I had tendered a lot of resignations in the past.
If you are going to say that I am choosy and picky in choosing my job, I won't be offended as I felt that too. Probably because I have already experienced working somewhere that is far from our home. I complain a lot? Guilty as well but because there are really a lot of things to complain about but I wouldn't accept it if someone would tell me that I don't like hardships.
I know we all have had our own hardships in life. I think even the richest person in the world have also experienced hardships. The only difference is how we manage it and strive for success.
I know it isn't good to keep on going back on what happened in the past but I think the first time that I have made my wrong decision in life was when I pursued a career that I think wasn't meant for me. Or maybe it was when I kept on turning down some good job offers. I really don't know where I had made a wrong decision because I still can't see a silver lining in my career. But no matter what, I still continue to move forward.
