What to do this year

New year new life.

That's what most people say the start of a new year. Do you have any plans for this year? A new goal perhaps?

I'm still thinking about what to do. These past few days, I've been thinking long and hard about what I really want and what goals to pursue. I am not getting any younger so I need to carefully think about what to do in life. I'm thinking about plans B, C, and so on if my previous plans don't work.

I'm expected to be a public servant, a full-time elementary school teacher, based on my educational history. If you want to be a public school teacher in the Philippines, you must pass a set of tests known as ranking. After resigning from a good position in a BPO company, I underwent ranking for the first time in 2020. Previously, my goal was to advance as a professional in that industry, possibly as a trainer, manager, or support person. But, after receiving my professional license, I've had to renounce that goal in order to focus on my career. I decided to leave the company with the money I had saved over the course of a year. I then enrolled in a brief course to improve my chances of becoming a public school teacher. Unfortunately, I didn't make it. Out of the over 150 applicants, no one made it. But I didn't lose hope. I finally got teaching experiences this year as a substitute teacher, a volunteer tutor, and currently a volunteer learning facilitator. I was hoping that these experiences will boost my chance of being included in the registry of qualified applicants this year.

I don't want to keep my hopes up like the previous one though. That time I was certain that I would get in. I was certain about being appointed as a public teacher but after 10 months of waiting for the result, all I got is a disappointment. So, this time I am no longer hoping for too much. Instead, I am preparing myself for a plan B in case my plan A does not work.

Actually, I am currently having second thoughts about whether I really want to be confined in the 4 corners of the classroom my whole life until my retirement. I am an adventurous person and I don't like to do things in a routine. I easily get tired of a daily routine. I want every day to be spontaneous and fun and I can't imagine what would it be like if I'll just go to school every day for a long time.

I want to do something that really interests me. For a long time, I was thinking about going abroad and working. And since I don't know yet whether I'll be hired by the Department of Education this year, I am already planning a plan B of what to do in life. I promised myself that this will be the last time I am going to undergo the ranking. This will be the ultimatum for me and if I still won't make it this year, it is better to choose a different path.

Here's what I am planning to do this year.

Improve my Korean and study for the EPS-TOPIK exam. Over the last few days, I am spending my time watching videos on youtube about how to get a job in Korea. It's been my long-time dream to go there one day, and I am thinking about looking and applying for a job in that country. And most videos I found say that I need to pass the EPS-TOPIK first. It's a test being administered to evaluate the Korean language skills of a foreigner that is planning to work in Korea. Since I already have a background in Korean and Hangeul because of my fondness for Kdramas, I'm sure this will be a piece of cake for me.

Pass the EPS-TOPIK exam. Upon checking, there is no schedule for the exam yet due to the pandemic protocols. But I'm hoping to take the exam before this year ends and hopefully, pass it as well.

Get a passport. This is already planned last year, but due to hindrances last year, I wasn't able to. I'm positive that I can already make this possible this year.

Apply as a full-time ESL tutor. Of course, I need to have a plan C if in case plans A and B fails. So my plan is to look for an ESL (English as Second Language) teaching job. Maybe I could start with a small company first for experience and move on to a better company.

Apply for a job at NCR. If in case these plans are still not achieved, I am thinking about working at the National Capital Region instead. I want to be free and I don't want to continue living with my parents. I want to experience an independent life, so I'm thinking about moving to NCR, finding a job, and then going back to my plan B, which is to go to Korea. :)

I have no idea what will happen this year, but I do plan to spend less money on my wants and desires. I want to work hard and achieve my goals, and once I've done that, I'll probably be able to treat myself to some luxury.