This year marks the end of my stint as a designer in an architectural firm in Quezon City. I am also about to relinquish my post of editor in chief in an affiliated architectural magazine to uncertain successor, considering there are still no probable applicant on the time of this posting. My almost three years of stay here in the company gave me an insight on how I improved well and struggled to exude craftsmanship according to God’s plan. Alongside these achievements and experiences, I have had also several bittersweet encounters and repeatedly asked myself if this company is really my destiny and if I am the needed worker for this fledgling firm. Despite the fact that I have been technically a ‘regular’ in the said company, my actual status with respect to salaries and benefits is basically a contractual, minimum-wage earner. Yet, I do not find this too much disappointing since my primary purpose is to garner experiences and exposure in the said practice. Now that I’m aiming for the ultimate test of being an architecture graduate, that is the Board Examination, I firmly believe that anything I’ve earned here will become my ammunitions for the greatest ‘battle’ in my career.
Despite the hardships and challenges coupled with my considerably training phase in my immediate past job, I am really grateful that God gave me a God-fearing boss and a few friends to cherish the teamwork and camaraderie. Unfortunately, they were gone before I actually leave the office. Now, I’m almost all alone here, waiting for the day I’ll finally leave this cozy office and move into a higher level of working environment. But before I finally move out, I am pleased to provide you what are the real facts of benefits, especially to my priorities in life, which I’ve encountered here during my 33 months of working here.
1. Internet Connection
This is considered to be one of my pet projects in my 9-4-9 priorities which eventually bear fruit at first quarter of last year. Actually, it has been planned year earlier but still studying whether to take DSL line of Broadband connection. When I finally decided to take the latter, we finally had a net connection last March 28, 2009.
2. Service Area Construction
The progress of this house construction, though considerably not as big as other rehab projects in a particular home also received positive results. It is already in the completion stage when I resigned from the job. As soon as it is completed the project will be succeeded by a toilet reconstruction project, which continues the aim towards a better and functional working area/bathroom in the near future.
3. Helpful gadgets and appliances
These are small yet helpful gadgets and appliances which became reality when I finally worked in an architectural firm. Through my work I contributed a cooking stove to our second house in Laguna, alongside several small gadgets in our main house. When we are affected largely by a great flood last September, there rose an immediate need to dry papers and other affected things in no time. So I eventually purchased a blow drier similar to a hair drier used in parlors. With regards to household repairs and construction, the electric drill became the most important gadget or tool bought in 2009. Me and my father had share for the purchase of this important tool in June of last year.I also bought a new tripod, after one of my church mates broke the original one. If not for my job, I can’t acquire them as soon as possible. Other important things bought include, an airpot, TV antenna and microphone for my video camera (come call it lapel). These are just small things. Not the usual expensive tools or gadgets that you might expect, but these things helped our household a lot and made things a little bit easier.
4. Freedom to pursue personal hobby: video production
Despite not a direct allied profession of architecture, I had found great passion on video production especially when I had my own video camera. I also found interest on various video contests especially posted online. I did not hesitate to join these tilts, and my boss did not even lift a finger to hurdle my passion. Yet, every time I have shootings especially when had conflicts with my work days, I just make sacrifices of not going to work. Since we are in a ‘no-work-no-pay’ system, I am almost always broken when I have video productions in particular month.
5. Personal Video camera
Since I exhibited my passion for art through videography in the middle of the decade, I have longed for a personal video camera to enjoy my hobbies. Gladly in the mid of 2007, I bought, through my father’s financing loan, a simple and mid-resolution camera with photographic and music capabilities. Since it has been made possible in shortest time through a loan, my past job enabled me to pay it through my father on a monthly basis. I completed my financial obligations regarding the video camera on May of 2008.
6. Board Examination
This is definitely my primary purpose why I worked in the past job: I am posed to ask for the signature and approval of my superior architect for the log book. This is greatly needed in the filing of papers for the board examination. Now, that I have resigned from my job, only the license number has been unfilled yet since the signee’s license number has unfortunately expired January of this year (what a perfect timing). My past boss said that it will take two months for it to be processed thoroughly. I still cross my fingers on that day when I will garner the required license for the log-book so I can finally take the much-anticipated Licensure examination.
7. Partial success of Computer Upgrades project
Without my job, my dream for an upgraded computer at home wouldn’t be possible. One of my first upgrades undertaken was a higher capacity hard drive and an increase of the Random Access Memory (RAM). This was followed by purchase of a high-powerful Altec Lansing speaker with sub-woofer. I also planned to buy an LCD to replace our odd CRT monitor but I just saved the money and entered into a bank savings account. Purchase of the LCD will be done as soon as CRT bugs down.
These are the seven major accomplishments I’ve made throughout my working career in the immediate past job. There may be other things that I’ve bought and breakthroughs made, but those listed above are definitely attributed to my stay in the company.
Now I finally realize that there are lots of experiences in the small office where I once worked, and how this job made me a young worker, who loves the value of work and makes effort to do everything despite the meager resources. Yet, every saga has a start and an end. I am about to leave the said office with chin up and high spirit, that one day when me and my boss crosses path, I will humbly and confidently say, ‘I have been better that before, still growing better and better as days go by.’
No comments:
Post a Comment