I guess it’s a bit too late to write about this now. But, then again, a good story can’t be left untold.
Before anything else, I would like to clarify that the succeeding events took place within the last nine months. What you would be reading is nothing but a bird’s-eye-view of what happened to me back then. Quite frankly, it doesn’t do justice to the impact that it had. Credit that to my very limited writing skills. But, anyway, here it goes.
Last year, somewhere around this time, I was expecting to graduate college with a Bachelor’s degree. I was ready to face the world with much exuberance and hope, hope that I could finally fulfil my life-long goal of finally entering law school. Everything was set, my application form, my final interview, what was missing was just the diploma to finalize everything. But life took an unexpected turn for the worst and my dreams slowly crumbled into bits. I was always aware of my uncanny ability to mess up things, but this was blown way out of proportion. This was not a mere project that was passed late or an organized event gone horribly wrong, this was law school we’re talking about, and all because of a pointless theology subject that I have always hated ever since I entered the university. I won’t delve into details considering that what happened to me has already developed the status of being a pseudo urban legend at my university.
To make a long story short, I was not able to get my diploma and graduate, which also meant kissing my chances of entering law school during that time goodbye.
I was a mess back then. That’s the thing about me I guess, my personality is that of an undefeated basketball team at the brink of defeat, I felt loss and didn’t know what to do. I have the tendency to be a bit neurotic when I enter unfamiliar territory, and quite frankly, that is how failure is to me.
It goes without saying that this event took a toll on me and almost sucked out every bit of life I had within me. I was like an emotional zombie limping through a field of shattered hopes and dreams, looking for a way to survive the apocalypse, and I did that I guess. I got a job ironically on the day of my supposed graduation day as a call center agent
The call center industry (or Business Process Outsourcing as the men in suits call it) is almost like working as a prostitute, you work mostly at night, you wear nice clothes, your clients are mostly Americans and you look like a drag after you do your job. Only this time, you lose your social life instead of your virginity. (I’m so sorry for the bad metaphor) Once you get in, it’s almost hard to get out, especially with all the perks that this industry has to offer; an ample salary, a relatively easy work load (compared to those who work in construction sites and sewage pipes) and the promise of quick growth in terms of career (you can be an operations manager in as short as three years if you’re really into it). If you look at it at a superficial perspective, the call center is an easy way out for most of us who were victimized by empty promises of greener pastures that was once postulated by the Nursing industry a few years back. All of these can be yours by just simply having the firm grasp of the English language, a little dose of American or British accent, and of course signing away your soul to the devil. But hey! Your soul is a small price to pay for a salary that is enough to cover your basic needs such as food, shelter and clothes and your insatiable need for overpriced coffees and cigarettes that you eventually develop overtime.
OK, enough with the sarcastic rants, I think by this time you already got my point that a big salary doesn’t automatically mean that you are going to be satisfied with your career. But, with the current status of our economy that is ran by a narcissistic buffoon that I honestly believe is being controlled by his sister who has bigger balls than him, what can you expect? What choice do you have? It’s either be starved to death or pick up the phone and talk.
This is the call center industry in a nut shell.
But despite all the things that I have said in my previous paragraphs, I can’t deny the fact that having a bit more money has its perks (I mean like duh?) You get to go to different places, you get to try out new things, and you get to taste different kinds of food. In short, you get a teeny-tiny slice of the finer things in life. But it doesn’t come cheap. When you earn money, it seems that your lifestyle also becomes more expensive. Before, when you were still a student, McDonalds or any fast food chain is almost equivalent to a five-star restaurant. But, once you start working it seems that you won’t be able to swallow a piece of fries without barfing .
I’d continue but my short attention span is catching up to me at this point. I’ll just make a follow up of this post in the next few days once I find the time.
