The Old Man Gets a Job

Man, I'm totally wiped out. Image courtesy of 123rf.com

Today, I rejoined the workforce.

My head is spinning after more than eight hours of studying SEOs, KWPs*, and a whole lotta stuff that would make any nerd from Big Bang Theory drool. What's more interesting was we spent the whole day trying to unlearn the lessons that took me 16 years to finish!

Yup, like so many Filipino professionals, I ended up in a BPO*. Another thing is the writing here is so much different from the ones that I tried hard to master, but I am no less thankful. I consider this stint a blessing, not just because it puts food on the table and pays the bills, for three reasons.

First is it allows me to further hone my craft, although in a different form. Writing good copy for websites may not win Pulitzers or Palancas, but it does have its own standards of excellence. As such, I am challenged to do my best, and to adapt my writing style in a way that persuades the casual viewer to become a paying customer. I realize then that it is really no different from Journ class, since, as one teacher put it, we are supposed to write story leads that grab the reader by the, um, the balls of one's feet and throw you onto the ground.

Secondly, and no less importantly, I am making use of the education given me by the Filipino people. Well, not exactly in line with my original course, but at least I'm not being a burden to society. Not to mention the fact that the remaining semester of my studies was funded by some very blessed people who are also very dear friends. So, as Mikey Bustos put it, it's time that I work and "repay the feybor."

Thirdly, this experience allows me to write another chapter in the adventure called life. Work is not the end-all nor the be-all, but it allows me the opportunity to be a blessing to someone, whether a colleague, an end-user, the people I hold dear, or even those I hardly know. Work gives us the chance to be successful, but more than that, it offers that rare chance to be of significance.

In the next few days, we will be spending more time in taking apart everything that I learned about writing in school and in my past work experiences, but I'm not complaining. I will do the best that I can, because I really have much to thank God about.

*search engine optimization, keyword phrases
*business process outsource