Convergys failed me.

April will be ending in seven (7) hours. The month that I gave to myself, at least after graduation, is ending soon. I can hear the clock ticking down as I write this entry. Just so I'll be re-oriented on how I spent the days after that big day in PICC, I am browsing through my planner [yes, now]. Let me see:

April 2: Baccalaureate Mass. FEU Ten Outstanding Senior Students 2008 also met with Dr. Lydia Echauz, Dr. Marcon Espino, Dr. Elizabeth Melchor and Dr. Marcon Espino, in the morning. It was immediately followed by a photo session.
April 3: I shopped for things I would be using the following day. Slept at Aunt Mau with mom.
April 4: Graduation day. The culmination of my life as a college undergrad. I received three medals which, without second thoughts, are gladly offered to my Mom. Tokens of gratitude are also offered to my dearest friends and organizations: Tamaraw Volunteers, Sandigan, IASSC 2006-2007, IAS Paragon Pioneers, Oradec Batch 2005, & College Y Club.
April 5: Grad Party. with neighborhood friends. I proceeded to the Ponkan's flat afterwards.
April 5-16: Sojourn at RM's flat with the Ponkans.
April 17: Bikini Open at Common Ground. Spent the night with FEU friends. A reunion of sort for the presidents of FEU university-wide organizations: Henz (FEU Theatre Guild), Bryan Angeles (FEU CYC) & I (FEU TAMVOL). We had fun night though I did not have a glimpse of the bikini open. Haha. Thanks to Samu, Tina, Kimpoin, Soul, Jam, Majo, Chie, Chub.
April 18-21: Bolinao, Pangasinan. After tossing a one-peso-coin, I finally decided to join with my family in my mom's provincial town, Bolinao. I enjoyed the company of my relatives, the seafoods, the sea, clean air. I don't, however, particularly like the attention given to me. Hehe.
April 22-23: at Aunt's house in Malabon.
April 23-24: I was alone in the house. Mom and sibs were still in the province. I had a general cleaning of both the physical and personal spaces [lol], worked on Annual Reports, and kept myself busy to be able to forget something. [ako na ang maarte!]
April 25-26: at Kuya Ago's. with Tony, Ren, Nerrie and Jophel. We planned for the TAMVOL Boot Camp 2008, the training for the newly-elected officers of the FEU TAMVOL, completed the line up of Team TAMVOL 0809, watched flicks, surfed the net.
April 27: A day with Ren, Tony and Nerrie. We attended mass at UST, watched Nike Summer League at the FEU Gymnasium
April 28: Ponkan Gimmick. Chumie Marga, Bunso RM, Chie, Nak Keiji & I watched 'Superheroes' at Trinoma, after NOT enjoying dinner at Pizza Hut [hehe, I abhor myself]. We had coffee after, my first time at SB-Tinoma. We slept over at RM's flat.
April 29: Applied at Convergys, and failed. Will elaborate on this later =)
April 30: TODAY. Still at RM's flat. Haven't left the place since morning (I usually don't). Just listened to American Idol playlist esp to David Archuleta's (I'm hearing a boo from Chie. Haha). Will's coming.

Well, to assess things, I could say that I just practically bummed through the April calendar. Nothing productive, except for the fact that we have been planning for the TAMVOL Leaders Boot Camp for May 9 to 11. Oh well, it's summer. I know, it's a lame excuse though.

***

CAREER UPDATE: Marga & I applied for Convergys yesterday. Guess what, we both failed. Hehe. Seriously. Overqualified daw kami. It's just sad coz I actually want to work na. Maybe, BPO is not just for us. Hay. I sent an application to the League of Corporate Foundation but I am still waiting for an e-mail or a call. I also learned that the Ateneo School of Government has a job opening suit for college student leaders-graduates. Might as well try it. Speaking of job hunting, I had a chat with good friend Ilo. I am happy knowing that he is now with the Presidential Taskforce for Education. I hope I could also found a job similar to that.

***

TOSP UPDATE: I have not heard anything about the TOSP NCR results. I went to OSACS the other day but I have not heard a word from Dr. Marcon. My hopes are low. Might as well forget about it. Hehe. My friend from Notredame in Mindanao told me that he is already a national finalist. I'm happy for him.

*A Fresh Grad Notes*

Even at this moment, I am still confused about what career paths shall I be taking. The first two weeks after graduation were spent just playing lazy and enjoying every moment with my closest friends. Well, I spent some moments browsing jobstreet.com and other portals hoping I could sneak out possible career opportunities of my desire.

The message is clear: I could not escape from the fact that, sooner or later, I will be a part of a new world.

***

I received a number of job offers lately mostly from BPO companies. I would at times get fed up by repeated calls of contact centers encouraging and luring (‘forcing’ may be a better term) me to be part of their ‘team’. I must admit though that working in a BPO is still something I consider. (Sir Jo Faustino, one of my most influential mentors, has been very vocal in discouraging me about this though)

***

Do I have choice? How I wish I could just enroll to graduate/law school as early as now.

***

As of the moment, without hearing from ‘older people’, the following are some of the career paths I am considering (at least on the verge of what they call the ‘real world’):

1. Work as a trainer for a BPO (this would I think require me to work in the entry level).

2. Apply as an English teacher overseas (which is an ‘in’ thing now; my education and crosscultural linguistics units will surely be handy,)

3. Teach in my high school Alma Mater (call it ‘paying back’; this would be a good venue for self-training while reminiscing high school memories. lol]

4. Work as a University Professor.

***

The 5^th Choice: Fly to California

Another option I was given was to work with my uncle abroad. This will definitely be a big decision to make. I will have to leave everybody behind: my family, my friends, my organizations, my passion, the country, my life (cheesy me)…

I do not know if I will be ready to handle homesickness. This will entail introspection, indeed. *Sigh*

____

BTW, I read from Yahoo! that a major earthquake will be hitting California. What does it want to tell me?

***

I want to hear from you. Please hit me back. J

Academic Plans

I always think that I will be a student for life. Thanks to my excellent mentors who taught me to embrace life-long learning! After finishing my undergraduate degree from one of the best liberal arts schools in the country today, I plan to pursue any of the following degree:

1. Bachelor of Laws (Far Eastern University, University of the Philippines, San Beda College)
2. Master of Arts in English Language and Literature Teaching (Ateneo de Manila University)

3. Master of Arts in Language and Literature major in Literature (De La Salle University)

4. Master of Arts in Teaching English Language (De La Salle University)

5. Master of Arts in English Language Education with specialization in English for Specific Purposes (De La Salle University)

6. Master of Arts in English Language Education with specialization in Second Language Teaching (De La Salle University)

7. Master of Arts in English Studies (University of the Philippines)

Options numbers 2 to 7 would basically strengthen the educator in me. Option 1, on the other hand, would require serious introspection as it will definitely be demanding (talking about time and financial resources, and oh, even mental and physical). I don’t particularly see myself ranting in courtrooms. It is but another dimension of addressing my social responsibility as a Filipino citizen: cognitive about the laws of the Land.

Meanwhile, should I be taking another bachelor degree, I will pick from this pool:

1. BS Biology (major in Genetics/Botany/Zoology)

2. BS Environmental Planning and Management

3. AB Journalism

4. BS Accountancy

5. BS Secondary Education (major in General Science/English/Math)

6. BS Advertising Arts

7. BS Chemistry

*** This is just a sneak peek of where I shall be and what I will do in the future. As of the moment though, I would have to CHOOSE a good job, carefully selecting, without compromising my personal choices and values and showcasing to the rest of the world all that I have learned from the School of Nicanor Reyes.

Nevertheless, I AM READY.