Coming clean

One thing funny about life is it always hits you with ironies. In my case, it happened in 2013.

I was jobless and depressed. They say your 20s are supposed to be filled with fun and passion, a period of exploration and excitement. But there I was—languishing at home, freeloading on my parents, and lying around like a sloth all day. I knew I had to get a job soon; otherwise, the decay of my youth would drag on.

I tried my best to land a job as a writer in Makati. My two years as a university instructor proved to be useless in achieving this goal. The thought of going back to the university hurt my pride a lot. I’m not one to relive something I’ve quit.

While teaching has brought me tremendous joy, my lack of skill and experience did not provide me with any security. The university hired me to be a part-time worker and, for two years, I endured working without vacation-leave or sick-leave privileges. The nonworking, nonpaying months were horrible, too. I wanted security and growth, and while I may achieve that in the university, I knew it would take me years to land a regular position, for which I was not willing to wait. I wanted a change, and I wanted it immediately.

It took me much courage to quit. It took me even more to seek opportunities in the city. After all, I was raised in the province, and even when I relocated to study, it was still in a province. The city was a mile too much outside (literally) my comfort zone. Still, I knew that eventually I would be facing the city if I wanted more opportunities, and it was high time I faced the real world and left the haven of the academe.

While I had a lot of courage, I certainly had no luck. It was already August and most of the companies do mass hiring from April to June, just after college graduation, and resume hiring after the 13th-month period (about mid-December to January). I went for a couple of interviews, traveling from Cavite to Makati almost every day. With luck striking me in the face with an even bigger bat, this was also the time for the transition of the provincial buses to be stationed at Coastal Mall, which caused further delay in getting to one’s destination. I was tired and I was in an even more depressive state than when I quit my job. Finally, after a frustrating series of failed interviews, I decided to go to one of those mall job hunts.

There lay the biggest irony of them all.

During my college years, I acknowledged the possibility of working in the call center industry. After all, where would be the best place to practice my speech communication skills than in the BPO industry? Still, I abhorred the idea of even just stepping into a call center office. I had a negative notion about the people working in the industry: They are usually noncollege graduates who work at night and sleep in the morning, and have practically no career direction (because many jump from one call center to another). I had a college degree, and it’s from a respectable university. I hated to think I’d be wasting what I worked hard for four years on something I could easily do. I also knew that I could ace any call center interview. And on that fateful day of September, I did. I took only two hours and the interviewer endorsed me to the center’s premier financial account.

I did not tell my parents or any other soul because I feared their reproachful looks. I’m sure they’d ask, “How’d you dwindle from being a respectable university instructor to a mere call center agent?” I promised myself it would be a temporary setup. I would use this time to save money so I could look for a better job. Despite the negative thoughts about working in this industry, it is common knowledge that it pays more than your average day job. Two weeks later, I signed my contract and prepared for the worst. After all, this isn’t exactly my dream job.

The following week I started training. I knew I had superior skills for this industry. I was training with tenured agents—supervisors, quality coaches and subject matter experts (SMEs), and I was the only “virgin” in the group. I had an “I-told-you-so” moment. Two weeks after core and language training, we started product training. The account I was assigned to was an insurance company in the United States. They started with the company 10 years ago. It was a very particular account, with the training period lasting six months. By the time I join the production team, I would have already been a regular employee (6-month probation rule).

We started off with 21 trainees. By the time we hit our “nesting” (on training but taking calls) period in December, we were down to 16. During our sixth month in March, 10 of us were officially certified into the account.

I have been working for almost nine months now, and I have realized I should come clean about working as a call center agent. I have only ever tried two other jobs in my life—teaching and writing—but I have never been more proud about work than I am today. I endured a long period of training (it extended to eight months, actually), where only few manage to get through. I have engaged myself in a decent, well-paying job which puts food on my family’s table.

I no longer think this is a “mere” job because not everyone qualifies for working in this industry. Not everyone can handle assisting different customers for eight hours a day. Not everyone can work on the night shift. Not everyone can maintain good-quality service while being at par with product-specific procedures. I honestly thought I would never gain the satisfaction, security and growth that I was looking for by working here. But I have.

I guess I wanted to share this experience because it’s job-hunting season again. To you who are looking for your first job or a replacement of the previous one, here’s one advice I can give you: Don’t judge a job based on how the world originally sees it. I had a lot of negative notions about working in a call center, and I’m quite glad to be proven wrong. Not all work experiences are the same. You cannot rely on someone’s experience on the job because we have different attitudes toward work. We also have different skill sets, so what may be easy for another may be difficult for you. You will never know until you try out the job yourself.

I won’t force you to try out the call center. However, if things don’t work out and you’re forced to the edge of a cliff, career-wise, you may use this industry as your stepping stone, if you wish. Nothing wrong with that. It’s a good place to meet people from all walks of life, expand your network, and learn from various experiences. Still, the decision has to come from you. You never know. This was supposedly a last resort for me, but it isn’t anymore. It’s a beginning.

Andy Noroña, 23, is a call center agent in Makati.