working is hard.  but then again, if work isn’t hard, then it’s not work at all. so yeah, i suppose, to say “work hard” is redundant. it’s equivocal to saying “playing is fun.”

i never imagined myself working in a call center. or i think i might’ve imagined it but i never imagined myself SURVIVING in a call center setting with all the irate callers and the late nights and speaking (in english) to native speakers and the racism/bigotry that goes with it.

i could’ve sworn that i’d dodge/elude any opportunity to work in a call center.  in fact, i KNEW that i would never work as an agent. but lo and behold, i am one right now. and i’ve been an agent for more than 6 months.

i guess it’s my ardent desire to work immediately and earn a living and my unfathomable fear of being a bum and leeching off of my parents’ asses. and it’s also attributable to the fact that i needed to do something (anything at all) while waiting for my license to be released.

so i looked for a job anywhere possible and in all possible trades (massage therapist, graphic artist, call center agent, etc.) and i even got rejected a few times and was so desperate at one point that i thought, “i’ll take any job; i’ll take a janitorial job, for goodness sake! all i want to do is to work!”

luckily, i found one. rather… a job found me. i had reservations about working for sykes. to tell you the truth, i was still scheduled for several interviews on the day i was supposed to sign my contract. but i realized after a rather long consideration that sykes was the only company that took the time to assist me. i felt rather neglected and considered trivial/dispensable by some other call center companies (which i’d rather not name because they don’t deserve the free ad).

and so began another phase of my life.

the funny thing is, i only planned to stay for 6 months. i had originally planned to pass my resignation letter on my 4th month (because a resignation must be passed preferrably 2 months before your planned departure). i actually had my resignation letter ready for signing on my 3rd month in the account.

but for some reason (which eludes me completely), i’m still here. i’d like to think that it’s because i haven’t found a job in the nursing profession yet. but truth be told, i CAN leave anytime and no one’s preventing me from resigning. i can just wait for a call from one or two of the hospitals where i passed my applications. my dad would even approve of it considering the fact that he’s not a fan of late nights and he thinks i don’t need to work right now.

i suppose i like my job. it’s not the most glamorous of jobs but it pays the bills and i learn a lot of things (both good and bad) about office politics, insurance, investments, taxation, and how society works and it exposes me to the realities of call center life. i used to think that being in a call center is outright demeaning and low due mainly to the fact that it’d be like blowing smoke up uncle sam’s ass (or whoever’s ass you’re working for, for that matter). but being here changed my point of view entirely.

i still find working for multinational companies and foreign-owned institutions insulting, but i don’t consider being a call center agent a no-brainer, dead-end job. being in a financial account erases all that. it may not be like the nursing profession but it certainly isn’t easy either. i guess you have to experience it to tell the difference.

but am i staying for good? i don’t think so. i hope not. because i wouldn’t want to waste my parents’ emotional and financial investment. i have to work as a nurse.

and i will… one of these days.