Second Star: Aspirations - "Good Things Happen To Those Who Wait"

December 25, 2013. Christmas Day.

After more than 400 days of patiently waiting, I’m finally in the Human Resources. Even though I was assigned at such a hectic period in the company’s timeline, I’m glad that I’m finally starting my dream career.

I really wanted to land a job in the Human Resources. No, not Human Resources outsourcing operation work...actual HR work. I want to experience recruiting and interviewing people, doing performance evaluations, managing 201 files, assessing compensation and benefits schemes, checking employment morale...everything! I wanted it so bad that I almost took an offer with a salary that's WAY lower than what I'm earning now. 

Different facets of HR. I'd like to specialize in organization development or performance management, personally.

I may have stayed at our company for, like one and a half years as a human resources interviewer, but the truth is, I've got an ulterior motive all along. I thought that if I wait too long, perhaps there would be an opportunity for me to get into the company's HR. Given the circumstances last year, my chances were fairly bleak - even the HR at that time admitted that there were times when they don't have much to do. I never lost hope though, and stayed with that in mind; the company's pay isn't that bad after all, and while waiting for that gem of a chance, I can just save up for cool stuff.

For some, one year is already a long time to wait for something uncertain. You see, my current job doesn't really contribute that much in terms of HR related experience (it does, but only to an extent). I could have just stayed for just six months and then leave for the real thing. But the thing is, almost everything about the company is good, from pay (which I already mentioned a lot of times), culture and atmosphere, benefits (Maxicare is a great help, especially for my parents) and, of course, the people. While I've never been to a lot of companies before (it's my first job after all), I've encountered some unreasonably toxic supervisors that'll sure to make your work life a living hell. Thankfully, such people don't exist in our company (or at least, I've never encountered one). Plus, I've already made some good friends within the organization. Kakat, in fact, is one of my coworkers there. These reasons were enough for me to be convinced that if ever I'll be an HR practitioner, this company is where I would like to work for.

Some gifts, however, come with challenges. The reason why the company opened an HR post was because they are in dire need of assistance for the upcoming mass hiring. The company's CEO revealed that we need to double the number of employees that we're going to have as we move to our McKinley location. Currently, we're around 300, so the goal is for us to reach 600. Recruiting that many people is already a challenge on its own, but in addition to that, we also have to deal with backfills (replacements for people who are going to resign soon). My career's current state is a big leap from what I used to have just a few months ago - from just reaching prod goals, I'm now directly assisting the company to address it's corporate needs for manpower. 

My operations work for that company was merely a stepping stone. Now that I'm transferred to the HR, I can now feel that I'm on my path to developing an actual career. It's too early for me to say that HR is my dream career (I'm still open for other options, such as Education and even business), but what's important for me right now is to get as much experience as I can, as early as I can. 

So yeah, you're probably thinking why I'm sharing boring work-related stuff in this blog, while I can just write something funny, sweet, or anything fun. What I wanted you to know, dear reader, is that aspirations is just as important as happy memories. Life won't revolve around love alone; one must also be mindful of the role he had to play for himself and for the world he lives in. At around age 26, I'd like to see myself in a senior role. Before I turn 30, I'm already eligible for a managerial position. My ability to be a good provider when that time comes rests largely upon my career. 

One important lesson that I learned for this experience is that good things happen for those who wait. Ok, lemme rephrase on that...good things happen to those who wait, while making the most out of the time. Being impulsive and being an opportunist are two different things; decisions in life are just a matter of right timing. For me though, I'm glad I've waited for this opportunity to come. All that wait was really worth it.

December has been a good month for me, but in terms of career and relationships. I'm thankful for all the awesome things that have happened this season. I'm ready to take on 2014. 

That's it for now.

Stay classy, planet Earth!

- Billy