Passing Thoughts

I have spent the last 14 years earning a living out of a job I never went to college for— a job I opted to take in spite of protestations by those dear to me and amidst the lure of viable opportunities abroad.

“You’re a nurse, why don’t you make productive use of your profession earning a handsome pay abroad?” many have asked. I didn’t have a standard reply. It would always depend on who posed the question.

I love writing messages, speeches and news releases, speaking to the public and being engaged in a work that matters to people and society. In other words, I am always inclined to do something that is short of politics but not politics at all. (I have long abandoned my childhood dream of becoming a politician like my grandfather who was a former mayor and my father who used to serve as a municipal councilor.)

I just want to be where I am going to be happy and where I find fulfillment—this was me, some 14 years ago.

Having spent nearly a decade and a half working from one government office to another (one donor-funded project and five or six major government bodies) has enabled me to handle career transitions quite well.

One good thing about having a passion and being able to specialize in an area of concentration is that you wont find it hard to land a job, instead, will easily allow you to move up to the career ladder.

But as to whether or not a sturdy career has been built over the years is a reality I have learned to come to terms with. I had been to an office that brought me to all corners of the world: from the Island of Mindanao to Manhattan Island in New York, and from the alps across the West to the desserts of the Middle East.

I have had the privilege of working in another office that gave me my break as a spokesperson and host of a nationally-aired state-run television program (which won a 2008 Anak TV Seal Award).

I have had the great opportunity to brush elbows with high profile government officials right in the most high profile office of the land–Malacanang.

I have worked and engaged with many people dealing with the most conflict affected-areas of Mindanao and advocated for support from a number of development organizations.

It was a career I couldn’t ask for more. More than anything else, it was a fulfillment of a dream.

But just like any other government career founded on co-terminous nature of appointment, mine has always been subject to change of leadership and administration, oftentimes a price one has to pay for working in a high profile office.

As it was, my relatively young career has spanned across four administrations: from Ramos to Estrada, to Arroyo and Aquino, kind of illustrating a feat of rising from the ranks, though in various key offices attached to the Office of the President.

Each time there’s a change of administration, I always find myself dealing with the reality of having to go through transition. Some had asked why didn’t I take CESO way before. Well, my career, or I thought so, was founded on absolute commitment to perform and deliver, against the backdrop of lack of security of tenure.

And here comes transition time again. I couldn’t tell for sure what my next moves would be. I am fortunate to have quite a number of options, either keeping at step with my passion for government work, or moving on to something economically fulfilling job outside government.

Through the years, since I decided to choose government work over a financially-rewarding nursing career abroad, my job entailed seemingly endless crossroads.

However, this time around, it’s no longer just about building a sturdy and fulfilling career—but securing a better future not just for me, but for my family.

My career has been an unending transition– and I have decided no longer to keep it that way.