The post-college transition from classroom to boardroom is a big step for any fresh graduate. Upon receiving that rolled up piece of parchment called a "degree," you are officially welcomed into the dog-eat-dog world of corporate life. And so begins a new chapter filled with job interviews, entry level positions, bosses, pantries, and company-issued laptops.
New lifestyle and eating habits soon follow. Your routine changes from the 7-4pm to 9-5pm or sometimes 10pm-10am. You get different hours of sleep a day, you eat at your desk, you see less of your friends, who are engrossed in their own work lives.
However, work has also afforded more options for meals. In some cases, it's easier to cheat break hours, whereas in school, everybody scrambles in panic as soon as the bell rings at 1am, with zero minutes till afternoon Chem Lab class begins. Moreover, you don't get paid to do your homework.
Corrine joined the workforce early this year. A fine arts student from one of our top universities, I first met her when she was an intern in the summer of 2008. Today, she works as a Graphic Artist and Copywriter for a media conglomerate.
"Since I graduated and started working full time, I gained 14 pounds," she relates. "I know it's because I don't have regular Football training." Corrine used to play with her school team. "Second, my hair is frizzy when it's supposed to be soft, wavy and tame. The last time it was in this state was during Thesis Defense week. Plus, I eat more because of stress."
Today's de-stressor is takeout Fish and Chips (Twister Fries, actually) from Hot Shots and a bottle of Florida's Natural Apple Juice. I suppose it's better to take out your frustrations on steamed rice, without having to worry about hurting its feelings. Besides, Filipinos are pretty known for being stress eaters. Yet, when things go well, we eat even more--even throwing in our favorite heart attacks-on-a-plate, like Lechon Baboy and Sizziling Sisig.
"I almost always eat out. I usually buy food at the Food Park, mostly sandwiches, pasta and fish." Corrine says. "I don't have enough time to prepare baon because I have to wake up early so as to not get caught in the morning traffic."
Corrine's workload may be giving her more bad hair days than ever but she's still a staunch believer in that old adage: "Work Hard, Party Harder."
"I try to put more effort in finding time to unwind. But in reality, right now, I have no life. Hahaha! But I do get to have dinner with my family and friends but not as much as I want to."
All this got me thinking about my own experience of finding work out of college.
Actually, I didn't.
I wanted to rest for 2 months before dropping by the HR offices of prospective employers. In the meantime, my parents were putting the pressure on me to "Get a job!"
I was pretty lucky to have gotten a project one month after receiving my diploma: a live TV stint as floor director for a Volleyball tournament. After almost 2 decades of receiving allowances, I was finally getting my own money. Nearly six years, 3 full-time jobs and countless freelance gigs later, I've had my share of headaches and heartbreaks: of realizing that sometimes there's little place for idealism, of staying up for 24 hours to shoot when you're blood levels seem to be plummeting along with your focus, of having moments of questioning if you're meant to be where you are.
But when you're young, you're constantly trying to prove yourself to your parents, peers, friends. Your work defines who you are and the reality is most of our days, weeks and months are spent in the confines of our professional lives.
At the end of the day, the most difficult question to answer is "Are you doing what you love?" It's very easy to say that the shortcomings of our careers are due to bad bosses, low pay, corrupt politicians and their effects on economy or even Metro Manila traffic. It's easier to be on the defensive side; to think in terms of "us vs. them." Yet, we sometimes forget our own role in the greater scheme of things. Moreover, we forget to take care of ourselves.
Thankfully, there are ways to cope with the stressors of making a living. People read books, watch movies, take vacation leaves, work out in the morning, have sex in the evening. Over the weekend, Corrine and I even went out to watch the Katy Perry concert. The challenge is creating a ritual for recreation as much as we have a ritual for work.
Finally, nothing beats getting together with your friends after a long day for dinner, asking each other, "Do you love what you do?"
