A Filipino's Outlook After Graduating From College

[Art2ro]

http://ph.news.yahoo...-194051630.htmlMANILA, Philippines - Some weeks ago, I took the time to meet up with old college friends and meet their other friends-still-in-college. The one question I was most frequently asked on that occasion was "What are you taking up?"- which, apparently, is the first and most obvious small talk question in the university setting."Philosophy," I would say, proudly (usually met by either a wide-eyed "Wooow" or a deeply perplexed "Whyyy?").However, each time I spoke, one of my old college friends would butt in and say, "Ano ka ba, gradweyt na 'yan!" (why? you've already graduated!)Oh, right, I would think to myself. Followed quickly by, wow - this feels so good!It's been almost a year since I officially graduated from college, and every now and then I forget that I have.When I was there it was a big deal, it felt like a huge achievement, and I suppose it was-they say in UP especially, it is hard to get in, but even harder to get out.But I was quickly sucked into the swirling, man-eating vortex called employment (for which I am nonetheless grateful), and my life has since been characterized by the preponderance of deadlines.The celebratory feeling of finishing school seems like a lifetime ago. And even though I wear better shoes now, the daily pressure, though on steroids, is qualitatively the same - working with an office full of nice, driven older people is like taking classes with nice, strict professors, except they can't be impressed if you read a chapter in advance. (Of course, as in college, there is never any time to read a chapter in advance anyway.)But there are a few things I've learned in the short time that I've been out of school. One is the importance of getting one's hands dirty.Too many young people find jobs after school, and then quit. A lot of times, it's because they find that "it's too hard." Of course, when we enter new jobs with zero experience, we start at the bottom of the food chain, and nobody wants to be at the bottom of the food chain. Our parents didn't slave away to put us through school just so we could be ordered around.I'm finding that there's value in being here, however. It's humbling, and everyone needs to be humbled by circumstances. I think this is the place where excellence is truly learned-when you might be "too good" for the kind of work that you are doing, but you work at it with all your heart anyway. This is where we learn the crucial lesson that a human being is more valuable than what he does for a living. And what better time to experience this than when you are young?This daily, almost imperceptible, chipping away at the rock is necessary for building character, for determining the kind of bosses, leaders, people we become. What a dangerous thing it would be if we all started on top! Imagine if we all started out barking out orders and making too much money. We would be a country run by tyrants and spoiled brats who don't know how to work hard or take criticism simply because we never had opportunity to learn.The other thing I'm learning is the value of the seemingly irrelevant. The other reason that young people quit is because "it's not really what I want to be doing." But who at 21 was doing what they wanted to be doing when they were 40?Some people figure out the long-term early in life, but the rest of us sort of just stumble upon it. I think we get there not by planning but by living. We value too little the opportunities that come with being exposed to things you would never consider. Such breadth of perspective and depth of understanding cannot be taught in classrooms, and cannot be had by living too focused on a single dream.Few of us admit how limited our vision and understanding of the world is when we're 21, and I think it's important for us to do the seemingly irrelevant things because these are the greatest opportunities for discovery. And I'm learning that there is so, so much to find out.

[i am bob]

This should be mandatory reading for every new graduate!!! :mocking:

[billten]

We would be a country run by tyrants and spoiled brats who don't know how to work hard or take criticism

Hmmm!!!

[Tatoosh]

We would be a country run by tyrants and spoiled brats who don't know how to work hard or take criticism

Hmmm!!!

Do I smell the odor of sarcasm wafting gently on the breeze?

[Jake]

We would be a country run by tyrants and spoiled brats who don't know how to work hard or take criticism

Hmmm!!!

Do I smell the odor of sarcasm wafting gently on the breeze?

Yeah, and the odor is most foul......it sounds like this UP graduate of philosophy is quickly finding out that mostemployment in PI is underemployed, underpaid and lacks self motivation to excel. His article reads like a bunch of disconnected thoughts. I had to read all the way down to get his overall theme: But I was quickly sucked into the swirling, man-eating vortex called employment (for which I am nonetheless grateful), and my life has since been characterized by the preponderance of deadlines.I'm sorry to say but it sounds like he's trying to write a thesis full of plagiarized English. Remember, there is an impeachment trial of another supreme court justice (Supreme Court Justice Mariano del Castillo) for plagiarizing someone else's work. Take that preponderance of self evidences that this UP graduate will eventual join the countless BS degree holders working as OFW's as low skill or manual work laborer. Anyway, I wish him/her the best of luck.

[i am bob]

Oh c'mon Jake! Smile a little - or I'll make you pay for the first round... :lol: The kid was just trying to have some fun and got carried away with the flowery prose... The actual idea behind the content is really just a story of somebody who is glad they have a job, understands that this is just their first job and is working hard to try and get ahead - unlike many others!

[Tatoosh]

Yeah, I'm not so critical of the kid and his composition, Jake. The formatting as posted makes it a bit hard to read since the paragraphs are lost and that gives it the "appearance" of a lot of run-on thoughts. But what he says is, to a young person with an excess of self-esteem, quite right. We all know young folks that feel the world should make way for them. He's saying something different, something about even the talented paying their dues, developing patience, and respecting their co-workers, even the old cranky ones. That he feels he is capable of doing more is fine, he probably can, but he will have to work and earn the opportunity to show that. And he's demonstrating some patience with the process. To me, that is a sign of maturity.His statement, "I think this is the place where excellence is truly learned-when you might be "too good" for the kind of work that you are doing, but you work at it with all your heart anyway." is as good a definition of promise as I've ever seen.He may end up being an OFW someday. But he'll likely end up being an OFW that is charge of other folks, even natives of some developed "first world" countries.

[Art2ro]

But what he says is, to a young person with an excess of self-esteem, quite right. We all know young folks that feel the world should make way for them. He's saying something different, something about even the talented paying their dues, developing patience, and respecting their co-workers, even the old cranky ones. That he feels he is capable of doing more is fine, he probably can, but he will have to work and earn the opportunity to show that. And he's demonstrating some patience with the process. To me, that is a sign of maturity. His statement, "I think this is the place where excellence is truly learned-when you might be "too good" for the kind of work that you are doing, but you work at it with all your heart anyway." is as good a definition of promise as I've ever seen. He may end up being an OFW someday. But he'll likely end up being an OFW that is charge of other folks, even natives of some developed "first world" countries.

​That's the way how I interrupted the article too! Just a down to earth young adult just fresh out of school with some good common sense and a positive outlook!

[Jake]

Yeah, I'm not so critical of the kid and his composition, Jake. The formatting as posted makes it a bit hard to read since the paragraphs are lost and that gives it the "appearance" of a lot of run-on thoughts.But what he says is, to a young person with an excess of self-esteem, quite right. We all know young folks that feel the world should make way for them. He's saying something different, something about even the talented paying their dues, developing patience, and respecting their co-workers, even the old cranky ones. That he feels he is capable of doing more is fine, he probably can, but he will have to work and earn the opportunity to show that. And he's demonstrating some patience with the process. To me, that is a sign of maturity.His statement, "I think this is the place where excellence is truly learned-when you might be "too good" for the kind of work that you are doing, but you work at it with all your heart anyway." is as good a definition of promise as I've ever seen.He may end up being an OFW someday. But he'll likely end up being an OFW that is charge of other folks, even natives of some developed "first world" countries.

Thank you guys for bringing another perspective view on this topic. Perhaps I was being too critical of the younggraduate. I guess there are many ways to interpret what is read these days. Even the some of the passages inthe Bible are still being over analyzed with different conclusions. Anyway, it's always refreshing that members of this wonderful forum can come together without personally attackingthe person who wrote a minority view. As Boss Man (Jollygoodfellow) would say, please attack the post and not theposter.Have a nice day guys -- Jake

[daisy]

Even after graduating from college, i really don't know anything about life. it was a carefree easy go lucky although I am always afraid to do what my parents told me is BAD! When I was married at 21, fresh from college, I knew nothing about the REALITIES of life except for the fact that I was a college graduate, and an Atenean at that! The first time we visited my in-laws, my late husband asked me to wash the dishes and I was crying so hard because I felt so degraded doing it...My view now? SHAME on me!

Edited March 2, 2012 by daisy