Am I happy? I honestly want to believe so. But I do not feel fulfilled—there is something missing. I can say that I have a satisfying life now for yes, I have a job and I earn my own money. But this is not the kind of setup I dreamed and worked hard for. I believe I deserve way greater than being a call center employee.
Call center, contact center, BPO—for me, they are one and the same. No matter how the companies try to tart up the term, it is still a ‘call center’, an industry which many people demean. Two major reasons behind: (1) no college diploma is required, (2) no-brainer-job for a script is always followed in every call. But the employers have justifications for these: (1) No college diploma is required for they give each and every individual equal chances to get hired. They believe that diploma is not the only gauge of a person’s abilities. (2) It is true that every call has a script that must be followed. But this is just a suggested script. The industry actually requires every agent to be spontaneous for one call is different from the other.
I remember that just days before I graduated, many of my professors dissuaded me to enter the call center industry. They said that I must not be enticed by the high compensation being offered, for my knowledge and philosophies will soon be corrupted there. They even added that I, being an intellectual, must not waste my talent and time for something that is not appreciated by the academe. And I agreed with them, for this was during the time when I really did not even consider applying for a position in a call center. I really expected that I will continue to further enhance my skills in UP. But look at where I am now.
Whenever college friends would ask me where I am currently working, I would just smile and say, “Secret!”. But if they already know that I work for a call center, I will always defensively respond, “Well, hell it’s Dell. It’s not just a call center.”. I do not want to talk about careers whenever I am with my blockmates. In fact, I do not want to attend our homecoming anymore, basically because I do not want my schoolmates, especially my professors, who have looked up to me and have expected a lot from me, to make a fuss out of me choosing to work for a business they deride. I bet this is about my pride—pride of being a consistent honor student ever since, pride of being a part of certain institutions which are marked by intelligence, pride of being a well-rounded individual who stands out in every aspect she engages herself into, pride of being a leader who is admired by her comrades, pride of being a political critical thinker, pride of being a known figure in the campus, pride of being a cum laude graduate of the University of the Philippines (Diliman)—the center of excellence, pride of being an achiever.
My work now is not just as easy as many people think. It is not just about answering the phone and bidding goodbye to the caller after. It takes a lot of patience and tactics. And for me, it takes a lot of humility.
I suppose I am paid well. But I just do not see myself working as such for the next two, three, or four years of my life at most. I will not be able to contain the bitterness for that long. Sooner or later, I will hand out my resignation letter and will pursue the life I truly surmised. I might have considered losing my individuality for some time, but I swear to regain it. The real Ran will surely return.
Call center, contact center, BPO—for me, they are one and the same. No matter how the companies try to tart up the term, it is still a ‘call center’, an industry which many people demean. Two major reasons behind: (1) no college diploma is required, (2) no-brainer-job for a script is always followed in every call. But the employers have justifications for these: (1) No college diploma is required for they give each and every individual equal chances to get hired. They believe that diploma is not the only gauge of a person’s abilities. (2) It is true that every call has a script that must be followed. But this is just a suggested script. The industry actually requires every agent to be spontaneous for one call is different from the other.
I remember that just days before I graduated, many of my professors dissuaded me to enter the call center industry. They said that I must not be enticed by the high compensation being offered, for my knowledge and philosophies will soon be corrupted there. They even added that I, being an intellectual, must not waste my talent and time for something that is not appreciated by the academe. And I agreed with them, for this was during the time when I really did not even consider applying for a position in a call center. I really expected that I will continue to further enhance my skills in UP. But look at where I am now.
Whenever college friends would ask me where I am currently working, I would just smile and say, “Secret!”. But if they already know that I work for a call center, I will always defensively respond, “Well, hell it’s Dell. It’s not just a call center.”. I do not want to talk about careers whenever I am with my blockmates. In fact, I do not want to attend our homecoming anymore, basically because I do not want my schoolmates, especially my professors, who have looked up to me and have expected a lot from me, to make a fuss out of me choosing to work for a business they deride. I bet this is about my pride—pride of being a consistent honor student ever since, pride of being a part of certain institutions which are marked by intelligence, pride of being a well-rounded individual who stands out in every aspect she engages herself into, pride of being a leader who is admired by her comrades, pride of being a political critical thinker, pride of being a known figure in the campus, pride of being a cum laude graduate of the University of the Philippines (Diliman)—the center of excellence, pride of being an achiever.
My work now is not just as easy as many people think. It is not just about answering the phone and bidding goodbye to the caller after. It takes a lot of patience and tactics. And for me, it takes a lot of humility.
I suppose I am paid well. But I just do not see myself working as such for the next two, three, or four years of my life at most. I will not be able to contain the bitterness for that long. Sooner or later, I will hand out my resignation letter and will pursue the life I truly surmised. I might have considered losing my individuality for some time, but I swear to regain it. The real Ran will surely return.
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