When I first heard that my immigration paper had been approved, I asked myself what kind of life I would have when I get to the United States. I had a nice and stable job back in the Philippines. Starting a new life in the US means I had to start all over again. It was a big decision for me to leave the country where I grew up and established myself. I took the opportunity because I didn’t want to look back later in life thinking what would I had become if I took the chance. I had accepted the fact that I had to work my way up again but this time it would be much harder because I was an outsider. When I left the Philippines, all I had was my skills, self-confidence and a plan.
My first job was working in the airport as a baggage handler. It was my first break after weeks of job hunting. A friend of a friend whom I’ve known back in Manila had helped me get an interview. They basically need as many people they can get because nobody lasts in this type of job. They either get laid-off or moved on for something better than stacking luggage everyday on a minimum wage. I left that job because it was literally a backbreaking experience for me.
I then worked in a bowling alley in Customer Service. Now, who would ever think a bowling alley would need people on the phone answering questions from customers? Actually, it’s a job with a dignified title. In other words, I was a janitor. I never had so much pity on myself until I experienced cleaning toilets with “you know what” splattered around the rim of the bowl and taking out the trash in the cold winter night. I was about to give up thinking of the kind of job I had in the Philippines. But I didn’t give up and instead it gave me the inspiration to move on. My hard work paid off and I was promoted as a Cashier. I knew I can do more and I’m not willing to settle with what I had achieved though the pay was getting better.
A friend of mine, who worked for an armored company, introduced me to his Manager. This is the coolest job I ever had. I worked in a money vault counting what else? Millions of dollars! I’ve never seen so much money in my life that the sight of it didn’t interest me anymore. In fact, I started to get sick of seeing money everyday. We were stacking and throwing bags of cash on the floor like they are bags of sand. The place was totally secured with cameras everywhere and every one carried a gun or a shotgun. No one was allowed to carry a bag of money without another person watching him. It was the first time I carried a 9mm Glock handgun and be able to take it home as well. In the weekend, my buddies and I would meet at the firing range for shooting practice. It was required in our job in case a situation calls for us to defend ourselves. This was the only time I get to use what I learned back in the CAT and ROTC days. Though it’s a fun job with little responsibility, I gave it up because of the long hours and we didn’t has any holidays or vacations.
While still working for this company, I started looking for a better job. This was when I found myself in the field of telecommunications. With no previous experience, all I could show them was my full confidence that I can do the job. Starting from this job was where I was able to use the skills I learned back in college. It was a small long distance company in Santa Clara, CA where I started as a Provisioner who switched customers’ long distance service to ours. As I gained experiences, they started giving me more and more responsibilities and the company started recognizing my capabilities. If there’s one thing I noticed working in the US, it’s that they reward the people who work hard and would supports them to reach their goal. When Brooks Fiber Communications bought the company, and then WorldCom merged with Brooks Fiber, I was one of the people who were lucky enough to be retained. Unfortunately, I had to move on when WorldCom wanted to move us to Oklahoma to consolidate with their group. During this time, I didn’t want to leave the great climate of California.
It was in 1998, at the height of Silicon Valley, when I had a job interview with a start-up company called COVAD Communications. I had no idea what was a DSL or broadband network. Again, I convinced the company to hire me knowing I can quickly learn the job like I did before. Unfortunately, there was nobody to train me when I started working. I was, in fact, expected to implement the process they didn’t had. It’s too late to back out then since I felt it would be a disgrace to me. I had to learn the job and figure it out on my own. With sheer determination, I was able to succeed. Again, people started recognizing my capabilities and I started progressing in my career. It’s been 6 years now since I started working for COVAD. There are still a lot of things to learn and a lot of room for opportunities.
Working in the United State is not as hard as what others say. All it takes is hard work and believing in yourself. It’s a country where people are rewarded for their accomplishments and not who they know. There are opportunities everywhere as along as you keep looking for it.
