Here’s
to all of you who asked how I got here:
“Life
begins at the end of your comfort zone.” -
Neale Donald Walsch
So
I had this internship plan all along since I started thinking about career and
life after college. When it comes to big life decisions, I have a knack for
getting things planned ahead. I guess I got that from being too much of a
visionary. I see results first, before developing a plan that ultimately leads
to achieving my desired output. That summarizes why the whole internship thing
was already in my mind even before Junior year started. But don’t get me wrong,
I am a planner but I hate having a restrictive life. I value beauty in not
ruining the surprise of a mundane day and be open to whatever possibility the
universe brings me. So contrary to what others think, a huge part of me is also
the downright spontaneous and adventurous type. I’d rather fail in trying than
not having tried at all. Funny how difficult it is for me to believe in
something unless I experienced it myself. I can name four or five items you’d
never expect anyone to eat but I did anyway just so I would know how they taste
like (but don’t mind asking what these are). I favor taking risks and letting
something fall in place by its own. And if things go wrong, I can charge it to
experience.
That
explains why wanting to have an internship instead of spending good times at
the beach was my idea for summer. Honestly, I am in this critical stage right
now where I begin to doubt on my preferences and that uncertainty requires me
to reconsider my decisions. Life beyond college scares me. God knows that Law
school has been my goal for so long and that imagining myself in a courtroom
defending a poor client who needs the best of my legal assistance excites me a
lot. I have been working my whole life toward landing into the legal career. I
have been a hardworking student, racking up extra-curriculars and academic
honors, learning as much as I can with trainings and skills development
opportunities that are even more than what’s required, all with my eye on the
prize of being my best self upon admission to Law school. But I have
transformed in many ways through time.
My
involvements and exposure beyond the university also caught my interest in
social entrepreneurship, finding content in enriching lives of the poor and
powerless communities as a business student. It seems as though everything just
fits perfectly together, like finding the intersection of two sets in a Venn
diagram where one set contains my deep desire in empowering the poor VS another
set where my passion in business lies.
The process of Abaca-weaving. Abaca is the raw material of the shoes that Knots and Woods, our social enterprise, produces.
Martine shoes is the first shoe collection of Knots and Woods
Knots and Woods Memorandun of Understanding signing with the CDO City Government, represented by Mayor Oscar Moreno himself
But
other than that, I also want to make money and there’s no better way to do that
than entering into the corporate arena. Honestly, I could not imagine myself
doing a job on Finance in the future, although that is what I majored into. I
don’t enjoy sitting behind a desk all day, staring at a screen, or dealing with
figures. If I get into a corporate career, I see myself better working in
teams, dealing with people, and doing more talking than typing on keyboards.
But just as I always believed in, there’s definitely no harm in trying.
When
Xavier University had its job fair at the Covered Courts sometime in February
2014, I peeked from the outside and saw Deutsche Knowledge Services’ desk among
many others which were present. It was among the very few companies that were
open for internship applications. The long lines and poor ventilation in the
area made me hesitant. I wasn’t prepared for anything at all, but at the back
of my mind, I thought that the internship offers a chance for me to look at the
company and the work it does, as much as it is for it to gauge whether I’d make
a good employee in the Global Finance field. I heard Deutsche Bank is an
employer of choice for global finance enthusiasts. Not that it’s my dream
company (‘cause getting into Unilever was a better option for me), but its
highly reputable image is good enough to be worth the try even though
internship is not required for my course.
I
immediately processed the requirements on the same hour. I had a flight to
catch at 6:00PM on that same day so I tried accomplishing everything as fast as
I should. As soon as I finished, I had
three things with me back then: 1.) A crammed 5-minute cover letter, 2.) A
half-baked resume, and 3.) My zealous spirit to face the hiring representative
in my school uniform, amidst others applying with their best business attires
and make-up on.
That
day was succeeded with series of phone interviews which often came unexpected,
the first I got in the middle of the road while I was on my way to the
Cathedral, until such time when I got the confirmation call that I was hired.
The all-expense paid transportation and condominium accommodation was also hard
to resist. And being the only non-NCR applicant who got accepted in their
internship program was an opportunity I didn’t want to miss. Without a doubt, I
signed the contract to work for their company and started my internship on
April 6, 2014. It was a leap of faith, but I know God brought me here for
something.
DKS Building at Net Quad, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Group Technology Operations-Debt Fixecd Income and Currency Department. This is where I am assigned.
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A crash course on Foreign Exchange which my boss handed me over to review. Spent my first week trying to be familiarized with the terms and concepts on FX.
My desk at the office. I will have a telephone, too, which they will be installing next week.
The view from the 17th floor's pantry
Life
is full of surprises, and they don’t come wrapped in fancy packages, but in the
most ordinary moments. I wonder how this summer will surprise me in the end, as
getting here surprised me each step of the way.
