Gee. I just thought of visiting my Xanga blog and never realized that it's exactly a year since my last post. It's Sunday right now in Manila (and Saturday in the States) so there are less calls for agents and for us Service Directors. We have plenty of idle time to explore the web and kill time.

Hmm. Since it's exactly a year since my last post, it's good to ponder on the events that occured over the past twelve months. One thing that I never regret doing is returning to the Philippines to work. It's really very fulfilling to work in your homeland and be with the company of your family and friends. Nothing beats Manila. Now, I'm more appreciative of the fact that I'm here in the country where people are free to do anything they want. I don't like to dwell anymore on the horrors of Riyadh and its strict Muslim culture. I'm just glad that I'm not there anymore haha.

Another 'event' that happened was my transfer to the BPO industry. A lot of people still think lowly of call center jobs. But the great fact it, these jobs are the main reason why the economy is growing, and employment is soaring. Getting a job now is a lot easier than before. I can still remember the time when I graduated from college in 1998 at the height of the Asian financial crisis. Jobs were very hard to find.. and the jobs being offered to us (mostly by banks) offered the lowest salary level. I don't about banks, but I just can't imagine myself working as a bank teller processing all those paperwork. We literally had to walk-in to the HR departments of various companies and hop from one building to another just to find a job. Unlike now where it's very easy to 'shop' for jobs..with most BPO companies offering one-day hiring..it's simply amazing. These BPO companies are a big blessing to us..they keep the economy alive. They offer salaries that are much higher than regular day jobs, and getting promoted (or getting a raise) is  faster than convential jobs.

Everything went fast in my case. I'm now a Service Director in IBM, and it still amazes me that I got in this position sooner than most of the SD's who were promoted. I started as an agent in United Mileage Plus (the frequent flyer program of United Airlines), and transfered to United Reservations after two months. I got the Platinum Stack Rank one month after my certification, and was an awardee for the 2nd Quarter Rewards and Recognition. One thing I realized is that discipline plays a vital role in being call center agent. You just need to be professional at all times. It's this simple: Just show up everyday at work, be punctual, avoid being absent, meet all your metrics, and everything will be fine. If you continue being disciplined at work, your superiors will notice your professional attitude..and they'll recommend you for promotion.  Which happened in my case. I got in this position much faster than the other tenured agents. I guess I'm just lucky as well.

Ironically, I'm now considering working in another country. Again it happened very fast. I applied for an overseas job last December, was contacted first week of January, and took the test last week. I passed. I got interviewed..and I was selected. Gee. I just don't know what to decide anymore. I'm enjoying my job now more than ever,  but the prospect of a better pay and better company makes me confused. I guess I just have to wait for the official job offer, and weigh all things before I make a big decision. But for now, I can say that everything went well for me during the last twelve months, and that's enough reason for me to thank God for all his blessings.

I'll keep you updated.