Work, Life, and Everything in Between; the Novices’ POV

Kate Tuares
Lester Silva

People say,welcome to the exhilarating world of life after college! Graduating from college marks a
significant milestone in your journey, indicating the end of an era and the dawn of an entirely
different one. As we leave the familiar world of textbooks and classes, we start a wonderful
journey full with opportunities for development and self-discovery. Entering the world after college
is like stepping onto a huge, unexplored landscape that is teeming with opportunity. It's an
opportunity to put the knowledge and abilities we’ve gained from our studies to use while also
broadening our horizons. Exciting as it seem, navigating through life after graduation is
daunting.We found ourselves overwhelmed because for the first time since we were three, we will
be out of an educational institution. Gone were the days where we will routinely wake up, go to
school, do school works, go home and chill. We are now in charge of ourselves, our finances, and
our life in general. We came into terms with the thought that we were not really ready for life after
graduation. We vividly remember contemplating for days on whether to pursue a higher degree in
the academe or just do what a regular person would: find a job.

Kate’s POV
Since I was really not sure on what to choose, I did both. I pursued a master’s degree while looking
for a job, finally landing as a call center agent, the same work I did when I was still in college. I
stayed there for a few months then a close friend informed me that a certain company needed
medical representatives. I was not really into the sales and marketing side but I decided to give it a
shot, taking into consideration the work environment and the competitive salary, of course.

After successfully surviving through the perilous jungle, also known as the training phase, I was
deployed. My first day of work is chaotic yet fun. Finding doctors is a challenge on its own, let
alone recognizing them, memorizing their names, clinic hours and coverage times. Thankfully,
colleagues were accommodating and patient, instructing us, newbies, step by step on how things
work in the field. As a sales representative, it has been a constant struggle to maintain good
relationships with our clients a.k.a. doctors. There are instances that we had to decline certain
requests. Each and every time, we pray that the MDs would understand why we had to say no,
silently hoping that they still would maintain the good relationship that they have with us. On the
brighter side, it is always a joy to see how their faces light up when they recognize us. It makes the
hours of waiting for coverage worthwhile.

Lester’s POV

I don't feel under any obligation to provide for my family, nor am I under any pressure to do so. I
made the decision to support my family instead of going after my aspiration of attending medical
school on a more personal level. Making choices that strike a balance between obligations and
goals can be difficult. It becomes imperative to carefully analyze the possibilities and take into
account the long-term influence on both personal fulfillment and familial well-being when faced
with the choice between the dream of attending medical school and the duty to provide for one's
family. Well, here I am choosing to provide for my family.

Even though it's not what I had been studying for in college, I began working in the BPO industry
even before I graduated and kept on being a night owl American slave after I finished. Who cares?
It's where I make money to support my family. I enjoyed and I am somehow fulfilled not until I
discovered that I can be a marketing representative for SV More Pharma.

The deployment seemed so foreign to us after the challenging and enjoyable training. Kate is right;
our brief workweek has been frantic but enjoyable. Finding doctors is difficult enough, let alone
remembering their names, clinic hours, and coverage times. Our job was made bearable by the fact
that we were always being guided and attended over by Ms. Jobi. Other pharma company
representatives are also very welcoming and always prepared to lend a helping hand. We greatly
appreciate the out-of-town team's seniors helping us out when we have questions. Sir John never let
us down either. He introduced us to the doctors in a way that increased our connection and lessened
the awkwardness. It seems like there are always challenges to overcome, like hauling heavy bags
for our PS or dressing formally in the sweltering heat. We made a lot of adjustments. The SV More
Iloilo Family also helped to make things worthwhile. Especially when we went to Boracay Island
for our summer break, we felt a genuine welcome. Despite being new, we felt at home.

To being a Professional Marketing Representative

What makes this job gratifying are doctors who are thankful for the little things that we give,
doctors who recognize our efforts and praise our hard work even only after a few visits. Covering
MDs is one thing though, since accomplishing paper works and reports was another mountain that
we had to climb. Early into this job, we were somehow confident with our skills in using office
tools, especially Microsoft Excel. We thought that was enough, but we were wrong. We remember
going through each and every data, not knowing that there was a shortcut for that, thus, wasting
almost 5 hours of our dear life. After that experience, we learned to consider that everything is a
process, a learning curve. We learned to be assertive, to not be ashamed to ask questions when
necessary. We learned to be patient, which has been helpful since a big chunk of the work is spent
on waiting. Finally, we learned to enjoy the little things.

Venturing on this field is intimidating and overwhelming, to start with. But as the days went by, we
were able to swim through tides. We were able to accomplish the tasks we were given and deliver
what was asked for us to do. Undoubtedly, we were faced with numerous setbacks and challenges.
After three months of hard work, faith, and sheer determination, we were still here, and we will
always be here, growing, adapting, and constantly learning.