I have an Advertising & Public Relations degree. Before graduating, I told myself that I won't accept jobs outside the ad world. I wanted to be a copywiter, and I'll do everything to be one. A month after earning my diploma, I got hired to work as an account executive for a small (medium?) advertising agency called Maverick Media Solutions, Inc. I have never wanted to be an AE but I accepted the offer because it was my only ticket to the community that I have always dreamed of joining.
Working for Maverick as an AE was a nightmare. I didn't know shit about the position. I found myself going to the bathroom more often than necessary because it was there where I tell myself "Pinili mo 'to, panindigan mo." I'd go back to the office, cool as a cat, pretending I know what I was doing. After a month as an AE, the bosses asked me if I wanted to transfer "sa loob," meaning the creative department. I wasn't an effective executive, and they were nice enough to give me a shot at writing. I answered them with a big fat yes, of course. Ms. Chnx, the senior copywriter that time, had something to do with the transfer. I'll be forever thankful to her.
At 20 years old, I got my dream job. It wasn't a walk in the park, and definitely was not always rainbows and unicorns, contrary to what I have imagined before. Yes, it was extremely fun, but it was challenging as well. I had a rough start. The creative director (Sir Carlo) was not convinced. The first published print ad that I proofread had a typo and I will never forget that blunder, ever. I have heard the worst criticisms and the harshest comments, but those didn't stop me. It was a game, and I was the ball, sometimes hitting but most of the time, missing. Thank Jeeezzus Sir Jasper, the CEO, was a very patient man.
I eventually got the hang of it, with some of my copies and concepts getting approved. This made me excited to report to work every single day. I have never thought that opening Microsoft Word will make me feel giddy but it did. Working while having a great time, I could not ask for more. Maverick was a playground, with more freedom than most offices. The people were super nice, from the bosses, the creative and accounts teams, down to the messengers. More than office mates, we were a family, a weird one at that.
Four, that's the number of co-copywriters I had while working for Maverick. I spent almost three years there and teamed up with four different individuals. Lace took me in and guided me. We came from different backgrounds but we clicked. She was nice and always happy, and she made my first six (or was it three?) months bearable. Then there was Liz. Her time in Maverick was a short one but she's one of those people who inspired me to write better. It's because she's a god-level scribe and it was great to work with her. After Liz, Jovie came in. I can't remember a single project we worked on together as writers because he transferred to Accounts after a while, but that did not stop us from becoming good friends. He now works in Dubai, swimming in gold. Lastly, there was Yaps, whose Yaps-ness was adored by our boss. He still writes and I wonder when he'll stop because there's no monies in writing. I'M KIDDING.
"Do a job you like and you will never have to work a day in your life," said a Chinese philosopher. He was right, because it was like that in Maverick, but I realized that it shouldn't always be the case. Yes, it was comforting to be in a place where there's familiarity, where I felt safe, but things became too comforting and I got lazy and became less creative. The employee who used to be like a kid in a candy store became a grumpy and boring adult. Reality dropped by one day and slapped me on both cheeks, real hard. It hurt, realizing that it was time to leave Maverick behind, but I did what I had to do. I resigned and went back to the province.
June 2012, after two months of bumming, I went back to Manila and tried my luck with other companies. This time, I wanted a new industry where I can learn new things and develop a fresh set of skills (LOL, SELF.) July came, along with a new job for me -- marketing officer for Robinsons Appliances. Yes, I got hired by a bigass company (JG Summit, anyone?) and it was one of the proudest moments of my life (IT'S A TRAP.) New industry, check. New set of skills, double check. It was exactly what I was looking for, and went I through the whole thing feeling like I was being tortured. I had a hard time adjusting to the "corporate" and the mostly-girls setting.
I handled a couple of marketing projects, something I have never done before. Got used to seeing the Gokongweis (by the way, they're really down to earth people) around and talking and coordinating with suppliers and partners, something I wasn't able to do in Maverick. Learning, I got a lot of it.
Working at Robinsons Appliances was a challenging year and half. Right from the beginning, I was always "I don't want this anymore." but my parents told me to go on with it, so I did. I came back to my "panindigan mo yan" phase. 2013 stormed in and things got a bit too much, topped by the stress of losing my mother and a whole lot of other stuff. By November, I yielded, submitted my resignation letter, and did what I've done the last time, I came back home. The saddest thing in all of this is that only my father was there to comfort me.
2013 taught me what heartbreak and breaking point are.
Today's my first month as a worker for my current employer. I don't know if I can mention the name here because not to be OA but they're really strict when it comes to online thingamajigs. It's a multi-national company, so yeah, they're really protective of their image. They may not want to be mentioned in a blog entry by a crazy random blogger.
As I have mentioned in a previous entry, the company I work for now is based in Makati, so every day, I brave the MRT chaos and public transport hoo-haa just to get there. Almost all of my office mates are females, and so far, all the ones I have interacted with were very nice. No animosity whatsoever. My job description is new, so I have a lot of learning to do, but I'm all for it. The first month was ultra draining, and I've never been this tired. But so far, it's still the good kind of tired, so I'm not complaining.
What I love most about the-company-that-must-not-be-named-online? The office always smells nice. The restrooms are always clean!!! It's restroom nirvana, I swear. All stalls have working bidets and allocated spray perfume for you-know-what. Plus the tissue never runs out. Laging may tissue OMG. Yes, I'm being OA and blogging about our office restrooms.
Kidding aside, the pay's good and the benefits are better. I'm thankful for this post and will work my ass off just to prove that I deserve this. There will be more bumps ahead, and I'm ready for it. It doesn't also hurt that my new boss is helpful and supportive.
Right now, I am happy little worker.
Working for Maverick as an AE was a nightmare. I didn't know shit about the position. I found myself going to the bathroom more often than necessary because it was there where I tell myself "Pinili mo 'to, panindigan mo." I'd go back to the office, cool as a cat, pretending I know what I was doing. After a month as an AE, the bosses asked me if I wanted to transfer "sa loob," meaning the creative department. I wasn't an effective executive, and they were nice enough to give me a shot at writing. I answered them with a big fat yes, of course. Ms. Chnx, the senior copywriter that time, had something to do with the transfer. I'll be forever thankful to her.
At 20 years old, I got my dream job. It wasn't a walk in the park, and definitely was not always rainbows and unicorns, contrary to what I have imagined before. Yes, it was extremely fun, but it was challenging as well. I had a rough start. The creative director (Sir Carlo) was not convinced. The first published print ad that I proofread had a typo and I will never forget that blunder, ever. I have heard the worst criticisms and the harshest comments, but those didn't stop me. It was a game, and I was the ball, sometimes hitting but most of the time, missing. Thank Jeeezzus Sir Jasper, the CEO, was a very patient man.
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| Forever Maverickids |
Four, that's the number of co-copywriters I had while working for Maverick. I spent almost three years there and teamed up with four different individuals. Lace took me in and guided me. We came from different backgrounds but we clicked. She was nice and always happy, and she made my first six (or was it three?) months bearable. Then there was Liz. Her time in Maverick was a short one but she's one of those people who inspired me to write better. It's because she's a god-level scribe and it was great to work with her. After Liz, Jovie came in. I can't remember a single project we worked on together as writers because he transferred to Accounts after a while, but that did not stop us from becoming good friends. He now works in Dubai, swimming in gold. Lastly, there was Yaps, whose Yaps-ness was adored by our boss. He still writes and I wonder when he'll stop because there's no monies in writing. I'M KIDDING.
"Do a job you like and you will never have to work a day in your life," said a Chinese philosopher. He was right, because it was like that in Maverick, but I realized that it shouldn't always be the case. Yes, it was comforting to be in a place where there's familiarity, where I felt safe, but things became too comforting and I got lazy and became less creative. The employee who used to be like a kid in a candy store became a grumpy and boring adult. Reality dropped by one day and slapped me on both cheeks, real hard. It hurt, realizing that it was time to leave Maverick behind, but I did what I had to do. I resigned and went back to the province.
June 2012, after two months of bumming, I went back to Manila and tried my luck with other companies. This time, I wanted a new industry where I can learn new things and develop a fresh set of skills (LOL, SELF.) July came, along with a new job for me -- marketing officer for Robinsons Appliances. Yes, I got hired by a bigass company (JG Summit, anyone?) and it was one of the proudest moments of my life (IT'S A TRAP.) New industry, check. New set of skills, double check. It was exactly what I was looking for, and went I through the whole thing feeling like I was being tortured. I had a hard time adjusting to the "corporate" and the mostly-girls setting.
I handled a couple of marketing projects, something I have never done before. Got used to seeing the Gokongweis (by the way, they're really down to earth people) around and talking and coordinating with suppliers and partners, something I wasn't able to do in Maverick. Learning, I got a lot of it.
Working at Robinsons Appliances was a challenging year and half. Right from the beginning, I was always "I don't want this anymore." but my parents told me to go on with it, so I did. I came back to my "panindigan mo yan" phase. 2013 stormed in and things got a bit too much, topped by the stress of losing my mother and a whole lot of other stuff. By November, I yielded, submitted my resignation letter, and did what I've done the last time, I came back home. The saddest thing in all of this is that only my father was there to comfort me.
2013 taught me what heartbreak and breaking point are.
Today's my first month as a worker for my current employer. I don't know if I can mention the name here because not to be OA but they're really strict when it comes to online thingamajigs. It's a multi-national company, so yeah, they're really protective of their image. They may not want to be mentioned in a blog entry by a crazy random blogger.
As I have mentioned in a previous entry, the company I work for now is based in Makati, so every day, I brave the MRT chaos and public transport hoo-haa just to get there. Almost all of my office mates are females, and so far, all the ones I have interacted with were very nice. No animosity whatsoever. My job description is new, so I have a lot of learning to do, but I'm all for it. The first month was ultra draining, and I've never been this tired. But so far, it's still the good kind of tired, so I'm not complaining.
What I love most about the-company-that-must-not-be-named-online? The office always smells nice. The restrooms are always clean!!! It's restroom nirvana, I swear. All stalls have working bidets and allocated spray perfume for you-know-what. Plus the tissue never runs out. Laging may tissue OMG. Yes, I'm being OA and blogging about our office restrooms.
Kidding aside, the pay's good and the benefits are better. I'm thankful for this post and will work my ass off just to prove that I deserve this. There will be more bumps ahead, and I'm ready for it. It doesn't also hurt that my new boss is helpful and supportive.
Right now, I am happy little worker.
