j a n s e n. i. s. m.

 
                     
I’m at this stage of my life when I’m experiencing welcome changes. After college
graduation, here I am at my first job as a junior software engineer in an IT
company in the metro. People have been asking me why work there when I can work
somewhere near? And I have responded in many different ways but all can be
summarized by one answer… because I want CHANGES.

LIFESTYLE.
Since I started ‘work’, changes have been overwhelming.  I’m now used to with riding buses every single
week day, getting on the MRT (without being confused about inserting the card
the right way), and enduring the 2 hours of travel (one-way including traffic)
compared to the 30 minutes it takes me on a baby bus to get to school in
college. The 4-tmes a week school uniform has been replaced by business attire.
No more supportive college peers but a set of new hires who are as excited and
apprehensive as I am with the new environment called an ‘office’. My monthly
allowance from my parents has been cut off since I began getting payslips. With
that money, I’ve been able to buy things which I wish I had during my college
days. I’ve been able to spare my parents some financial assistance, spoil my
little niece Kyla with gifts and treat a friend once in a while for a bus fare.

 
PERSONAL.Despite those changes, I’m
still the same person from before, but with a greater drive to improve. I want to
learn more things in life and be mature in terms of voicing out what’s on my
mind, dealing with people, coping with frustrations and handling money. I want
to do so many things– gain 10 pounds (so people would stop associating my
health issues with my work), color my hair light brown and buy a new pair of
leather shoes to improve my self-confidence. I want to start changing my dreams
into goals and achieve them one by one.

FUTURE.
There are more changes that will soon come my way, particularly, getting into
the serious aspect of my job — meeting senior programmers, dealing with hard officemates, beating deadlines
and staying late for work. I know I’ll be needing more faith in myself, physical stamina
and tolerance to be able to  accept those changes and somehow I learned that changes are okay, especially if it’s for the better. Someday, I know I’ll change in many ways but I’ll make sure that when that day comes people will still recognize me and will be happy for the changes in me.