"Unemployed"

 They say that if you find a job doing what you love, then you won’t be working a day in your life.

 In that case, I am nearly “unemployed.”

 At a time when global economies are being squeezed like kalamansi, many people would consider themselves lucky to be employed or to have a job. Many college graduates seem to go about with such a sense of desperation that they will take any job even if it has nothing to do with their educational background or personal interest. For them having a job is an accomplishment by itself.

 No one seems to care or bother to think that taking a job is almost like getting into a relationship with the other sex. Except for short term or one-day work, which is the equivalent of a one-night stand, most jobs require some measure of commitment. The general idea is that you will be staying on the job for several years if not longer.

 So imagine your self in an unhappy marriage, unsatisfying partnership or a monotonous relationship? If your partner or co-workers are ugly, they will remain or becoming progressively uglier. If they’re mean, rude or incompetent only a “revival” will improve their character.

 Never get into a job because you will discover that getting out of it can be as unhappy and as complicated as breaking up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend!

 I consider myself lucky because I have parents who nurtured and exemplified independent spirits and realized early on that, they could not live our lives, and therefore limited their parental interference.

 Having lived most of their lives as “employees” they knew only too well that joining the wrong company, horrible boss and a dead-end assignment was the equivalent of being in a torture chamber. For them employment was a necessary process but “enjoyment” needed to be the ultimate goal.

 Almost all of my professional choices or job choices were “two-way” arrangements. Much as I wanted to stay employed, I never chose or took a job simply for employment or financial gain. The time and opportunity you lose jumping from one choice to another takes away precious career time and marks you as “immature” or “unstable” if not “selfish.” As HR managers will tell you, avoid being marked.

 In the early years, I chose jobs that fit my personality, challenged my creativity and ultimately contributed to my learning, competence and professionalism, all in that order. A nice paycheck back then was relatively unheard of because of supply and demand.

 Between a high salary desk assignment to a lower pay but out in the field- no “Bundy clock” life, I always chose being in the field. No fancy dress codes, no corporate fashion statements, and meeting up with real people on the ground.

 Being in the office may keep you close to the center of things and how management operates, but travelling in the field gives you a multi-point education on business, sociology, geography and environment. In time field exposure ultimately catches up with the knowledge of people with MBA’s and extended studies.

 For the last 12 years, I have worked at home or in the field thereby providing me with a large measure of flexibility. But I kid you not it comes with a price. Most people in the corporate office are in the loop while you are not. So you have to compensate by doing the rounds like attending business events, and networking.

 Fortunately, attitudes have changed and it is now common to be dealing with “entrepreneurs” or home-based service providers.

 I can’t think of ever taking a job because I was an “expert” in it.

 On the contrary, most jobs I had before getting into media in 1995 were corporate positions but totally unrelated to my course in UP which was Journalism. In fact I got into Journalism just to pacify my Dad but totally disliked the idea.

 I got into sales promotion, advertising, construction and real estate in the US, built two resorts in Palawan, worked in a failed bid to put up an airline company, and entered print and Broadcast Journalism, something I swore I would never, ever do.

 But the Lord works in mysterious ways, as long as you cooperate. In hindsight however, I must confess that I have to a large degree sought out and found jobs I generally enjoyed doing.

 Today, a large part of my thoughts are in mentoring and corporate coaching. Yes fancy words that simply mean sharing what you have learned through the years so that others can do more and avoid your mistakes. I no longer have the energy and the hunger that young managers have, but by GOD’s grace, I carry the scars, the joy of lessons learned, achievements made.

 Yes, as a matter of fact I am happily “not working.”

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