Most Filipino graduates share one dream: that at the end of 17 long years of schooling, the perfect job in the perfect company will be there, waiting to be seized. In 2004, I was one of those hopeful dreamers. Armed only with my optimism and a fresh college degree, I scoured job fairs, newspapers, internet job portals, and virtually every avenue available to me to find and land that perfect position.
In March of 2004, I was hired by a multinational company as a management trainee. I was fresh out of college, and all I had with me was my idealism and the relentless passion to make my dreams come true. At that time, “Management Trainee” was the buzz word of the corporate world and could mean a multitude of different duties for different companies. It ranged from selling insurance policies and taking down the minutes of a meeting, to heading a creative team to plan a product launch and attending classes during the weekends.
Two years later, I find myself reflecting on the path that I have chosen. Being a MISE trainee has educated me far beyond the theoretical and practical training that was promised to be part of the program. What started out as a serendipitous opportunity that I took as an idealistic college graduate has turned into a journey towards higher learning and self-discovery.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would be thrust into the world of almost 300 individuals from over seventy nationalities. I met trainees of every language, color, race and faith. During the times when we converge at common areas for meals, classes or activities, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed at the wealth of cultures that has been placed before me.
Certainly, it was the chance of a lifetime to be able to immerse myself and discover the uniqueness of different cultures as embodied by each of my co-trainees. This experience has underscored the importance of appreciating similarities and respecting differences. It has taught me what it means to be a citizen of the world. It has taught me how to enjoy being in the company of such a large, diverse group. But above all, it has taught me that ultimately, one’s language, color, race or faith is immaterial. The most binding cause that any two people can ever find is humanity – the fact that despite everything, we are all people, people who hurt, love, fail, laugh, cry and dream. This is the reason why I am not surprised that I found a friend in each of those 300 individuals. And not only this, I also know that because of this learning, I will be able to find a friend in the all the persons that I will meet in the future.
Indeed, during the past two years, I have been able to build a network of friendships across the globe and have had fun with them both during and outside the modules. But at the end of the day, we still remember that we are trainees and that the program should be taken seriously.
In no way is the MISE program easy. It is tough, and consequently, it teaches one to be tough. There are requirements to be met, grades to be maintained, attitudes to be honed and improved, values to be learned by heart. There is the constant pressure of living up to expectations – not only of others, but more importantly, of yourself.
Personally, this experience has pushed me to my limits and has taught me to always strive for something even better than excellence. I cannot say that I went through all these unscathed. In fact, I do bear the scars of failure, disappointment and frustration, but I bear them proudly because at the end of the day, the most important thing is that I survived. The program has shown me that I am stronger than I give myself credit for, and that nothing is truly impossible if only I try. The only limits I have are those that I have set for myself... and now, there are none.
Someone once told me, “No one said it would be easy; they only said it would be worth it.” My days as a trainee have ended; now, I face the world as a graduate. It is not the title that I am proud of; I believe that being a MISE graduate is not enough to show the world that you are something special, nor is it a reason to feel superior to others. The only thing I am proud of is the wisdom that I have gained, and the fact that I have gotten to know myself and my abilities a bit better through this experience. That is what made the program worth it.
As I sit here reflecting on the two years that have passed, I feel a sense of closure. I will always look back fondly on the memories of the past two years, of the laughter and tears, of failures and successes, of learning things the hard way. But now, I am ready to live my future and seize my dreams, knowing fully that expatriation is my next great adventure.
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