'Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard', said Coldplay in one of their songs, but also said the 28 of us in MAP VII. But hell, it was worth it. My Management Associates Program (MAP) experience was pretty much a total package - it taught me what I need to know about the basic credit process and more, so I can have a clear grasp of it once I become a full-pledged Account Officer of the Bank. The training program itself is academically, mentally, and physically challenging, but not more than it is emotionally. There were times, and I'm sure my batchmates would agree with me, when you just want to give it up, so there will be no more pressure to deal with, and high expectations to meet. Halfway through it, I recalled, that while I am still far from where I want to be in the future, I realized I am also a few steps away from where I used to be. All is going to be well, I tell myself. And so I get along, and eventually graduated from the program in June, along with 25 others. It's a sad thing though that two of us didn't make it 'til the end, especially we know one had an unfair finish, and the other one of my closest friends in the batch. I still feel bitter just thinking about how equally deserving they are to make it but then again, I'm sure something better is coming their way, in different forms other than the life after MAP.
I have a fair share of that, too. And this is probably the highlight of my 2015. You know, that "something better is coming my way" thing, when I was assigned to the Regional Marketing Center - Metro Manila (RMC-MM) after graduation, meaning I am officially part of the (notorious) Branch Banking Sector (BBS). Ohmygod, why, no.
Let me tell you about two things: instincts and destiny. I literally can't keep calm texting my sister and my closest friends that long afternoon of June, while each of the 26 graduates are being called for our respective assignments. Halfway through such a dreading hour or two, I feel it in my heart I was going to be assigned to BBS, something I'm sure I don't like for various reasons, at least at that time. So, hiding behind our training room's white board, I was already in tears even before the good people from HR call me for my turn. A few days back before that, I heard little insider stories about MAP deployment -- stories that trigger my intuition, ohmygod, no. Not me. I tried denying my instincts, but to no avail. What I was so afraid to happen -- being assigned somewhere I don't like (initially) -- happened, and for days I cry over and over, because I knew I have myself to blame for it, too. For the record, I included RMC-MM in my list of preferred assignment (I'm so weird, I know), "because I want to master what I already know about loan packaging", only to be half-hearted about it.
I've read somewhere, and to this day I hold on to it, that we are destined to do the things we would choose anyway. That was probably destiny working for me, but not without me choosing it to begin with. Six months through it, I realize I didn't make a bad choice, and I don't regret it either. RMC-MM, or the branches for that matter, are like the New York City of DBP: If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere, that's what they say, and now what I believe is true.
Luckily, my initial impressions are all wrong (and I hate myself for even worrying about it)! The people from RMC-MM are probably the nicest, most accepting people I have ever met in my life, I am not even kidding. Being a MAP graduate is a non-issue at all, as I feared it will be at the beginning, because most of them, if not all, are products of the same program as well. These people are the ones anyone would like to surround themselves with, because of the positive vibes they bring into your life despite stressful work days. These are the people who encourage me when I think I'm not prepared for a CreCom presentation, or when I can't compute a simple Minimum Cash Requirement. These are the people who see me panic every time our boss needs to "talk" to me, scaring me further while I try to recall if I did something bad. They are the ones who, despite me being new to the team, believe in my potential.
It can't be emphasized enough that finding the right mentors is more important than finding the right job. Truth is, working in any industry is going to be stressful at some point, and the last thing you would want to have during those days is not having the right amount of support and encouragement from people who have gone through the same. I'm happy to have found not just one, but mentors too many in the RMC. Working for accounts in different branches, and therefore different branch heads, I see varying leadership and work styles that may or may not work for me in the future. More than teaching me the techniques and the skills, they give me the opportunity to grow. And oh, they become your friends, too, outside the office.
At 22, the youngest in Marketing (but not anymore very soon thanks to MAP VIII), I still have that playful, immature attitude towards my work. Being in the branch, not to mention in a government Bank like DBP, is perhaps my kind of intervention away from my comfort zone, because it is where I am most humbled. In the branch I work side-by-side with the people who are paid a fraction of what they would otherwise receive in the private sector, but still do their job without complaining. They are those who work more than what their job descriptions require, because there's just not enough manpower, and the same people who manage to produce the best output in the most efficient way possible out of the backward resources and technology we have. Their dedication, if for anything, inspires me.
I love my job. Obviously. But that is not to take my most sought-after work-life balance away from me. So while I overwork sometimes, I still see to it to have fun outside DBP. This year, I have been unstoppable with my travels, as I have always imagined it to be -- going to new places, with (literally) different circles of friends: Tagaytay with 8 other MAPees, Laiya in Batangas with DBP Marikina branch, Buntot-Palos falls in Panguil, Laguna with my high school teachers, Puerto Galera birthday weekend with my family, Malangaan Cave in Bulacan with my college friends, Gale and Angela, Hong Kong and Macau with my sister, Rose Ann, Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin with my bestfriend, Erika, Laiya again with RMC MM for the team building (not in pic), and Antipolo with new found friends, Silver and Pearl (not in pic)
Thanks to the long weekends, 2015 has been an amazing year for adventures. Looking at the above list excites me, because I'd love to continue doing it over and over again. Even with 2016 holidays sadly falling on weekends, travel remains to be one of my top priorities. After all, I am not working 9-6 to pay the bills. Besides, what leave credits are for.
Don't worry, though, that I am spending more than what I can afford for travel. For one, money spent on travel are money spent on priceless experiences. I'd like to believe I'm doing a great job handling my finances. Particularly this year, I started investing in the stock market, and by 2016 I'm planning to invest in a mutual fund as well. My wardrobe change had to go through intensive budgeting, so I won't buy new clothes and shoes on impulse. In cases when I go beyond my budget, or when I can't help but make unnecessary expenses, I make sure to offset the amount the next payday. So far, so good. If you ask me how I do it, I will tell you it's this: pay in cash and avoid credit. Also, delaying gratification.For some months now, I've been contemplating to make a big life change, and I've decided to finally move out to a nearer place in QC, hopefully by first quarter of 2016. Four hours spent on the road commuting everyday is already self-abuse, not to mention risky, for anyone, especially women. It's going to be a little difficult at first, I know -- that living alone thing, but it's also going to be difficult not to try.
Okay, this is too much adulting already. But then going through 2015 is pretty much it: adulting. After all, I am a full-blown adult, a young professional starting her career, an outgoing (sometimes introvert, believe me) person wanting to travel the world, a daughter hoping to give back, a busy girl setting her priorities straight, a growing individual trying to make good life choices.
Speaking of choices, I can say 2015 presented to me many cases of having choices, or having none at all. If you recall, I initially hated the idea of being assigned in Marikina for 2 months for our Related Learning Experience (OJT-ish, for those who don't know), or the story of my deployment to RMC above, or missing the last ferry ride to Camiguin, or that 6-hour delay in our flight back to Manila from CDO, or when we wasted the whole day waiting for our turn for a CreCom presentation that got postponed, or watching UP Pep Squad lose something that's rightfully theirs, or when they cancelled the fireworks display during our visit to Hong Kong Disneyland, and all other things in between.
Back in high school, or probably even in elementary school, I was a control freak. I cry and I get mad over the littlest of things, especially when things don't go my way. Up to now, I admit, I still have that tendency to boss around. But maybe it comes with maturity, or maybe I got tired of disappointments after disappointments, that I've managed to accept that in life, there are things and situations I have no control over. So I need to choose my battles wisely. At the end of the day, battles chosen are battles won.
Delaying Gratification, Choosing My Battles, Seeing Things In Different Perspectives, and Appreciating The Little Things are some of my major takeaways this year. Life is beautiful. And I don't see any reason for others to think otherwise. Until now, I have no idea what good have I done in my life to deserve the things I have now, to be friends with the people I admire, and to work a job that inspires. But for whatever it is worth, I am grateful. This has been a truly wonderful year for me, and I believe 2016 will be just as wonderful as I make it.
Your favorite ategirl,
Kimberly
Link to my previous year-ender blog: 2014: #KimberlyStrong
