By Bianca Panlasigue, Boston Regional President
I say this now, but when it comes down to it I am thankful for my share of this struggle I have been faced with; the search for the next step in my career path. Like many today, I too was laid off earlier this year and am unemployed. For those of you who do not know my story, I was working for this company in San Francisco who decided to downsize our team. I was given the choice of keeping my same job and moving to work in the Boston office, or getting laid off. I decided to move. After working in Boston after a year, they then decided to outsource our whole team to the Manila office. Sure, I have those days of feeling down, but the whole experience has made me take a step back and examine the important things in life; the bare necessities for a human being to really be happy and productive.
As a first generation born Filipina American in my family, I have very close ties to a type of society not as privileged as the one we live in here in the U.S. So, in the grand scheme of things-yes, the economy is bad over here, but not so much when compared to disparities others are faced with. My hardworking parents instilled a great work ethic in me, having shown my brother and I the importance of knowing your roots. My badass grandmother started many types of businesses in the Philippines to provide for her family and raise her siblings. Her entrepreneurship started when she was just a tiny little girl working as a Japanese spy for the Philippine regime. In my book, she is the ultimate entrepreneur; the most pure bread of hustlers. Were all her ventures legal? Did she have to bribe a judge or two? Maybe, maybe not, but she is definitely one of the most resourceful of self-starters I know of. To this day, she loves to hang her financial stability over everyone’s head as a means of keeping them close and loyal to her.
Aside from the great support of my friends and family, I am thankful for the unemployment program our country has provided me with. It has allowed me to be an active participant in society by paying rent and bills, joining the gym, and volunteering. I know I would somehow make ends meet if this financial support was not provided, but it is definitely a great resource. I make it a point not to take things like this for granted and remind myself each day that it is a great privilege. A few weeks ago, I watched a 60 Minutes segment that told the story of a bunch of 50 somethings who are unemployed in the Bay Area. We are talking about hardworking individuals who hold their Masters and Ph.Ds. who thought that they were going to retire with the company they were loyal to. Some of them have exhausted their unemployment benefits and are living in their friend’s attics or even in their own car. The reporter asked this unemployed woman what she was like before having lost her job. She admitted that she was a shopaholic. I think this is a lesson for our lovely materialistic society we live in today. Save when you can, don’t overspend and put you and your family into a hole.
Lastly, I am grateful for GenDrive. Although we are in the early stages of operation, I feel that it has given me an outlet to network with young professionals who share the same passion for social entrepreneurship. In a recent phone interview I had, the hiring manager asked me what I have been doing besides job searching. I mentioned my hobbies, volunteering, working out and GenDrive! It was a non-conventional interview in that he wanted to know more about me and what I have been putting my energy towards versus my work experience and skill set. It was refreshing to be acknowledged for my efforts outside the job hunt. In fact, he was so interested in learning more about GenDrive that he asked to schedule another follow up interview during which he asked more specific questions about the structure and goals of the group. This interview really opened my eyes to see what companies are looking for in candidates these days.
So far, my tale of unemployment has been a very humbling experience. I feel like I this is my turn of struggle before things can get better. I constantly tell myself it is not permanent, and that I still have lots of time to figure things out. After all, I could be three kids deep and paying a mortgage and car payments; then things would be a little more of a challenge. I would like to think that the earlier I learn these lessons, the better off I will be in the long run. This experience teaches me never to take opportunities for granted, be okay with ambiguity and not knowing what is next, not to get too comfortable in a job, and reminds me to always keep growing and adjusting to change.
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