Card Deck

Three things I was known for during college was 1) being able to eat almost anything edible, 2) being able to sleep even at the most inconvenient circumstances, and 3) being one of our organization's card players. For this blog entry, I find the 3rd most relevant.

Playing your hand is about strategy. You are given your cards at random. You have no choice in that but what makes you win is how you play your hand. You may have a good hand but still lose in the end. You can not regret the kind of cards you are given but you will regret not being able to adapt to the circumstances of play you are in. Interestingly though, this is pretty much how I was analyzing my current career and life goals.

I was in a conversation with some of my officemates with them saying they feel they have made a wrong decision when they took our company as their first job. I had to agree with them on some points but not entirely. Most probably it'd be because I never want to regret any decision that I have already made. As with your cards at hand, you have been dealt with your hand that is your company, it is matter of playing it right; to hold off some cards when you think later on you can use them to move forward or be a go getter by dropping everything in one go. It's a game between you and your manager wherein you have to make sure that the round is going as how you plan it to be. Otherwise, you are sure to lose in the end. I know I made a good decision with my current company. It’s the small details or the crappy single cards that’s the problem.

My aunt from Toronto told my mom who told me that she thinks that I am suited to be working in a corporate setting because I am not a very readable person. I am not sure about that though. I may play my cards right but I also make sure that I enjoy the game with those I play it with. The relationship between players is important as well. You'll never know when you'll be playing a different card game in the future. Besides though, I don't really see myself in living, breathing and dying in the corporate world. It's just to suffocating. It's a good experience and it can surely build your character but it’s just not what I want.

Some of my other officemates talk about their batch mates from high school and college saying that they are now at this level and at this pay range while they are stuck at the same level and not too high pay range. It's a measure for me if I think about my career as an IT professional but as a player in the real world, it’s just not my thing. I feel more jealous of people who work in NGOs or in environmental organizations. Those sort of jobs have more meaning and contribution to the world.

I sometimes think if I am really suited for any kind of work. I don't feel I am much of a go-getter type of person to survive the corporate, city dweller lifestyle but at the same time I don't fit the laid back kind of guy who can survive being a free lance anything. I thought of being a writer before I entered college but that seems a bit far off from what I am doing or where I am now. I mean, I like my climbs/surfing/trekking activities to be part of the work that I do but I feel that I am not strong or fit to be able to do that every day for the rest of my life.

I was reading about corporate social responsibility in the Philippines earlier and it’s pretty inspiring to find some companies really do spend and make an effort to really make a difference for this country. Come to think of it, the reason why I joined the company was not because of its compensation or career path but due to its track record of corporate citizenship. What's disappointing is that it does not seem to happen for this particular site.

Hay, you get sucky cards sometimes and you have to learn when you need fold in order to save up your chips for the next round of play...