It seems like yesterday when I was just a first-year student at the University of San Jose - Recoletos (USJ-R). Everything in college is a lot different from Elementary and Highschool. In college, there is stuff to think about like which program to choose, what subjects and schedules to enroll in, where to stay during vacant hours, which friends to be with, even what clothes to wear on Wednesdays (Washday).
Now, I'm at that stage where I need to pick which company to apply for an internship. This is that part of my college life where I need to decide what is relevant to my dream job.
I am a Liacomer majoring in Communication and Marketing -- which means I get to choose if I'd like to take my communication major more seriously or make marketing my number one focus for OJT. Fortunately, I don't really have to choose between my two majors as I can take advantage of both sides per semester. That means, I may have a Communication internship in the first semester and Marketing in the second.
By the way, I am an irregular student and a working student as well. I work in a BPO somewhere in IT Park, Cebu and I work during the early hours of the day (4:00am - 12:00pm) and the only time I can insert both my school stuff and internship is between 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Imagine the challenge? I was literally overwhelmed and excited at the same time.
Despite the situation that I was in, I courageously applied to take my practicum in one of the biggest companies in Cebu -- Cebu Holdings, Inc. I was accepted and assigned to their Ayala Marketing Department and I felt loud and proud flaunting my uniform carrying the name of my beloved school.
At first, I wasn't sure about what I'm really doing. I'm not even familiar with the Ayala Malls, their individual boutiques and all sorts. My first task was to roam around the mall and familiarize the establishments, floor locations and more.
I was working together with another OJT of the same level, but we're from different school and her name is Lara. We used to just work at our desk, receive calls, and monitor press releases and meetings. We send out invitations to join programs in the mall to a list of establishments. I didn't feel any exhaustion. I even feel like a VIP every time we go out to personally join events on behalf of the company. There were even times when I can get to see celebrities up-close and face-to-face which makes my experience more fun and exciting.
The most unforgettable moment I had during my practicum days was when I attended the One Cebu Expo as a delegate from Ayala marketing. As usual, I was with my partner. At that event, we met people from different industries. We heard their personal experiences and struggles right before they reached the level of success. They were so inspiring and one of the thoughts that remained on my mind from their stories is that "Nobody gets rich with mere employment, but Business!; Be the boss, be the employee, then you'll have a stable business."
Additionally, I won one of their grand prize for the raffle draw at the last part of the event. Galaxy phones are the trend these days and I got myself a Brand New Galaxy 5 unit for FREE! I didn't just attend to absorb knowledge from the veterans in business, I also had myself take home a token in memory of such a wonderful and productive experience!
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