23 October 2012

When I don't blog for an extended period of time it would either mean I don't have anything exciting or noteworthy to write here or I have an impending exam coming up that I would feel guilty of spending my time blogging instead of studying. Recently however, I sat for my final exams and yet I still don't feel like blogging. Why? Because I feel that I should be looking for a job instead of spending my time writing here.

You see, after I left my last job, I've been doing this freelance IT support stuff and working part time for my friend's company. My friend has this part time company where he sells IT stuff and does IT support in which case, I did most of the delivery and support stuff. He always said that someday he would quit his day job and do this thing full time with me and his partners. That was like earlier this year. 10 months later, that still doesn't happen. I guess he really loves his current job. And since he's so busy with his day job, he simply has no time to look for sales or do marketing for his part time job. Which mean I don't have much work to do and ultimately I only earn around a few hundred bucks each month which is definitely not enough to support my family. Of course I can't really blame or be mad at my friend here. It's his life and his choice. I can't really make him do something he doesn't really want to do. Maybe someday he would actually quit his job and run his very own company. Whatever it is, I can't wait for that to happen. Not anymore.

Which leaves me in a kind of limbo. I'd love to work with my long time friends and run that company with him. So I stalled on looking for a real job. Until I came to the realisation that this dream of mine, working with my friend, might never realize. So I started to look for a real, proper job. I emailed my not so impressive resume and registered on Jobstreet.com. After like a hundered applications online I got only one call for interview. Either I'm underqualified or the salary that I expected was too much or both.

So I thought maybe I should look for other working opportunities you know like fast food or cafes. For one thing there's always a vacancy there and they usually don't require you to have a diploma or degree in any kind. By this time, I just don't have much option or time left. Especially since the banks started calling and texting me like, everyday. You know how it feels like for the bank to call you every other day? Not cool.

I looked around for vacancies at shopping malls and stuff. For one thing, I don't want to be working at McDonald's again. Today just about anybody can work at McDonald's including Bangladeshis, Nepalese and Burmese people. It's not that I look down on them. It's just that I'm sure they won't pay you much. I thought if I wanna work in a low-paying, minimum wage kind of job, I might as well work for the best one out there. So after much research I only found one store that fits that requirement. Starbucks.



Did you know that Starbucks is the only company in Malaysia that was listed in Fortune's magazine top 100 best place to work in? Yeah they were listed at number 76. I know they still don't pay as much as my last 2 jobs but in my situation right now, I can't really be choosy.

I applied to work at two Starbucks store and today I got a call for an interview from one of the store. So I went there and sat for the interview with the manager who talks exclusively in English and after like 20 minutes, I got the job. She said I pass all the requirements to work there and offered me the job on the spot. Basically you need to have minimum SPM and talk a respectable English. I was expecting something like a shift supervisor you know for my age but since they only have a vacany for a barista so barista it is. Tomorrow will be my first day at work as a Starbucks barista.

5 months ago I was a director of a company with a nice paycheck at the end of the month. Today I am a lowly barista at Starbucks. How quick things change. How the mighty has fallen. To be honest, I'm not really ashamed working in a fast food place or in the F&B industry in general. Maybe God has other plans for me. Maybe I could build my career here. My motto in life has always been do the best in everything I do. Whether it's a McDonald's restaurant crew or a cashier at IKEA, a computer technician or a barista at Starbucks. Work hard and do you work sincerely and diligently. The rewards will come sooner or later.