The On-The-Job Narrative

It is my pleasure to share what I have learned from my OJT experience, from simple nostalgic lessons and skills, to complex maxims worth living for.  I will talk more of those, the values, than what I technically did—they are in my daily journal.

I have been too attached with my work that I thought I was actually a regular staff of the cooperative and as if I was being compensated regularly for my work—though I made it sure that my efforts must be away from any monetary motifs. Well, I suppose every intern thinks that way, as how we paradigm map ourselves in the entity we are in.  I have favored that way rather than doing nothing or be an errand boy.  Somehow, I feel a soupcon of proudness (I want statement to be humbler) to my job;  Sometimes you need to think that way to uplift your confidence.  I still remember how I started as an applicant, how I was nervous to face the manager and anxious to death that I would not be able to be accepted or not be able to do the work efficiently and effectively, but here I am now—the OJT System Specialist.

I learned to manage my work well at a given time especially that Processing office and Pawnshop do a lot of encoding and keeping an update of their members’ requirements and at the same time the scheduling of interview, pre-membership seminars, and general assemblies.

I am glad to experience once in my life in giving instructions to my supervisors how to audit and operate the database and exchange thoughts with them on how to make things well.  I was somewhat scared because I deal with persons older and way too experts than me in terms of their craft.  Sometimes, I felt cautious to discuss with them some accounting matters.  I also was hesitant to explain how and why things were right and were wrong for I might see something that would make me more rough.

I also learned to be diplomatic in interacting with the staffs and customers.  Words and actions are very important in personal relationship.  Knowing the timing of when and how you utter the response or reaction helps you become a better listener and responder.  Understanding the different moods of the customers help you think what to say proper to them.

The most important things are attitude more than intelligence, people smart more than brain smart, and relationship more than familiarity; the rest of characteristics will follow if you start with these things.

Talent alone is insufficient.  Yes it is significant, but it does not assure attainment.  One must also be hardworking and self-disciplined.

I learned also to sacrifice a lot of things;  I hardly have leisure time even in weekends.  From the moment I came to the office, I stared encoding everything and check and check, encode again then cross-reference again with the sources, and then work on every problem the system has.  Nevertheless, I really enjoy the pressure I gave to myself.  Pressure sometimes gives me a rush of doing different things.

Real world will be so exciting.  This means having to deal with different challenges world will give us, so it is best to know first what we are doing and what we will be doing in the future— to love those no matter what.  To learn is what we ought to do and to be inspired is what we will have.  The key is to love the path we take and doing the best we can do to always have a positive outlook in life.  Four corners could not give these things. I saw all these in my on-the-job training.  I saw all these more than any academic related values.