Saying Goodbye to a 12 year stint
After 12 years of being in the Call center industry, I've decided to bid goodbye, at least for now, to the BPO world.
I've been working non-stop since I was 19 years old. I started off as an agent for a Customer Service account. I worked full time and spent my rest days in school. Thinking back, I don't know how I had stamina to work 40 hours/week on a 3 am to 12 noon schedule, spend time writing up my Thesis and still attend school classes. It was tough. Initially I was in it for the money - I needed to pay for my tuition fee but evolved to something more after a couple of months. I yearned for experience and knowledge.
I was successful and got recognized for a lot of achievements. As time passed, I began to lose my motivation. Every so often I would question decisions made from office politics. For some, it meant I had spunk. For others, I seemed difficult - I ask a lot of questions, I challenge the norm, I push back and admit if a situation does not make any sense. I hunger to learn more but I question ethics and morale of people who are capable. I became a hard person to please and just as how I expect a lot from others, I became hard on myself too. I got depressed for a while. Got to a point, where I felt drained - emotionally and physically. I had difficulty falling asleep and wake up still feeling tired. I cried for no reason.
It wasn't an easy decision. I love what I do. However, for my mental health, I couldn't bear more. So I'm taking a step back, I've resigned from work and started to work as a Virtual Assistant for an Amazon store. It is far off from my career path but I welcome the change. I'm not sure if this will stick. The pay difference is too high and there is no stability. For now, I'm considering this as a break and we'll see how things turn out. I'm confident God must have his reasons for letting me land this job. Through God's divine providence, I'm sure all will be well.
