Youth

"May age limit ba?"


If I had a peso for each time I heard that question yesterday, I'd be a millionaire by now. Seriously, it never struck me that age was the perennial issue in finding a job today. But come to think of it, we put such a huge premium on youth that it has always been a clincher in our many decisions, not least of which are those concerning work and livelihood. And so there they were, men and women well into retirement age hopping from one booth to another, hoping that there's a company out there who'd give them a second lease on life. Amidst the sweltering heat and the dusty ground that marked their footprints, to compete with recent graduates and those with relatively more nimble physiques did seem like a daunting challenge.


And that got me thinking. Given my age, am I in a good place career-wise? I remember reading Mak and how he sees being responsible as a constraint to jumping ship and starting anew. if truth be told, my lack of career direction is primarily due to a delusional belief that I'd be successful in anything that I want to do. Apparently, that's not the case. In the real world, without a great measure of luck, success often equates to seriously hard work. And that hard work necessitates investment in time and continuously shifting gears and testing the waters is a luxury that only a few could afford. Hence, the question, have I been so "bilib" in myself that I end up making nothing out of myself? And of course, with that realization comes a call to action: find a new job and stay there. After all, I am not getting any younger...








































But then again, I saw a couple of my former students in the same job fair and one of them quipped, "Sir, bumabata kayo ha." And that, my friends, is a priceless consolation that shall tide me in my search for a job where I could stay.