DEVCOM|For Future's Sake: Moving out to Get Ahead

FOR FUTURE’S SAKE: MOVING OUT TO GET AHEAD FOR FUTURE’S SAKE: MOVING OUT TO GET AHEAD

Roxan D. Resuello

College prepares us for the real world. It puts us in situations where we, as persons transitioning from pre-pubescent teens to young adult life, could grow into. More often than not, people associate going to college as something that would harness one's independence and character. True enough, it sure does.

One of the many things a person would experience first-hand in their university journey is living away from the comfort of their homes. To navigate a city that you are unfamiliar with is a challenge within itself, but living in it and adapting to its metropolitan city phase is another batch of punch.

Some get lost while in the process of fitting in. Others, however, take it by a glide and fits right in. While a handful finds a better version of themselves, the other few struggles and barely get by with what they were before they left their hometowns.

Although it's always a different experience for different people, a common denominator lies beneath the single lesson that everyone gets a fair share of, that is, the lesson of independence.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

As face-to-face classes resume this year, there will be students who will wake up for the first time in a shared living space with people they only know by name. Some will be boarding up their windows and see a different view from what they have seen all their lives. One of the many students set to experience this for the first time is a first-year Pharmacy student, Koleen Cayla.

The 18-year-old Burgos native shares that living away from her home is not an easy task to deal with. In an interview, she says nothing within her usual hometown routine remained the same. “Mas lalo pong humirap kasi lahat ng gawaing bahay nasa akin ang trabaho.”

She recalls that although she struggled juggling dorm chores and school work over the past months, she notes that these experiences developed her sense of independence and marked up her decision-making skills. She believes that getting to experience the "dorm life" would prepare her for what's to come in the near future. “Big factor ito lalong lalo na saaming gusto maging independent woman/man.’’

It is common for students living in another city to feel out of place or, at some point, even overwhelmed with their living situation. Many experiences moments of homesickness, and with the heavy school loads, to get by, one is left with no choice but to shrug it off after a moment of recollection. Like most student-dormers, Cayla has also had her fair share of moments where she yearns for home. “Tinuturuan ko na lang po yung sarili ko para matuto maging mag-isa dahil I always have myself no matter what happen”, she replies when asked about how she deals with the hankering feeling of missing home.

Although it is undoubtedly tiring, Cayla remarks that the ex- perience taught her to stand on her own feet. With the learnings she amassed from her seven months of dorm experience, Kolene's advice to future first-time dormers leans solely on responsibility and time management. She quotes “Gawin niyo lahat ng dapat gawin bago gumala.’’

FROM THE PLAINS TO THE HIGHLANDS

While some are out to collect memories inside the campus for the first time, others are committed to training themselves to gain on-thejob experience.

Living an employed life with only "gained experience" as a salary (if you're lucky, a generous tip from guests) is an exciting and exhausting situation. As stated in the Human Resources Development Program, Chapter 1 Article 72, "Secretary of Labor and Employment may authorize the hiring of apprentices without compensation whose training on the job is required by the school or training program curriculum or as requisite for graduation or board examination." Nevertheless, the joy of familiarizing yourself with the industry you are set to work in after graduation is an incomparable experience within itself.

For most graduating students, on-the-job training is one of the most anticipated parts of the academic year. The OJT immerses you in the reality of adulthood and prepares you for both the good and bad aspects of your chosen career path.

Rose Ann Resuello, a 4th-year Tourism Management student shares that her on-the-job training experience taught her many things about the Management industry. Resuello was installed at the G1 Lodge Hotel in Baguio City for her 1st Semester OJT assignment.

Her three months of duty exposed her to different departments of the hotel service business, including the front office, housekeeping, and food and beverage. She says that although she already has a background on what they will be doing on duty, doing the job itself was more challenging than she had expected it to be. Even with this, she reiterated that despite the overtime and the daily tiresome walks from one hill to another, no other form of online training would match the technical and skill lessons she acquired during her onsite experience.

Aside from the management-related learnings she gained, Resuello shares that being assigned in the highlands, almost 3 hours away from her hometown, taught her how to be self-sufficient and a more responsible 21-year-old. The OJT became an unexpected avenue for her to grow not just as a student but also as an individual in general.

With her experiences at hand, Resuello believes that it is important for students to gain a taste of independence while they are still in the education system.

“It would help them gauge and realize how different life is in the real world.’’ She says this would help at great lengths to build their character and help them avoid culture shock once they have graduated and started applying for jobs.

WIN SOME, LOSE SOME

It is without a doubt that leaving our hometowns would hurt, and surely, it would be uncomfortable. However, to grow, we must allow ourselves to break free from the comfort that we are used to having. Sometimes, we must experience the unknown to build and find something within us that is greater than what and who we are at the moment.

It might be strange to be on your own, but some sacrifices have to be made so we can set our future's foundation right. In a few years' time, when we're all established and set for life, we can go back to our hometowns and be still. However, that is in the distant future, and one of these days, life will catch up on us, change will chase us, and independence will barge on our doors---it is upon us to either embrace it and let ourselves grow or ignore it and just be.