MANILA, Philippines – In 2015, netizen “JM Papa” graduated from one of the prestigious universities in the Philippines, De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, with a degree in Secondary Education major in English. Within that year, he became a Licensed Professional Teacher.
Instead of working as teacher, however, he would find a job as waiter in the Middle East. And while the pay is twice the salary of public school teachers in the Philippines, the achiever in him would feel sad about this job.
From licensed teacher to waiter
“Currently here in the Middle East, serving the Arabs in a casual-dining restaurant, treated like nothing but just a servant. From a high-achieving individual to a waiter. When I started working as a waiter, my co-workers were always questioning my decision. You could’ve been teaching in a public school in the PH but why did you choose to be a waiter in Kuwait. It’s solely because of my dream not only for myself but most especially for my family,” he wrote on Facebook.
“I thought about the salary, it’s a doubled salary of a public school English teacher & it indeed enticed me. I’ve swallowed all my pride & took the chance to earn more. Just to make myself clear, I’m not belittling waiters all over the world, I actually have a high respect for them and I salute all the OFWs out there who sacrificed themselves just to give a better life for their families. At first, tbh, I felt really small & pitied myself.”
“…But, as the time went by, I was able to slowly accept it especially when I finally purchased a house unit in a subdivision for my family & got insurances using the money I’ve earned from being a waiter. It’s not bad at all to sometimes swallow your pride for your dreams.”
Losing his self-confidence
He added that he felt much better when he was able to provide his family their dream house in the subdivision. He was also able to get various insurances from the money he earned as waiter, yet it was still something that broke his self-confidence.
“This experience truly humbled me, unfortunately, to the extent that I’m not confident enough to apply for a higher & better position than a waiter. Tbh, it crashed all the confidence I’ve gathered from my achievements ‘cause I was barely recognized by our company as a good employee. I didn’t even get a promotion in 3 years of working so smart & hard. I felt untrusted and like incapable of being a manager,” he sadly shared.
In time, he was able to overcome this challenge. He applied at a prestigious general trading and construction company in Kuwait – and he was hired as Human Resource (HR) Coordinator. Now that someone believed in him again, he felt his self-confidence and happiness return.
“Life is indeed like a wheel. Sometimes, you’re up, sometimes, you’re down. Just keep on moving forward, continuously try to be the best version of yourself day by day & always see situations with a silver lining,” JM Papa ended his post.
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
Instead of working as teacher, however, he would find a job as waiter in the Middle East. And while the pay is twice the salary of public school teachers in the Philippines, the achiever in him would feel sad about this job.
From licensed teacher to waiter
“Currently here in the Middle East, serving the Arabs in a casual-dining restaurant, treated like nothing but just a servant. From a high-achieving individual to a waiter. When I started working as a waiter, my co-workers were always questioning my decision. You could’ve been teaching in a public school in the PH but why did you choose to be a waiter in Kuwait. It’s solely because of my dream not only for myself but most especially for my family,” he wrote on Facebook.
“I thought about the salary, it’s a doubled salary of a public school English teacher & it indeed enticed me. I’ve swallowed all my pride & took the chance to earn more. Just to make myself clear, I’m not belittling waiters all over the world, I actually have a high respect for them and I salute all the OFWs out there who sacrificed themselves just to give a better life for their families. At first, tbh, I felt really small & pitied myself.”
“…But, as the time went by, I was able to slowly accept it especially when I finally purchased a house unit in a subdivision for my family & got insurances using the money I’ve earned from being a waiter. It’s not bad at all to sometimes swallow your pride for your dreams.”
Losing his self-confidence
He added that he felt much better when he was able to provide his family their dream house in the subdivision. He was also able to get various insurances from the money he earned as waiter, yet it was still something that broke his self-confidence.
“This experience truly humbled me, unfortunately, to the extent that I’m not confident enough to apply for a higher & better position than a waiter. Tbh, it crashed all the confidence I’ve gathered from my achievements ‘cause I was barely recognized by our company as a good employee. I didn’t even get a promotion in 3 years of working so smart & hard. I felt untrusted and like incapable of being a manager,” he sadly shared.
In time, he was able to overcome this challenge. He applied at a prestigious general trading and construction company in Kuwait – and he was hired as Human Resource (HR) Coordinator. Now that someone believed in him again, he felt his self-confidence and happiness return.
“Life is indeed like a wheel. Sometimes, you’re up, sometimes, you’re down. Just keep on moving forward, continuously try to be the best version of yourself day by day & always see situations with a silver lining,” JM Papa ended his post.
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
