Where are we now
* The following post is a work of fiction. All names, places, and events mentioned which have any relation to real-life people and events are purely coincidental.A friend of mine, Harry, was discussing with me a conversation he had with his colleague in NY during the weekend. Harry, who was raised in manila, has been in the IT business as a developer for about 4 yrs. It's a bit nerve-striking for him to have this conversation with his buddy that he had to tell his friends in manila.
His buddy in NY had been telling him about his dream about working in game company. Well most of the people in his circle of friends, who were also born in manila, were having something like that for a dream. There wasn't anything wrong at all with the conversation at all, but somehow it made Harry feel sad because he couldn't have anything to say that could match the things that Harry's pal in NY was saying.
I told him that well, his friend does not understand that not everyone is blessed with the opportunity to be sent to a foreign country to work so that he/she could get exposure, and possibly recruited for good work on a project. Couple that with the backward knowledge of IT skill here in manila, it's an uphill battle.. Imagine, competing with hundreds of foreign people for work in a pretigious gaming company in the US is like going to a casino with 200 dollars when everyone walks in there with thousands. It's not a very funny joke, I said.
When he finished ranting, I asked him, so what are you going to do now after having that conversation with your buddy? It's not like you're competing with him or anything.
Harry said that he wasn't competing, that wasn't the plan at all.. he was just plain sad. His main idea was that he regret being born in manila and not having all those opportunities.
"So it's envy then?" I asked. "No" was his reply.
It's just that having the means to achieve your dream and having the opportunity to do so should be present at the right time (usually at the same time) in order to for a skill to become of any use at all.
He was right. I've been a designer in the better half of my IT career but have always been a programmer deep inside so I know exactly how he feels.
Having heard enough of this, I told him that he's experiencing undue unhapiness because he's striving to reach something he can't reach just yet. No, I didn't tell Harry to give up on his dreams of being this and that. I just told him that you have to set your goals in sizeable, feasible and achievable targets. That way, his dream won't look so daunting. Not a word was said after this. Looks like our conversation was over.
-------------- 5 mins later ----------------
After I closed the mailbox, I was wondering if giving false hope to your friends was good. More importantly, if it IS the humane thing to do at all.. I know somewhere and somehow, he'll get to fly somewhere, like his buddy, not to NY but to any other place where he can have his opportunity and chance to work in this company he's always been talking about. He's aging. Almost 30.. I know that's still somewhat young but still.. I don't know.. there's something so wrong about it -- it's like, at his age, the world is already expecting him to get married and settle. All his dreams that he's been talking about will go down the drain.
I had dreams like those too.. once. So I know. But there's a big difference between idealism and matyrdom. When I think of him making 25 a month thousand so that he could buy a house amounting to 4 million (for example), minus living expenses, not in 10 years of working will he ever reach that dream.
Personally, I am willing to die for my dreams. But I'm not that of an idiot.
posted by Urban Warrior @ 1:58 PM
2 Comments:
It's really hard to give up one's dreams & aspirations....of course we can always strive and hope, but there's always an element of luck (or God's will) in everything.
so i guess, we should know when to wake up to the obvious that not all our dreams and aspirations would get to fruition, and that simply moving on to another pursuit might actually be more worthwhile and attainable. but then again, letting go and moving on is always easier said than done...
only in Pinas where your dreams are up against a brick wall... even in the health industry, many are frustrated by the lack of compensated opportunites here... you work like a dog and as expected, you get dogfood... **sigh
(I can hear in my head the song by Petshop boys, "Go West!") hahaha
Post a Comment
<< Home