Friday 6 January 2012

Surviving the Wilderness of Corporate vs School

I've faced the highschool teaching environment; teaching vocational students to be exact.

I've also faced the environment where i teach kindergarten and primary school kids.

I've experienced teaching environment for both categories for a few months although i know i really am not into teaching. After i gave it a go, i've realized that i just CAN'T endure teaching anymore.

But now is a little different. Sure, i'm not proud to admit how i really got this new job offer. But one thing is certain; i am here to experience a new kind of environment and gain certain skills before i really go out there in the 'wilderness'.

My new environment here is now a corporate environment.

My comment about this new environment? Well... I can say it's a different kind of stress than those i've faced during teaching times. When i was teaching, I can't even leave the classroom whenever i want, and i was responsible for the whole bunch of kids in the classroom. Dealing with people, especially sons and daughters of other people, sons and daughter of VARIOUS ages, are not the kind of stress and problem i can cope. I am not good in socializing, therefore i am not good in handling people. I mean, if we made mistakes in any way regarding handling these kids, the effect that will take its' toll to us are heavier. We have to face the parents of the kids, we have to take responsibility of the kids' behavior, manners, and everything we do will somehow influence the kids and shape them into what they will become in the future. Teachers are the role model for future lives of young humans, and to me, that is too much of a responsibility to handle. I don't like teaching, and i can't bear myself to ruin the lives of other people because of my indifference and ignorance of their future. (apart from hating to face the consequences of answering to the parents of the kids of course. kids nowadays don't respect teachers as much anymore you know.)

But in this new environment now, i'm experiencing handling documents instead of people. Sure, i have to entertain clients once in a while during meetings or making phone calls (the ONLY social contact needed for this job), but most of the time, i handle documents; arranging them, organizing them, making sure schedule goes as plan, recording minutes, doing reports, submitting them, organize meetings venues, etc. Handling documents and paperworks are okay to me, because paperworks doesn't have PARENTS and paperworks are not involved with facing the 1001 behaviors of people whose future depended on us in a way.

Yes, i admit there's stress in this work. I've only been working for the second day and the stress was completely overwhelming. I can finally feel the 'heat' of corporate stress when i followed my boss to attend a meeting of a project. I was just there to write down the issues, but i listened and tried to understand the issue at the same time. Hell, i can feel your pain, boss =_=" i was only a listener to the meeting on my 2nd day of work and i can already emphatize my boss's stress regarding handling the project.

But the stress was in a different way than the stress i've faced in my previous job. The current stress is more overwhelming, but somehow it's the kind of stress i've always been able to tolerate. This is the kind of stress where i rather and prefer to stay hungry and do my job continously until i finish it. It's the kind of stress where i am committed to tolerate to the level where i starve myself while doing the work and reward myself with food and leisure once i'm done.

It's the kind of stress i've always knew i can stand.

It's too early to judge, i know. I'm just stating my first impression towards this job. My personal impression might change again in another few months.

But so far, i think i can survive this. I THINK.

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