Lessons From The Past Part 1

When I was in high school, I was a very self-conscious teen. I found myself cringing in humiliation whenever I recall embarrassing moments that I was so sure everybody would remember. Well, I got tired of rewinding my list of boo-boo’s, so at the ripe old age of fifteen, I decided on a new motto: “Learn the lesson and forget the rest!” The method worked for me because I found that remembering is not so painful if you’re looking for a lesson, and forgetting is easy once you’ve found that everything happens for a purpose. And that’s basically how I’ve lived my life since.

Let’s start from the beginning of my career: my first job. Before I applied for a job, I outlined the following:
1- I want to be able to use the knowledge I’ve gained from my thesis.
2- I want to be in the forefront of technology. I want to be responsible for making innovative new products on a wide-scale basis.
3- I want to be trained in UNIX because it’s the platform common at that time but it was never taught in school.
4- I want to have the opportunity to travel but only for short periods of time.
5- I don’t want to sign any contract binding me to the company.
6- I don’t want anything to do with databases.

I told you, it was very specific. I got accepted by a multi-national Japanese company that offered everything down to the last detail. Do you want to know how long I lasted in that company? One and a half months. Why? Because once I started, I learned that the highest position that a Filipino can achieve is to be a small-time Project Supervisor. That means you get to lead a team of 3 to 5 Filipinos on a single project and that’s it. There was no career growth. That was lesson number one: While shaping your present, you have to plan for your future. I needed a goal that went beyond simply getting a job.

I spent a month re-assessing my priorities and learning what I want for my future. Then I made a new plan which went like this:
1- I want to join a small company with great potential and help it succeed.
2- I want to grow with the company and attain the highest position possible.
3- I want my career to lead towards management, because I can’t be a programmer forever.
4- I want my officemates to be excited and passionate about what they do and likewise, I want to look forward to going to work each day.
5- I still want the product to be innovative and meaningful.
6- I still don’t want anything to do with databases.

When I started my new work, I was the first programmer in a company with only seven employees. Our leader was a great visionary and his enthusiasm was contagious. The goal at that time was to earn the first million. When I left four years later, it was already a multi-million company and has become a household name as the leading provider of investment software in the country. I was the Vice President for Software Development, responsible for several programmers, the maintenance and upgrade of existing products, and research and development of new software. Another dream fulfilled.

I left for two reasons. The first was because the owner and I no longer share similar values, and as I’ve pointed out, I don’t like compromising my principles. That was lesson number two: Don’t let success get to your head. Hold on to your values because character and integrity matter more than your wealth. I didn’t just abandon him. I talked to him, confronted him, and corrected him while still keeping up the morale of my staff. But to no avail. Another lesson learned: Learn from your failures. In other words, it's time to start a new plan!

The other reason why I left is because I got married. Watch out for part 2 – my first business venture!