taking the road of service

a filipina-american architecture graduate discovers the urban poor in manila. i admire her for going out of her comfort zone and getting to know the people. the article also reminds me that the road to service is always open, whatever profession you are in. it's for us to decide how much we are going to give.

First Choice

On the first of July, I will be marking my first year in my first job.

My first job is like the boy-next-door -- familiar and comfortable. It is located in the same university that I graduated in. My boss is my former thesis adviser. I have an officemate who was a blockmate during freshman year.

I work in the in-house architecture and engineering office of a big university. We handle the design and bidding process of renovation projects within the campus. Occasionally, when the university doesn't want to hire an outside consultant, they let us design new buildings.

Getting in was relatively hassle-free. I got an email a month after graduation announcing a vacancy. I sent an application letter and cv. Some weeks later, my future boss replied. The day I got "interviewed" was the day I got hired.

I got what I wanted: a smooth transition from school to work. I didn't have to go through the ardous task of delivering my resume' to a number of architectural firms, because this was the first job I applied to. I didn't want to commute two or three hours everyday to work; I got in an office thirty minutes away from my house.

On my first month, I didn't even have to go to the office. My boss permitted me to work at home because they hadn't bought new computers yet. I had enough time to adjust myself to an 8-5 schedule.

It was too easy. As expected, there were some drawbacks. My contract clearly stated that I was a 6-month contractual employee not entitled to any benefits. An "employer-employee" relationship did not exist between me and the university. They wouldn't even give me an I.D. The status of my contract did not really bother me. I wasn't planning on staying long, so I didn't need security of tenure.

There were other facts about the job I needed to accept. Despite being under an autonomous public university, we were still a government office, subject to the bureaucratic procedures most government offices are saddled with. My salary is delayed every month because my salary voucher needs to go through at least three offices (with several stops within) before it goes back to me. If you want to get a refund for expenses, it takes at least a week, and it goes back to you 10% less (imagine that, they tax refunds). We had a new printer, but we couldn't use it because the ink was taking months to replace.

Government offices are not exactly known for their efficiency. I had to get used to the office culture. We have a lot of work, with more than 100 projects in different stages of completion. With that kind of load, you'd expect people to be working double time. When the clock strikes 5pm, however, 95% of the people are gone. Overtime is not paid, so few bother to stay late. I found out that deadlines were flexible. Clients, though sometimes demanding, couldn't threaten us with non-payment if we didn't comply. I'd like to think, however, that we still strive to do our job well.

The strict 8-5 schedule gave me time to do other things. I took up photography classes and sculpture classes. I wrote for online magazines, and joined weekend painting sessions organized by my peers. Sometimes, I found my "sidelines" more exciting than my job.

As months went by, I discovered that I was more in danger of boredom than burnout. Like the boy-next-door, my job isn't exactly glamorous. "Draftsman" was my job description, and I was getting tired of drafting all day. I wasn't looking for glamour, though, just a little variety and excitement. I was getting lower back pain from too much sitting. Fortunately some of my projects went into construction, and I had the reason to go out of the office once in a while.

Luckily, we also have free internet. I have to say it's one of the best things about the job. It means a lot of things: free research materials, free text, free software, free chat. We've become so used to it that if you take it out, we lose our work rhythm.

I don't regret choosing this as my first job. As part of my apprenticeship, I can say that I have learned a lot. Will I stay on? My boss has taken it for granted that I won't. But I'm not in that much of a hurry. If I took on a more demanding job, I might not have time for putting up blogs and writing this essay :)

hoy mga boks!

I am in. Thanks pon. Hope to write some sensible stuff, mostly from the construction side of architecture: frustrations with designers, owners, suppliers, magulong subdivisions, kulang na designs, kulang na details, problema sa permits and everything in between. Sensible ba yun? Or i'll just share my colorful experiences. :) and of course hopes for the profession. Gudluck sa mga kumuha ng board nga pala. :)

topics

as our first theme, maybe we can write about transitions...from college to work, from apprentice to being a licensed architect. what are the challenges, frustrations or joys that we encounter as we 'grow' in this profession? it is probably inevitable when we talk about transitions to talk about the past, like memories of college, and whether the lessons we learned then still apply now. it would be more interesting if we could be specific in our stories...talk about the situation, the place and the people. let's share to world the agony and fulfillment of being young architects (naks). more simply, share your point of view.

No Title

Yo arkiboks! Whazzapf? Anong gusto ninyong topix? Wala pa ako sa mood mag-rant ng mahaba kaya moola moola muna. Kmusta sa lahat, sana maging masaya ang arkiblog! Invite nyo ang lahat nang mga taga-arki na jumoin! Yeh.

Nakakatuwa naman ito!=D

hi

hello and welcome to arkiboks! an informal newsletter by and for arki folk. if you want to contribute, feel free to leave a message on the comments section, and make sure to put in your email address. an invitation will be emailed to you. come back soon!