The Subtlety of Work Experience

As the sun rises over Barangay Sambag II, Chris (not his real name) wakes up after 2 hours of sleep and starts to cook for breakfast at 5:30 in the morning. Born second in a family of six, he then prepares ‘baon’ for them. After which by 7:00 a.m., he caters food to a private hospital nearby taking him about half an hour to accomplish that. (He does that everyday to help his family’s little business) By 8:30 a.m., he hurries and departs for school, via 06C bound for UC, with a stuffed bag and a stomach full.

Wearing his ‘badoy’ outfit, he enters school, running. He moves briskly. He head towards the CSU office to log the keys. At 8:00 a.m., he brings the keys and runs en route to the Student Affairs Office. (He is eager to reach the office for he’s always late every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) He arrives at the office, opens the door, puts his bag on the shelf, and begins to clean the office. By 9:00 a.m., he fixes himself, sits at the counter, and computes a bunch of teachers’ evaluation results for an hour or two as he accommodates students who lost their IDs or those who want to post a streamer or poster. And when the clock struck 1:30 after lunch, he runs for class until 5:30. . .

Many students hate and dread the thought of going to work, especially with all kinds of other activities going on around and throughout the campus. There are also those students who look at their schedules with all kinds of extracurricular activities planned and think, “I don't have time to work.” In spite of this, there are students who do not have any option at all but to work while going to school to finance their education.

Students, nowadays, are very lucky to enter the seemed-to-be higher venue of learning of the privileged ones--college. Yet, after a semester or two, some of these students are troubled on how to maintain such privilege. That is why, notwithstanding the likely hectic work schedules and academic requirements, they apply for work to protract and prop up such privilege. They are known as working students.

Working students are either employed students or working scholars of the school. Being partially, if not totally responsible of paying for their education, they receive benefits or payments in exchange of rendered services. The employed ones work either at private or government-owned-and-controlled corporations; receive regular wages in certain time intervals; and uses such to finance their schooling. They usually work at Internet cafes, fast-food restaurants, malls, supermarkets, and government offices and firms. As for working scholars, the school guarantees them with contractual privileges--a full-free education and an adequate stipend. In turn, they have to comply hours of work at their assigned school department such as at offices, libraries, laboratories, faculties and the likes.

As with our character, Chris, he considers education as vital as the usual ulo sa buwad and a cup of mais combination for breakfast. That is why, after graduating from high school, he engaged in being a working student as a viable option to support and maintain his education.

Though having a matured college educational plan, he grumbles that such will not secure him much after what had happen to the College Assurance Plan (CAP) as a result of the anti-inflationary program of the pre-need industry last 2004. “I know that my family is in a state of fiscal crisis. Gipit kaayo ‘mi, so ako na lang gipa-loan ‘tong plan para at least matabangan nako ang akong ginikanan,” he meekly said.

The discreetly conservative Chris, divulges that he is not newfangled to intense work and pressure. He recounts how his parents trained him to act before, if not without, being told to do so. “Trabaho kung trabaho. I’m already used to it. If you’re doing your stuff right, the prize is there. We, (working) scholars, receive free schooling and an allowance of P6 per duty hours. What more can you ask for?” he smirked.

Benefits

Early exposure to work environment offers better preparations. Like Chris, some working students who undergo such, find it fun, creative, and a highly educational experience. It can serve as a valuable piece of information on resumes and can lead to job connections. It also gives these students insights of what they would be after graduation.

Some working students are involved in internship jobs in which it gives them a taste of their field and trains them to be more efficient. Working jobs of this sort also teaches valuable human relations skills within the work place. “Many people are book smart but don't know how to interact and work with people. In today’s work field, more is taught in the way of teamwork and how to network with people with confidence,” the solemn Chris said.

The 16-year-old Chris conveyed that work experience also refurbishes time management, which subsequently ranks priorities and distinguishes personal needs and wants. “I realized that working while schooling involved more of my time with beneficial activities, kay sa hanging out with friends. My first priority is education so kabalo ko nga I have to get my schoolwork done before I start anything else,” he relayed.

Practical Yet Ironic

“There are four million working children in the country,” Chris shared, “og one-third ana mihunong sa pag-eskwela or gi-drop out sa school.” He also emphasized that those students, due to work, tend to have difficulty catching up to their lessons and have waned their interest in learning.

Chris linked such for he wanted to justify that waning interest and difficulty in learning as an upshot of work are practical yet ironic. “No work, no food. One needs education no one can deny it. With 4.8 million unemployed [citizens], you don’t want to be part of it. You have to work for your studies since you need your studies to apply for a job,” Chris retorted.

He also places the effect of schooling while working, or vice versa, as a psychological matter. “If one is not used to work, definitely naay negative effect sa imong normal life like your academic performance, health condition, concentration ug sa imong family since it’s alien to you. So as kung anad og complacent ka, ang trabaho normal ra. Makatabang pa man gani na sa imohang academic performance, ug uban pa,” quipped the College of Arts topnotch student.

As a Learning Tool

Experience is the best learning tool. Such principle does hold truths for primitive men never learned how to light fire by reading books or thru scriptures and ancient forerunners never learned the sciences by going to school but by intellectual curiosity and clinical experimentation and experience. Thus, the mind is but just a blank slate at birth, most knowledge come from experience, as John Locke puts it. There maybe a lot of technical knowledge learned from books but many practical applications are learned from experience.

It is then incumbent to bear into mind that education learned and gained from books and lectures does equip a student for future applications. But associated with early work experience, it may double, intensify, and better a student’s groundwork for purposes of imminent challenges. A student may even acquire if not comprehend valuable tangible and intangible skills necessary for growth and development. Consequently, these skills would then round a student for a much practical world ahead. Thus, it is counseled that to obtain and to experience a better groundwork, a student must consider the suitability and compatibility of his competence to his desired work.

Finally, the right to education and to work of a student is recognized by many for it is indeed a duty to acquire apt knowledge and to engage in gainful work to assure a life worthy of human dignity and example.

…Then after class, he refreshes and readies himself. With a weary face, he toddles along the corridor, takes the stairs near the AB faculty, and proceeds to the domicile of Don Bao. There, by 6:00 p.m., he places his bag at the bench, takes a seat, and performs his other vocation--being a writer.