How 5 fresh grads are dealing with pandemic’s effect on their careers
Emails apologizing for a freeze hiring policy have been reaching the inboxes of many graduates of 2020.
The future that once held so much promise had nosedived as the government-imposed lockdowns, forcing companies to reduce the workforce, and consequently - stop hiring fresh graduates.
Manila Bulletin talked to five graduates and found that despite the struggle between following careers they studied for and getting jobs for survival, they still believe in the promise of the future.
Zeanne Danielle E. Garcia, 22, a graduate of Organizational Communication from De La Salle University - Manila, had been hunting for a job since March. But the community quarantine put a halt on many companies’ recruitment program.
"In April 2020, a number of companies were replying to my emails and job applications, or calling me saying that they are on freeze hiring until further notice," Garcia said.
Despite the disheartening messages, Garcia remained optimistic and focused on improving herself. She enrolled in a number of online courses on Social Media Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Project Management.
Her concern for the welfare of the others, though, allowed her to take a side trip.
Together with her high school batchmates, Garcia launched a fundraising campaign called 100 Para Sa Bayan which provides assistance to health care workers and drivers in Metro Manila.
For her livelihood, she started an online thrift store business with her cousin called Sustainable Thrift (instagram.com/sustainablethrift_), which sells pre-loved items at an affordable cost.
While keeping herself busy with these endeavors, Garcia is also planning to pursue a master's degree on development studies and communication so she can establish her own non-government organization on youth and education.
She remains hopeful that jobs will eventually open for graduates belonging to the communication and research field.
'Nothing is ever guaranteed'
Roman Paolo P. Montalban, a 22-year-old graduate of Communications major in Public Relations from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), also looked forward to getting a job in the first few weeks after graduation. But the pandemic threw him a wrench.
As the community quarantines stretched and no job offers were in sight, Montalban is finding it hard to be hopeful about the future. "It's way tougher to think about the future when you can't even fully grasp and make sense of the now. I haven’t really been able to process all the big changes and repercussions, really," he said.
The pandemic taught Montalban that "nothing is ever guaranteed" - so instead of dwelling on things he has no control over, he focused on "endless learning" at home.
"I'm really just taking advantage of the free learning resources and certification courses around the Internet. The Google Digital Garage certification on Digital Marketing is one I've finished during lockdown," he shared.
Healthcare workers needed
While graduates of many courses are skeptical about their job prospects now, students from the medical field are still confident that they would be able to secure jobs despite the pandemic - provided that they pass their board exams.
Angelika Amor G. Rances, 22, graduate of Physical Therapy from PLM, was getting ready for the board exams in August when the pandemic struck.
Since the board exams were rescheduled, Rances said that this gave them more time to prepare and study.
Rances has big plans and she is still "torn" between pursuing Physical Therapy full-time or pursuing a medical degree to be a doctor. Before the pandemic, her goal was to become a Physical Therapist Registered in the Philippines (PTRP) by August 2020 and enroll for medical school in 2021.
"For now, I'd like to focus on being PTRP by February 2021," she said. "Since we're in the medical field, I think that there's a chance that the hospitals will still need more healthcare workers even to provide health care for patients especially in a pandemic."
Before she marches off to the medical battlefield, Rances is using the lockdown as an opportunity to do activities she normally wouldn't have time to do — from arranging the house, taking a new hobby, watching Netflix and studying.
Any job will do
"It's honestly devastating that all my plans before and after graduation have changed because of this pandemic. We are totally affected and never thought this is how we'll graduate," said Micaela "Mikay" G. Roque, 24, an Architecture graduate from Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST).
Roque is busy looking for a job. Although she would prefer a job related to her course, she confessed that any job would be fine given the fact that so few companies are hiring.
"I'm applying for any job even if its not related to my course because I need to earn money to support and help my family," she said. "For now and for most people like me, it's about surviving; starve to death or risk your health so you won't starve to death."
In order to cope with everyday expenses, Roque and her partner have started a t-shirt and sticker printing business.
"While we don't have a permanent work yet, we are focusing on our business so we can still have a source of income," she said.
No other choice but to wait
For Accountancy graduates, the path ahead seemed pretty defined. Anthony Arman "Ace" R. Matibag, 21-year-old Accountancy graduate from PLM, said that they were supposed to review and take the Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE), either in May or October, before earning a CPA title.
He arranged his review center reservations in April 2019 so that he would take the October CPALE. But because of COVID-19, the exams were postponed. "Meaning, I'll have no other choice but to wait until May 2021," he said.
Matibag chose to stay at his dormitory in Manila so that he would have better access to his books, review materials, and the Internet.
He would've preferred staying in Cavite with his family, but he is determined to excel in his career plan.
"I've spent the first three months of quarantine doing everything in my power to salvage my mental health," Matibag shared. "I think it has more to do with a combination of being pushed back into a sudden pause from the momentum that I used to have in college; seeing all of my plans fall apart; and just simply not being able to do normal things. I felt so out of control."
He worked on improving his mental health by journaling, meditating, as well as doing breathing and physical exercises such as yoga. In between his self-care routines, he would review for the board exams.
But Matibag confessed the path to healing was "erratic."
"Some days I couldn't help but disconnect from all of the social media platforms and just sit in silence while quietly dealing with the anxiety that the pandemic was (and is still) bringing.Other days, I would just eat it out in an attempt to make myself feel better. And in better days, I would talk and reach out to my family and friends."
Matibag said he is in a much healthier condition now after he established a routine for quarantine living. He also adopted a more optimistic mindset: With more time in his hands, he would be able to concentrate on studying and fare better in the upcoming CPALE.
After securing his CPA title, Matibag is confident that job prospects for accountants are promising even as many businesses closed down physical shops.
"Most of it just changed in form," he explained, as businesses used the online platform to survive.
Matibag added that these businesses still need to maintain a set of registered Books of Accounts, and they need to settle their tax obligations and registration requirements.
“After all, accounting is the language of business,” he said.