During one of my visits to Manila, I came across this window display that immediately caught my eye. And, as usual, my mind went into flashback mode.
I struggled to find a job after college. I had lost touch with many of my classmate friends, and suddenly I was out there on my own, trying to figure out what came next.
I was so eager to find work that I applied for almost anything in the creative I felt I was capable of doing.
One of those applications was at Fair Mart Department Store in Manila.
I was invited to take a practical test along with about a dozen other applicants. Our task was to design and cut letters out of Styrofoam. I had never done anything like it before. No experience. No special training. Just a willingness to try.
So I did. I thought I did pretty well.
I made it to the interview, but after that, I never heard back from them. At the time, it felt like another door that simply didn't open.
But life has an interesting way of bringing things back around.
A few years later, it actually became part of my job. That little Styrofoam-cutting test I once took just to get my foot in the door suddenly didn't seem so random anymore.
That's why this photo means more to me than just standing in front of a cool window display in Manila. It reminds me of that younger version of myself, fresh out of college, uncertain about the future, applying everywhere and simply trying whatever opportunity came along.
Looking back now, I realize that not every opportunity is meant to give you a job. Sometimes it gives you an experience you'll understand only years later.
You really never know what lies ahead.
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