Patience

The age old adage that says patience is a virtue is not true.

I would like to think so.
image courtesy of dennysfunnyquotes.blogspot.com

Virtues are assets that we can sometimes do without in this world.  Beauty is a virtue and so is faith among other beatitudes.  But one cannot live without patience.

From what I have learned so far, no one can be certain about the things that will happen today or tomorrow. Some will go the way we ideally want them to. Some will not. Plans go on without a hitch or they back fire in the last minute. People will make our lives easy while others disappoint us. And for those things that we have no control of, we should always practice patience.

We have our own mantras when it comes to practicing patience. Some people let the chips fall where they may while others become one with the tides. A few people chalk it up to experience when things turn out for the worst. I guess whatever philosophy or Yoda quote that would prevent you from jumping off a cliff or shooting someone in the head will definitely work best. Being patient reminds us of our limitations that make us human. And it offers us a way to embrace our limited human nature.

In that sense, patience no longer becomes a pious virtue but more of a necessity.

In the past few days, patience has been the one thing that has been tested in me. I’m proud to say that I’m a very, very patient man. I let people cut in front of me if they look like they’re in a hurry. I wait for people even if they’re an hour late. My past jobs as a tech support agent taught how to stretch patience to a mile when dealing with difficult people. So it’s safe to say that I’ve had a lot of practice when it comes to not losing my cool.

I was already looking forward to the start of my new work. But gut feeling told me that the September 19 start date that they provided wouldn't come true. I don’t know, the company isn’t shady and all that. In fact, it seems reputable.  But something tells me that they’re going to let me wait for another week or two for my new job. Maybe that’s the reason why I haven’t completely processed my work requirements yet. Or maybe I’m just too lazy. The latter reasoning might be more correct.

I received an  SMS message from one of their HR personnel Wednesday last week (September 14) which basically told me that the orientation on the coming Friday (September 17) was cancelled because the training on September 19 was still tentative. I actually felt relieved at that time since I have yet to process my NBI clearance and complete my pre-employment exam. When Monday arrived, laziness started to kick in and I didn’t proceed into completing any of my pending requirements. They did not text me that day. And so I was confident that the training won’t start this week.

It turns out, I was right. They called me yesterday and told me that “since it’s a pioneer account”, the client decided to extend the start date. They didn’t tell me the exact details and I didn’t want to pry. Asking more about it won’t change what has already been decided by the client. I was thinking of expressing my disappointment when they called and bitch about the fact that they have been making me wait for almost three months but then I thought that I have no right to do so. After all, I am just an employee and a potential employee at that. I have no control about this sort of things. And it certainly doesn't speak well of character.

They were pretty apologetic when they called which to me seems to be a consolation of some sort about this whole waiting ordeal. At least they are aware of the inconvenience they bring to their potential employees and to me that's all that mattered. They also asked if I was still interested to take the job. I didn’t hesitate and told them that I still was and I was willing to wait. I applied last July 25th, they called me mid-August for the job offer and told me that the start date is on September 19. In total, I'm still waiting for three months. A few weeks won’t kill me.

Sometimes I can’t help but lose faith and question about the stability of the account and the company I'm going to work for. For my past two call center jobs, it didn’t take me a week to sign the job contract and I started right away.  In my last company, I applied on a Saturday and started the Monday after. At times, I’m questioning if there is even an account in this company for us to begin with. I wonder about the other people who joined me in the contract signing. Will they wait until the 10th? I guess if they really want to earn as soon as possible, they’re going to look for other jobs. And no one can blame them for that.

At least I get to enjoy being a bum more and I have more time to finish my work requirements. My family is asking why I’m waiting for this company as there are a lot of other call centers out there with equally competitive job offers. That’s true, but I don’t want to subject myself again to the stress of waiting in line and going to interviews. My funds are running low and it won’t be such a good idea to exhaust all of it going in interviews with no guarantee if there’s a non-voice account or if the salary is at par with what I have already been offered. And I need to save as much as possible for my allowance once I start working. Plus the fact that it’s a pioneer account, and we support software which is more up my alley. On top of everything else, I have already invested time undergoing their pre-employment medical exam. I'm way too far now to back out.

And so the waiting game begins. I promise that if they extend the start date again, I’m going to look for other jobs.

I may be a patient guy but I’m certainly not stupid.