Grads from good schools ending up in Call Centers. Why?

[Leepot]

I know how hard it is to get a good job. Even if you belong to a reputable school. I'm just surprised because i have a lot of friends from reputable schools who are now working in call centers. Not that it's a bad job, pero usually hindi match sa course nung college. I've tried it pero hindi ako tumagal because of the monotony. Kung maganda yung education mo, worth it ba at well-compensated ba pag nagcall center?

[Introvert_S]

from what I hear, well-compensated talaga siya. mabilis ang salary promotion. that is if you can stand the shifts. siguro may mage-gain ka rin naman kahit papaano like more effective communication skills esp. when dealing with foreigners.
then saka ka mag-resign

[dingclancy23]

yung cousin ko nag start sa call center ng globe (management grad) after 6 months napromote siya sa ibang department...

so stepping stone siya.. and not a bad one..

[Aquinatis]

Hidni naman ibig sabihin diyan ka nalang forever eh... malaki kasi ang pay kahit nagsisimula ka palang. Eto ang "ideal" job para sa mga "starters" kung wala sila talagang mahanap na job.

[haberdasher]

same **** with other companies...if they see you have potentials to be prmoted, they will ...

[Ischaramoochie]

of course fresh grads need experience to get good jobs. and call-centers offer working experience that is relatively low-risk. plus, the training can benefit anyone.

[yellowRanger]

I agree! working for call center gives you a lot of options afterward because you get to enhance not only communication skills but your personality aswell, because you learn how to work within a team and make a name by constantly hitting quality standards for the team.

My first job after college is in call center here in ortigas, and i have no regrets whatsoever in choosing to be in this field, promotion is fast aslong as you have a proven track record to back you up i even have training- batchmate who after just 3 months got promoted to tc position, so really come to think of it the call center industry are giving a lot of opportunities for fresh graduates.(not to mention the above industry compensation, imagine working normal 8 hours for day job and earn what 7-8,000??? compared to 13-15,000 this even w/o OT as a normal agent rate some company are even offering 18,000 so really you can't blame us who after earning a degree in a reputable college schools end up taking night job in a call center environment):smokin:

[CoolCucumber]

malaki kasi ang sweldo. so if you're planning on starting a business of your own, edi dito muna ang bagsak. plus there is something to gain din naman like interpersonal skills, communicating with other people.

[ErwinRafael]

pero i have a feeling that this industry will only survive as long as the Peso is weak.

kaya pag umunlad tayo, call centers naman ang babagsak.

[huami]

If you take a look at the classified ads of newspapers, it is apparent that the jobs available are mostly call center works. Call center works are really overflowing even in the classified ads in the net.

It is true that there are a lot of graduates from reputable schools that ended up working in a call center. If you want to save money, it is a very good avenue.You'll be compensated very well. The salary and benefits are really enticing. However, I don't think it'll help you use your degree in college. Maybe you'll grow in other aspect (eg. dealing with people, improve your communication skills).

I've tried to work in a call center just for a day. I was really broke and I wanted to save money to put up a business. Hence, I give in to the call center temptation. But, I really couldn't see myself working in such office. So a day after, I've filed my resignation. Luckily, there was no bond. :D HaHaHa

note:
I've nothing against those people working in a call center. :)

[chinatown]

1. mahirap maghanap ng trabaho

[chinatown]

1. mahirap maghanap ng trabaho
2. mataas ang sweldo
3. it's a good place to start

[bleargh]

is it true that your communicating skills will be trained? and that you will acquire a certain accent?

[Introvert_S]

pansin ko lang kasi pare-pareho na sila ng diction :)

[Ischaramoochie]

that's the result of AMspeak training.

[Soccer_6]

There's nothing wrong with that...kung hindi lang ako aalis baka kinuha ko rin *** offer sa akin in one of the call center in Libis...

Guess it's a good training ground...stepping stone! your communication skills would definitely improve!

[LINGGIT^F]

Im working at ePLDT for 1 year and 6 months already..i was hired here a week after i graduated last march 2002. Of course I accepted the offer right away since I was so excited to work at that time, and ePLDT is 100% owned by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. so I didnt have to worry about the company's stability. I turned down two work offers from different companies at that time since I really wanted to work at ePLDT. The training's really good. I have lots of officemates here who are graduates of the same school as mine (UST) and also from other good schools like UP Diliman, Ateneo, La Salle, St. Scho, San Beda, etc. Actually, I have two mentees right now, both UPD fresh grads..they are both fast learners I must say. Im a Senior CSR already as of the moment..Here are the top reasons why fresh grads usually choose to work in a call center:

1. easy employment
2. high salary
3. fast promotion
4. cute officemates (LOL!)

:D :D :D

[Ischaramoochie]

Originally posted by LINGGIT^F
...
4. cute officemates (LOL!)[/b]

:D :D :D [/B]
how do i apply? :D

[LINGGIT^F]

Originally posted by Ischaramoochie
how do i apply? :D

hahaha!!! :p

pero its true...if youll be working in a call center, youll be exposed in a YOUNG environment with lots of YUMMY YUPPIES hahahaha!!!:p :p :p

[Ischaramoochie]

ah! ngayon ko lang napansinm "ate" pala kita hehe. on a sidenote, my classmate works at ePLDT too

[The Phoenix]

Any decent job is a respectable one.

But I look at this call center hiring in a different way. It's a pity really to see our college graduates not applying their supposed learned skills to a career akin to their course. Times are hard and really there is nothing wrong with grabbing the 1st job you can land before rethinking what your next step would be. Personally, I feel you do not need a 4 year college degree to work at a call center. 2 yrs of college may be enough or even a high school graduate with proficient english language skills is sufficient as it is in most first world countries. Which reflects a poor thrust of skills acquisition of our secondary education (high school) as a foundation. That's the reason why these call centers have no course preference and hire any college graduate. In a related note, that's where the value of an extended high school program can be of significance to learn necessary skills to work in positions with similar job descriptions. That would make employers more confident in hiring undergraduates.

pero its true...if youll be working in a call center, youll be exposed in a YOUNG environment with lots of YUMMY YUPPIES hahahaha!!!

No offense, but call center employees are not yuppies even if they think they are. Simply because they are not "Professionals". But I agree, there are many of them who look yummy and are quite sociable.

[LINGGIT^F]

well kanya kanyang opinyon na yan.

in my case, our account (a credit card company) is related with my course so its definitely ok with me coz i can apply what i have learned from accounting, math of investment, law on negotiable instruments and banking&finance (im a mgmt major btw). i have been stayin here for 1 year and 6 months already..i didnt choose to work here coz of "desperation" coz i was hired here a week after i graduated from college and i turned down two "normal" job offers just to be able to get into this company. anyway, its a good "stepping stone" too..i dont intend to stay here for like 3 or 5 more years (yikes)..i have learned a lot in working with this company but of course, this is just my first job so id like to experience also how its like to work in a whole new different company (in short..ill be resigning here already early next year)

[Thoma§]

Hmmm.. really? cuties? Do they really reside in call centers? Well, in a few days time you may count me in there making it out. :D

Anyway, I do not find call centers abhorrable and repugnant to taste. It is definitely not a waste of prolific training in a prestigious university neither is it a waste of time and youth. It is public service with a touch of excellence in being. Its not a trash job but rather a trend coming of age. If you can't join the tide, it means you're nothing in the work force, as simple as that. Isn't it even luring to think that classified ads are overflowing with job hunt offering call centers? It just shows that it is a major field to dabble with. If before, computer courses are used to be maligned and maltreated, well, this could possibly be of same state. We wouldn't really want to waste a golden opportunity, yes?

In this day and age, it is expected that you compete with almost 100 people just for 1 position. Coming from so many schools, feigning scintillating scholastic grades, some even managed to take a masters degree to add to their credentials and self-esteem. If you're damn used to scholastic competition, think again, a lot of summa cum laude still bout against their colleagues in the job search and not all of them are accepted as well. That's how strong jobs probe their probable employees and soon-to-be co-workers. In a stiff environment, the skill really does more weight more than anything else and the increment of call centers just poses a new challenge to schools that indeed Communication is in demand these days. Whether you're a Journalism/Literature/Masscom graduate or if you graduated from a technical course, the employer ceases to border his eyes on degrees, they are in search of literacy and strong command of the language. Call centers is a new trend, an abruptly growing trend undeniably. So everything that is trendy, we must follow. I mean that has always been the case. Because living is competition and to compete is to live. Life is never a complacent state.

The hard part really starts in employment. If you will be employed, chances are, your life will be monotonous. For a new graduate its very hard to stay put and do the same damn thing over and over. Whats worse, is that your pay never really goes on an upward surge after years of loyal and dedicated service. Call centers aren't that bad. They succor so many people, graduates or non-graduates alike benefit from this lucrative job, all you have to do is study well and be literate. But a little amount of altruism and courtesy counts as well, sometimes even of greater gravity than the primer. You need not even compromise full-time service, if you think a monotonous job sicks you like being stranded in a picturesque island; during the day, operators can even manage to teach at the same time. Its just a matter of flexing your time and with a little prayer I suppose you can live and be accustomed to the rigors of present-day competition.

:)