Hey there, I’m Allan, born on a small island in Surigao Del Norte, Philippines, called “Nonoc Island’. I am the youngest in the family, with six siblings. When I was younger, I always had this dream of owning a farm and traveling the world. I am a simple man, and similar to you, I have also experienced a lot of struggles in life. At the age of nine, my parents brought me with them to Manila, where we lived in a squatter area near the train railway (just imagine the noise of trains every day). Growing up in a poor family, I always wondered how I would escape our situation and rise above adversity, thus, I know that only through quality education can I achieve it. Consequently, that’s what I did, I studied hard and focused on my goals. I make sure that I will finish my studies; hence, I did a lot of job during my school days until I reached college. I became a vendor, a private tutor, a fast food service crew, and even a garbage collector. Furthermore, I also experienced living in a rooftop apartment with a tiny room of a bed-space apartment with a pigeon loft just to save for my accommodation allowance during my college days. I also joined a cultural dance troupe to gain a scholarship in college, and that is where I met my closest friends. By the way, I took a mechanical engineering course, so just imagine how I manage to balance my studies, part-time job and extracurricular activities. If you are an engineering student, you know what I mean. I even heard a gossip calling me “super engineer”, but I really don’t know if that is good or bad. Anyhow, I am glad to meet good friends and receive support from my college classmates.
After graduation and passing the board exam for Mechanical Engineering in 2012, I was hoping to land a good job, save, travel, eat in a fine dining restaurant, purchase/ invest in a car, house, or small farm land, and do everything I want freely, and then that’s it. But, in reality, it’s not as simple as that. It is just the start of a new journey and hardship. It took me years before I landed a good job. Then, I was fortunate to work for a servicing company, Power Plant, and after that, I pursued work abroad in 2022, hence, I am grateful to all my employers for giving me those opportunities. I would say I am blessed to have a specialization in my line of expertise, which is condition monitoring. I do some vibration, lubrication, thermography, balancing, and alignment stuff.
In my opinion, I think I am doing great in this field. From an engineer, I became a supervisor, then a head, and I even achieved international certifications. But, we have a saying that ‘great power comes with great responsibilities’, so that’s what happened to me, not just at work but also in my personal life, family, etc. There is a lot of pressure and more obligations to shoulder, thus, you really have to be prepared for it. In my case, I think I was not equipped in the past, I just did all I could and unknowingly lost my interest in life. I was broke, and perhaps nobody realized that I suffered from depression too. And because I am ashamed that people will think of me as a failure, I just keep it mostly to myself and hide it within my smile. It is difficult, but somehow I overcome it. Even a person who achieves something still experiences struggles you can’t imagine, and it’s part of life. Therefore, it is very important to consider your mental health and life priorities and set some boundaries. It’s not wrong to be selfish sometimes, though.
In my experience, I also learned to choose my own battles and try to control my feelings, and maybe that’s how I became strong. Just a piece of advice, never blame anyone for what is happening in your life, everything has a reason, and it is part of your growth. If you are tired, take a rest, but never give up. Never compare yourselves with others, because we have different timelines. Learn to say “No” and speak up, if they don’t listen, it’s up to them. You are responsible for your own choices, so let yourself grow in the process and find something to improve your skills for personal development as well as for your career growth. Don’t get me wrong, I am nowhere yet any success, because we know we have different views on this. In my case, “success is where you find peace of mind and happiness in what you are doing’. Having said all of that, I would not have achieved where I am today if not for the guidance and blessings of God, so always be grateful and have humility in your heart.
I hope that you’re not bored reading my story. I tried to encapsulate the highlights, and there it goes. To be honest, I am not comfortable sharing my story, but to my surprise, I found myself spontaneously creating my website and starting to write content. So it is now my responsibility to share this. My only intention here is to inspire people, especially young generation, to never give up. I was told before by not just one but many young individuals, even my nieces & nephews, that I am fortunate enough to travel because I am an engineer. But they never realize that my story before was worse than what their situation now. Remember that behind every destination I reach, there is a story to tell, behind every smile there is sadness and pain, nevertheless, you can, and you will overcome it all, If God is with you who can be against you.
My message here is, “Don’t let your circumstances right now define your future; work hard and strive for the best. Recognize that there is no shortcut to success, you have to go through the process. The journey may be tough, and struggles may be bitter, but once you’re there, it’s worth it”,
Currently, I am working abroad particularly in Saudi Arabia and still pushing forward. Follow me as I venture in my Travel Journey.
Let me know your thoughts about this post. Please share your experience.
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