Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Happy Mistake!

When I graduated from college in 1982 (wow, that was ages ago), I applied in more than 30 companies! Manufacturing companies mostly, a few banks and financial institutions, and what-have-you.

In the course of my search for a job, I came across a teeny-tiny ad for a marketing research agency. Turns out to be a one-room office in a dingy building in Quezon City.

Another company where I applied is a popular chain of gift stores selling really cute stuff!

On the same day, both firms accepted my application. Guess which company I joined?
Believe it or not, I joined the marketing research agency which was in operations for weeks only. I chose that over the giant of a company. You know why? Because my boss-to-be was soooh good-looking!

Major boo-boo! My designation was Marketing Assistant. I was supposed to market the "services" of a company with no previous experience, where my boss had little experience, and where the owners of the company knew nothing about marketing research. Talk about baptism by fire!

Even if that boss eventually became one of my boyfriends, working for that company was torture for me! One sniff test on air-fresheners. One short survey among dentists (the results of which were used in an ad for a toothbrush brand). That is all I recall in the ten months that I was there.

Then, my own boss-boyfriend told me that there was an opening in the largest Filipino-owned marketing research agencies at that time.

I applied. Got accepted. Finally learned the ropes of marketing research.

I just love marketing research! Because I enjoy math, writing and dealing with people. So it fits me to a T.

Today, many years after, I am a freelance marketing research consultant. If I had not made the mistake of joining a new, never-heard marketing research firm, if I had joined that huge chain of gift shops, I would have gone the path of Marketing and I would have been miserable.

Happy mistake! Life has a funny way of turning our worst boo-boos into our best decisions.

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