A Summer Experience as a Data Encoder

It's the summer before my 11th-grade year, and boredom is killing me. I mean, who wants to spend their summer break just staring at the sky, right? So, I tried to find something cool to do—something that wouldn't just kill time but also bring in some money.

After a bit of researching online, I found this job at Connect Global Philippines, Inc. They were looking for a WFH Data Encoder and a Junior Quality Assurance person. Sounded right up to my expertise because I can type and analyze quickly, so I figured, why not give it a shot? The place is located in Alfonso, Cavite, and I had zero clue how to get there. Big thanks to my dad who supported me and escorted me there.

Now, here's where things got a little difficulty. When I finally arrived at the office, the first Team Leader I met was less than thrilled about seeing me. Talk about a total killjoy💢. I was just about ready to give up and head back home when all of the sudden, another worker shows up and tells me that the boss wants to have a chat with me. Saved by the bell, huh? By the way, this is what the office looks like.

So, there I am, shaking as I hand over my resume to Sir Lenard, the big boss himself. He asked me a few questions, then told me to show what I've got. I won't lie, my fingers were extremely shaking due to the nervousness, felt like my fingers were dancing to their own beat on the keyboard, and not in a good way. But after what felt like an eternity (more like 30 minutes), Sir Lenard said that I'm accepted and fitted for the job!

But you know what's interesting? In my first week on the job, I managed to make up 1,248 forms—without a single error to my name. You can imagine the smirk on my face when they handed over my salary—₱7,063.68 pesos richer, baby!

First Pay Slip

For two months, I’m coding like there's no tomorrow. And get this: I'm making in anywhere between ₱28,000 to ₱35,000  a month. Not too shabby for a summer job right? The deal is, the more forms I do, the bigger my paycheck gets. And oh, did I mention we're dealing in Euros? Yup, seems like our clients are across the pond in the UK. This is how it looks like:

Now, While most workers are working away for a solid 8 to 10 hours for 100 forms everyday as it is the minimum quota, I've somehow managed to work 5 to 6 hours because I can type as fast as 160 WPM (Words per minute), so in 10-12 hours I can do as much as 200 forms, that's like ₱1130 per day! Sir Lenard can't stop praising me, calling me the youngest yet fastest among all the workers. Even the Team Leaders are complimenting me!💬

With the money I have, I told to my parents to just sit back and I will pay for my own tuition, uniform, or any school needs in 11th grade. I also paid for our monthly expenses to help my parents financially. I can say that it is worth it as I can see their relief, especially when we struggled a lot during the pandemic because we had to close our computer shop because of lockdown. So this work is indeed a great help not just for me but also for my whole family.

So, my journey on how I made it into a summer job and ended up making experience that will be helpful for my future job. Who knew boredom could lead to such epic experiences, until next time, keep chasing those dreams, nothing is impossible, and don't be afraid to try new things out!