I have not been updating my blogs for a while. That was not laziness: like many bloggers my excuse is just I was so busy. I had been hopping into one freelance work after another. In between that I try to manage a few hours finding new jobs for my team members who are doing freelance jobs part time while learning all I can about WordPress blogs.

That freelance experience those past few weeks was a race against time. That had really put my time management skills to test. I had to make the best use of my time. I had finally reached the point where I have a constant stream of clients both old and new ones. When my long term projects  runs dry, new opportunities keep coming up. It’s a fact that full time freelancers don’t just work with one client – they have to very good masters of their time to be able to work and earn from different projects coming from different clients.

During that time I was semi-active in social networks, Plurk and Twitter. Since both networks allow only 140 characters, it was easy for me to get interactive without the need to write a full well-researched or well-thought out blog post.

For those very hectic days I just get down to do my freelance work. At the end of the day, I find myself mentally tired to compose a well-researched blog post on any of my blogs.
This next week is yet another busy week for me.

I will not say anymore that I am back to blogging, as other do. I am always here. If you don’t find me on blogs, you could always contact me through other social networks, or through my email. Some of you are even in my chat. If you don’t find my updates here, you can always interact with me in Plurk or Twitter.

I am saddened by the recent turn of events that is a result of the global recession:

• A number of Filipino workers in Taiwan had been laid off and are now on the way back to the Philippines.
• TI Philippines, a US company right here in my hometown, has just laid off almost 200 workers and is expected to further reduce their workforce this year.
• Accenture Philippines had also reduced its workforce by 500 workers a few days ago.
• Today, Intel Philippines announced its intention of shutting down their two-decades old plant. This company employs 3,000 workers right now who will all be affected by the shutdown.

Aside from this I’ve ran across a few bloggers and some friends who had confessed about losing their jobs.

photo credit: Erik Charlton

Are we Filipinos too dependent on getting employed?

I believe we do. I have experienced that myself. After I got my degree, the next “good” thing is to get the first job related to my degree. I had been able to do that. I had a good job, but still, is not enough to meet my needs. It’s true, it can answer my personal needs but it does not come to the extent that I am able to save a significant portion of it for emergencies.

I was not alone. I saw my peers give up their jobs in favor of those higher paying overseas jobs. I saw people living a better life and enjoying an upgraded lifestyle. For those who are not keen on saving much, it would last them until the day when they decide to retire.

But workplaces change and the 80s is a decade when company retrenchments had happened. It becomes worse as crisis happens. The global economic crisis is one reminder that there is no such thing as a secure job anymore.

I just wish that the government would focus more on creating individuals who can build big businesses and companies. I think the government puts more emphasis on putting people to work overseas because the government relies on foreign remittances from these workers. Now that the recession is in, overseas workers are now losing their jobs – with the latest batch of workers ending up as the most unfortunate.

I made several career transitions in my life: I started out the workforce as a licensed engineer, then I got employed as a programmer. But now, I do freelance jobs as a programmer and writer.

I did not think I would make several career shifts in my life. Many fellow Filipinos would say that I missed out on promising overseas opportunities that help me get gainfully employed on big companies. Overseas employment often gives a better paychecks and plenty of perks. They have said I should have used my profession as an engineer to work in a high-paying semiconductor industry in Singapore or find an IT job in Japan instead.

photo credit: djeyewater (SXC)

However, I decided to try out full-time freelancing. I am not yet ready to stop where I have just began. Little did they know that I hired my own self to earn my own income. This trick worked well for me because I am about to reach the income level of a gainfully employed individual who choose to stay and work in the Philippines.

I am still open to other similar options though, but getting work abroad is not something that fits on my freelance career list right now.