I think one of the things i will always remember in life would be my job interviews to land on my first real job- in Proton.
Some people had it easy…. being driven, or drove themselves to their first job interviews. Or perhaps they never had to be interviewed at all.
The thing i remembered and it just sticks to my brain was not the moment of being interviewed… because being the debater that i was… and still very much am… any debate in IIUM was a lot tougher than any of those interviews….
My job hunting days started 6 months before i graduated, because i was paranoid about the level of unemployment i read in the news everyday… and because i was the impatient person i still am today. I wanted things to move fast, i was proactive and so decisive and opiniated and believed in creating my own destiny. I was ever so willing to end my uni days and start a new life with my own paycheck and a brand new beginning.
My parents were not encouraging me to step into the corporate wolrd, because they are of conservative old fashion standards where girls become teachers because they need to make time for the family. I believe in the notion that teachers dont make enough money in Malaysia because the govt gobbles all the money to make long meetings-cum-vacation-getaway for govt servants in Langkawi.
So my parents didn’t know much about what i was getting interviewed for, and they were never encouraging. Some parents would be overjoyed to know that their child is getting an interview with the no. 1 car manufacturer in the country, but mine was less enthusiastic. They were skeptical and gave no words of encouragement. The only thing i got was- be careful when you deal with a Malay company, you will end up just like them. With those words in mind, i battled my own war.
Again, Attas, and my soulmates for life- Radin, Lily, Era, Raihan, Zila and all became the people who encouraged me and trusted in me. With that baton, i found the courage to venture on my own because i know that i was never really alone.
I remember the time when i had to travel by the bus to get to the LRT station and take the train to the Komuter and take that Komuter to a ghetto in Shah Alam and take a freaking taxi (RM10 one way) to the Proton Plant. And RM10 was a big deal for me for a 15 minute drive because when you are a student, you practically live below the poverty level. I had to do that four times. And the same route to get back to Gombak, where i was studying in IIUM.
On the day i learned i passed all three interviews, Proton called me for a medical checkup and it was scheduled no later than 8.30am. How the heck was i gonna pull that…?
But i believe that in times of perish, God sends you an angel that made all the impossible… very much possible. And at that time, a Saudi Arabian prince was my saviour.
I was told to wait for the bus at 6am, which means i had to get up ay 5.30am. Imagine IIUM hostel and the stories you’ve heard about it. I did not dare to bathe alone, so i made my roomate wait outside my bathroom door as i scrubbed myself clean.
There were dogs running around the new hostel ground so i didnt dare walk to the hostel gate, so my roomate again sent me on a motorbike across the huge hostel ground and to the bustop, where Attas was waiting, at 6am. I had not been on a bike for 10 years, but on that very morning, i broke that record.
We were the only ones at the bustop, and there were no buses. A taxi was passing by and we took it because we did not want to be late.
Two and a half hours later, we arrived on time for me to have my medical checkup. I passed it, and the rest is history.
When some had it easy and could hardly recall how their journey went, i know i shall remember mine as long as i live. It was that determination that kept me going and made me hold on to whatever i have and not take it for granted.
So when some say i had it easy, i know i did not.
