The Chapter I Used To Be Ashamed Of

Exactly six years ago, natanggal ako sa trabaho. As in fired. Over the phone. Walang notice, walang dignity, just a neat little push out the door. And that single, painful moment? Yun pala yung simula ng lahat.

At the time, I was abroad. I thought I made it. Career girl, late 20s, doing the dream job thing. Ambisyosa. Overachiever. I was addicted to the idea of "title" and "promotion" and "worthiness"—like somehow, work would finally make me feel enough.

Spoiler alert: It didn’t.

I was praised one week, questioned the next. Suddenly there were whispers. Vague comments. Sabi nila, “we’re just not sure it’s working out.” And just like that, out. Cold, clean, clinical.

But here’s the part I’m proud of:

I didn’t go quietly.
I asked for documentation. I told them to put it in writing.
Hindi ako nagpaka-martyr. I didn’t let them gaslight me out of the job I worked for.

Was I still let go? Yes.
Did I cry for weeks? Also yes.
But that moment? That moment cracked something open in me. And in hindsight, I needed that crack. Para maliwanagan.

Starting Over—Again

Umuwi akong luhaan. Literally. I had to start over in the Philippines.
I didn’t have a plan. No roadmap. Wala akong fallback.
But I knew two things:

I needed to work.
I never wanted anyone to control my income again.

That’s when I stumbled into remote work.
Back then, wala pa masyadong nagtatrabaho from home. Parang weird pa siya. You say “I work from home,” and people go: “Ah, so… unemployed?”

But slowly, surely, I made it work.

Real Talk: Everyone’s Winging It

Let me tell you something no one tells you about marketing, freelancing, kahit sa remote world:

We’re all just figuring it out.

Everyone’s acting like they’ve got it together with their 90-day plans, client decks, and fancy workflows. But behind the scenes? It’s trial and error. It’s late-night Googling. It’s campaigns that flop and clients that ghost and strategies that looked so good on paper pero ‘di nag-click sa real world.

What matters is this:

You learn.
You tweak.
You keep going.

1. Stop overthinking your niche. Just pick one.

Let’s not pretend may perfect path.
Ibang tao, nagsimula sa data entry.
Yung iba, naging VAs tapos nag-niche down to email marketing.
Yung iba, tumambay sa Canva, tapos naging social media manager, tapos naging branding specialist.

Ang sikreto? Start with what you can get paid for today, then sharpen from there.

Don’t try to "discover your passion" muna. Discover mo muna yung rent money.

2. Kung gusto mo ng edge, train muna bago ka apply nang apply

Ang daming job posts ngayon, pero ang dami rin sa atin ang nagsasayang ng oras sa apply-apply without learning the tools.

Here’s what actually helped me stand out early on:

Free certifications (Google, HubSpot, Meta, LinkedIn Learning trial)
Reading case studies of actual campaigns
Following marketers who actually teach, not just brag

Skill first, branding later.
You don’t need a website yet. You need to know how to fix a busted ad campaign, write a converting caption, or audit an email funnel.

3. Your CV is your landing page. Make it sell.

Wala nang “team player with good communication skills” na yan.
Lagyan mo ng:
- “Grew XYZ page to 10k followers in 3 months with no ad budget”
- “Wrote 15 SEO articles for [topic], ranking on page 1 for 6 keywords”
- “Created templates for a US-based ecom store’s abandoned cart emails, recovered $2,000 in sales in 4 weeks”

Kahit personal project or mock client, highlight actual output.

No results yet?
Do a passion project.
Help a friend.
Gumawa ng fake brand and build it like it’s real.

4. Don’t romanticize burnout.

There’s this thing online where people wear exhaustion like it’s a badge.

“I did 10 jobs while breastfeeding with 2 hours of sleep and built a 6-figure business in 90 days!”
Cool story. Pero you don’t need to be a martyr to be successful.

Take breaks. Drink water. Say no to offers na alam mong pang-drain lang ng kaluluwa mo.

Boundaries ≠ laziness.
They’re just proof that you finally value your peace.

5. You can be clueless, as long as you’re curious

Wala talagang “expert” na knows everything.
Yung mga legit na magaling? They ask smart questions.
They know how to Google the right way.
They know how to test ideas, pivot fast, and own up to mistakes.

So if you’re the type na nahihiya magtanong? Practice saying:

“I haven’t done that before, but I’m willing to learn.”
“I’m not 100% sure, but I can do a quick test run and give you feedback in 24 hours.”

Sounds simple, but that honesty?
That builds trust more than bluffing ever could.

6. Your first job doesn’t have to be your dream job

Kung ang first client mo eh $3/hour sobrang daming demand, don’t stay long pero treat it like a sandbox.

Learn what red flags look like.
Learn paano mo gustong mag-communicate.
Learn anong klaseng work ang ayaw na ayaw mong gawin kahit may bayad.

Then pivot.

You’re not married to one role. You’re collecting tools.
Mas importante yun kaysa sa perfect title or dream project agad.

7. Document your own progress

Keep a simple Notion page or Google Doc:

Wins (big or small)
Stuff you’re learning
Things you want to try next
Scripts na gumana (pitch emails, follow-ups, client replies)

This becomes your evidence of growth.
On days when you feel like a fraud, reread this.
You’re not stagnant. You’re building.

8. And lastly, you’re allowed to be in between

You’re allowed to:

Not know what to do next
Be excited and terrified at the same time
Try something new and decide you hate it
Take breaks without explaining yourself

You’re figuring it out.
So is everyone else.

From Shame to Armor

I used to be ashamed of that chapter. That "I got fired" moment.
Ngayon, I wear it like armor. Because that version of me—hurt, confused, jobless—chose to rebuild.

I made that choice, and I’ve been choosing myself ever since.

❤️ For You, Reader

If you’re here, you’re probably also figuring things out. Maybe you’re scared. Maybe you’re lost. Maybe you’re tired of trying.

I just want you to know:

Hindi ka nag-iisa.
You don’t have to be perfect to be valuable.
And you’re allowed to start again.

So if you’ve been through something similar—or if you’re in it right now—please remember this:

Success should never cost you your self-respect.

You’re not behind. You’re just in the messy middle.

Keep going.
You got this.
And if this helped even a little, send coffee. 🧋

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