Tuesday, August 9, 2011

I'm Off to Seek a Great Perhaps

I need some advice, people! Please be kind. Commenting is free and fairly easy.

First, a short background on my dilemma. 

I am a Registered Nurse (Surprise, surprise! Who isn't these days?) and I am looking at my career options abroad because, well, I'm tired of working my ass off only to be one paycheck away from homelessness! It's not a fair game, going to the university and going through all the thingamajigs of getting licensed then living in poverty thereafter, I tell ya. (I know, I bring shame to my beloved UP!) So anyway, before I bore you to death with the drama, here are my options:

1. Australia. I am eligible to apply for registration, but I have to take the bridging course first to become a licensed nurse. The cost? A whopping Php 500,000 (around 12,000 USD)! Add the costs of transportation, food and accommodations to the mix and that's Php 700,000 I don't have! ) I can loan some money (with compounded interest, of course, as finance people are way too smart), but after computing everything in my head (I kid, lol), I figured I would have to pay the loaning company double the amount I borrowed from them in 18 months. That's roughly 1.4 million pesos if I did the math right.  After getting registered, I would have to begin searching for a job and a hospital that's willing to sponsor me. (Ah, screw whoever invented VISAS, the bane of my existence!) Therefore, the Php 700,000 is like a business investment. If I don't find a job that pays well fast enough, I would be six feet under the ground in debt before I turn 25. Had I only known that Nursing involved such risks, I would have taken Business Ad or Actuarial Science instead!

2. UK. I am currently in the manpower pool of Drake International/ASC along with many others who aspire to work in the land of the Balding Prince. Well, there really is  not much to the tale, except that I have to wait for the NHS to actually employ me and sponsor my visa and bridging course fee (Oh, screw the person who thought of expensive bridging courses, too! I'd rather take a bloody exam if that's gonna cost me less!). I don't know yet how long I have to wait, but last I heard, immigration policies in the UK have changed yet again, so the wait is probably gonna be a long one. 

3. Canada. I want to go to Canada for obvious reasons, such as the boyfriend being there and... the boyfriend being there. Kidding! I want to go to Canada because I can see myself settling there. The Healthcare System is amazing, at least, that's what I heard from a doctor friend who had her internship there last summer. Now, the only option I have to get there is to become an immigrant. Nursing is among the priority occupations listed by the Canadian Immigration so I am qualified to apply. The problem is, I don't have a million pesos in my account for the required settlement fund. (If you're a 24 year old working in the PH and you have a million pesos in your account, hands in the air, please! Really? Well, you must have robbed a bank or won the lottery or have really rich parents!)  Also, the average processing time is about 18 months. (I cry and moan and wail when I think about 18 more months of being a paycheck away from homelessness!) To my friends, please don't ask me to get married for sponsorship! The boyfriend is a student there. He cannot sponsor me or anything. Besides, who wants to get married for papers? I'm a hopeless romantic, though I don't look the part. (Again, I kid!)

4. Qatar. Well,  I already have an offer of employment. The salary is not that high, but way bigger compared to what I earn here. All I have to do is process the necessary documents and in a couple of months, I'll be off facing sandstorms and riding camels, extremely fascinating creatures they are. The thing is, Qatar doesn't feel right. The opportunity is within my grasp, yes, but my heart is elsewhere. When I think of Australia and the UK, I feel like I'm going off on an adventure. When I think of Canada, I think of home and family. Qatar doesn't make me feel any of those things. I know, screw these complicated feelings! Sometimes, I feel really guilty. A lot people at work wanted this post so much but didn't get it, and yet, here I am, very close to letting the opportunity slip from my fingers. Even I don't understand the inner workings of my brain. Should  I do something that doesn't feel right for whatever reason? 

Gosh, that was one long post! Soooo many things are going inside my head. It's one big mess, really, and I just can't decide. Should I grab what's right in front of me even if it doesn't feel right?

Help? Anyone?

Cash, pretty stuff and advice are most welcome! And oh, if you are willing to lend me money without much interest, that would be great, too.

DISCLAIMER: Please don't take me seriously. I was merely writing down my options because I want to see them on paper, or on screen, rather. Writing stuff down clears my head. That's just the way I roll.

7 comments:

  1. Looks like you know what you are looking for -- better opportunities for life!

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  2. Hi :) Si Migs to. Hehe. Di ako makatulog pa eh :P

    Hmmmm. In my opinion, go for the option that you know will make you happy in the long run. Do what you know you really want to do. :) Living with the what-ifs are harder than knowing that if something didn't work out for you, at least you tried. Try limiting your options and tossing a coin. Before the coin reaches your palm, you'd already know what you want 'cause that's the side you hoped for in those few seconds that the coin was in the air. :) (I once made a huge decision based on that Hahahahaha :P) And if something is meant for you, it will come to you :) You'd take some risks, yes, but sometimes you just have to. Ako nga, late na nagstart magwork (imagine, Lloyd's been working 3 years already before I entered ci-tech and we're the same age!) and natatakot ako na it might be too late or what. But hey, its working out pretty well for me so far :p Basta, do what you know will ultimately make you happy :)

    Ang haba ng reply ko. Hahahaha. Sana may natulong :P Anyway, good luck with that and I hope you find out what will really make you happy, and go for it :D

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  3. Wow, Migs! You are kind! Thanks for taking the time to read and give your two cents :) You're right, I just really needed to write everything down to clear my head. Parang pensieve, if you read Harry Potter. Hehe.

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  5. I would say go for what makes you happy, but a wise friend once said, "What I want isn't what I need." All feelings aside, going to Qatar sounds like the most viable option. While there, you can save up for the other more enticing options. You may be kinda sad in the short run (but who knows? Qatar might surprise you), but it might help you get long-term happiness.

    P.S. Deleted a previous comment because of an error due to hurried typing. Sorry, I edit for a living so I cringe when I see errors in text!

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  7. Thanks, Tisha! You're right, I'm usually kinda pessimistic, but Qatar may surprise me. I do hope it does if ever I decide to go there!

    Dont worry, I do cringe too when I see errors in text. Though I'm probably not as good as you are in spotting them.

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