Catherine P. Abustan – Customer and Technical Support

Hi everyone. My name is Catherine Abustan but my friends and colleagues call my Kath, and most of my closest relatives and family call my Monique. I don’t have any idea how they came up with this nickname!

I started working right after High School. I have taken on different jobs including working as a sales lady in a small grocery store. Back then my salary was only 50 ($1) pesos/day. I worked there for 8 months. I then worked as a nanny for a Chinese family for a year and a half.

Just like any other Filipino family, we also had our own obstacles and challenges in life that forced us to sell our house in the province and try our luck in Metro Manila. Our first few months in the city wasn’t easy, but we strive to survive. My mother and I started selling snacks, cigarettes, bread and coffee on the streets. Most of our customers were tricycle drivers because we sold next to a tricycle terminal. From that small business, we managed to sustain our daily budget and cover other expenses. My father was luckily hired as a tricycle driver and that was such great news for us. The good thing is that I was able to go back to school.

I took up Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education major in Social Studies. I was only able to finish 2 years in college but that did not hinder me from working in the corporate world. Right after the last semester of my 2nd year, I applied as a Customer Service Representative to one of the largest BPO companies in the country.

As a Customer Service Representative, I handled inbound and outbound calls from clients. I also have a strong command of English since we cater internationally – mainly in the US. I handled various accounts including Accenture, BlueCross BlueShield and United Health Group. I talked to customers about their internet service, phone service and even healthcare insurance. I also learned how to multitask to ensure that my clients received proper help and wanted to make sure they avoid any problems in the future.

I stayed with the company from 2016 – 2018. During the middle part of 2017, I gave birth to a baby boy and we named him Ceejay. He is one of the best things that has happened in my life.

This was my turning point where I had to give up my career for my child so that I could take care of his needs. Thankfully, I have a hardworking husband who always makes sure to provide for our daily needs. He always makes sure that everything is okay, but as a mother and a wife I also want to provide for them.

I started reading about home-based jobs. Honestly at first I was in doubt since I had no idea that these kind of jobs really existed. But eventually, I learned that there are a lot of online job opportunities out there and I’m hoping I can also land a job and work at home so that I can still earn even without leaving the house for 8 to 10 hours daily.

Fun fact about me is that I love everything that is Violet. 🙂

Thank you for taking time to read my bio. Hope to be working for you soon.

For a copy of Catherine’s resume please click here.