Arvin Prudenciado – Social Media Management and E-Commerce

Hello, Vin here from Cebu City, and this is my story (well, some parts of it).

Growing up, I thought that there was just a linear path one’s road could travel. I thought that a vivid vision of oneself can be attained just because someone predestined you to be such. Graduate from high school, graduate from Nursing studies, get a stable nursing career, marry at 28, have 3 beautiful kids, live life to the fullest, and retire by the age of 45. But there are so many things that were not discussed in between. The how’s and why’s of how these all will be attained.

Fortunately for me, I was and still am a very curious and inquisitive person that I tend to have an open ear and try to understand the logic behind tasks, rules, laws, decisions, and so on. This has caused me to learn a lot. The experience I gained from every aspect in my life made me feel like I can forge through life given any situation. I never thought that I was meant to learn the in-betweens of life; that I was supposed to experience it.

This made my stint in a contact center setting in 2007 worth acknowledging because it was the time that I became fully independent and earning on my own. Within this 7-year span, I was able to climb the ladder from an agent of a tech-support business to becoming a certified Dell Technical Specialist and Trainer where I handled my own team and handled a whole sales program. All these came to me by just having the courage to learn and to pursue what I thought was best for me during that moment, and not what I was predestined to become.

Another roadblock appeared when I was at the peak of my career, because my oldest sister wanted me to go abroad and test the waters. Knowing that I would go back to square one and I would be a stranger in a country far from my comfort zone, I still held onto the thought that with the right attitude and the way my personality was wired I would be okay. Luckily, I was hired as a manager for a company in the printing industry. I was able to expand my circle and my expertise, and I realised that I was growing.

Then all of a sudden it struck me: Homesickness… the longing to be with my daughter, the familiar places and faces of Cebuanos, the taste of the dried fish, pig intestines, pig blood-stew, duck embryo, and home cooked meals. Don’t get me wrong, I was ‘living my life’ abroad but personally, I felt like I was still alone and not happy.

In September of 2017, I returned here to the Philippines, still unsure of what was in store for me. I took up the challenge and used what I knew best, my wits, skills and outlook in life. I tried contacting centers again but getting back into the corporate world was proving to be a challenging issue. Lucky for me, I had created some great relationships with the people I had worked with in the past, and one of them introduced me to the home-based industry.

This time, I was very prepared and equipped. I had no expectations, but I moved forward. I learned Data Entry, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Real Estate Administration, Web Design, Report Analysis, eCommerce (Shopify), Business Executive Assistance, SEO, target setting, home-base team managing, and the use of different tools that if I stayed on what career path I was laid out previously, I would never have had the chance to learn and use!

All these things I experienced took me in a different direction to what I thought I was predestined to become and apart from what other people wanted me to be. I stepped out of my comfort zone and braved the world so I can be what I think I am intended to be.

I may not have realised most of my aspirations yet, but I am still growing, still learning, still braving the world and pushing through challenges. And I have no regrets. The way may not always be easy, but I’m sure it’s worth it. 🙂

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