The concept of a “greatest achievement” is subjective and can vary greatly from person to person. Ultimately, what matters most is individual fulfillment and finding a sense of purpose and satisfaction in one’s own life.
by ALEXIS GABUYA
I
DON’T USUALLY prepare for job
relationship which I thought was the one only to find out that sometimes your first love isn’t always your last love. I did crazy things to the point where I took up law school just to be distracted and get over it. Plus the brutal oral recitations from the professors and classes had to end abruptly because I didn’t study the night before. It was too much for my messed-up life that I couldn’t concentrate on anything–at that time. Then the memory snapped me back to reality, I realized that all this time, my answer wasn’t it. My greatest achievement isn’t the medal that I received nor was it finally finishing my studies, it was learning to deal with those experiences that got me to where I am today. It was learning to open up more to my friends and exposing myself to new things that I later learned to love and hate at the same time (yes, I’m referring to alcohol). Cliché as it sounds, getting over the things I couldn’t control is something to celebrate and be proud of. I heard my name; I stood up with my head held high and was ready to answer the interviewer the life-hitting question. I entered the room, greeted her with the widest smile I could put on and then she asked with a straight-face, “Tell me about yourself”
interviews. They all ask the same questions–tell
me about yourself, how you see yourself in five years, why you quit your last job and other more questions that you could easily see just by searching on Google. And like any other interviewee, my answers would be basic, straightforward, and experience-based. I’ve had so many interviews that I no longer think about what I say because everything’s already in my brain like a track being played over and over again. One time while I was waiting for my turn, this guy went out of the room and rushed to his friend while he composed himself after what seemed to be a very grueling interview. As a nosy person, I overheard their conversation. He said that they didn’t ask him the usual stuff but more of the life-hitting questions like how he was asked from the start on what are his greatest achievements aside from graduating with flying colors. I was stunned, scared, and worried because that’s usually what I would answer. Racking my brains, I thought long, and hard, and prayed in between thoughts. I recalled this incident where I was down and semi- depressed because I got my heart broken by my very first
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EC Magazines | Seoul Edition 2023
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