First Business Trip

I just came back from Malaysia after my first business trip. When I received notification of having to go for the business trip, I was really glad that I have gotten such an opportunity. Afterall, I am regarded as just a fresh graduate and I was given a cross border working opportunity. I think a lot of good things have happened recently that made me really happy, yet at the same time, there’s still a weird feeling tingling somewhere in my heart and I can’t figure out what the feeling is about.

Anyway, just to share some of my recent happy moments:

1. I was converted to a permanent staff from a contract staff within just 3 months of joining OCBC, probably the first.
2. I was awarded a Book Prize and Certificate of Commendation for my internship which I completed last December.
3. One of my websites appeared in a couple of U.S state news recently.
4. I was given the opportunity to work cross borders, despite being so new.
5. My daughter improved tremendously in her examinations.

Recently, I also feel more and more attached to OCBC as a company, because I made a lot of friends there. My bosses and ex-bosses during my internship have also given me a really good impression. However, a lot of my peers believe that we need to jump across different banks in order to get our career flying faster. I can’t really tell how true is that at this point, because my life experience just isn’t sufficent to reach a conclusion.

I have also been slightly confused lately at my career prospects. I’m confident of my capabilities, especially after recent events. However, I know that personal capabilities is only part of a puzzle that propels a person forward in his career. For example, during my internship, I got the book prize which obviously meant that I performed way beyond expectations, yet I wasn’t offered any job by the department that I was doing my internship at because they didn’t have headcount then. It seems like good performance does not always equate to good rewards.

However, one thing I have learnt is that even if we do not get rewarded for going beyond your call of duty, go the extra mile anyway. It’s really rewarding in itself when people sincerely thank you for the work you have done for them. If the other rewards flow in, it’s an extra blessing. If it doesn’t, maybe if we just continue to over-perform, more opportunities and eventually rewards will flow to us.