Question: "What can you make out of a person whose mother tongue is Ilocano, grew up with lingua franca Filipino and English, and can crack jokes in Japanese?"
Answer: A Consultant at IMG Japan
IMG Japan is one of the companies owned by IMG. How I ended up being a consultant is rather an amazing story.
I defended my dissertation entitled "Extremal Type I Codes with New Weight Enumerators" last January 19, 2004 while presenting it to the public at the same time. The defense also served as my final examination for my Ph. D. in Mathematics and passing it automatically means all I have to do is wait for gradution day and receive my "hard-earned" diploma. Passing it really feels like cloud 9 and my wife witnessed it all. By the way, she also received her M.S. in Engineering on March 25, 2004.
Wow, a Ph. D. in Mathematics! Duh, it all means nothing if you don't have a promising job lined up after graduation day. Actually, I had two companies lined up (IMG Japan was not in the list). One is at the CE Architecture Development Center of National Panasonic and the other is Asia Solutions (located in the Philippines) a subsidiary of Seiko Electric. When you're studying pure Math and you don't have any idea how to move electrons in a narrow path, you're as dumb as rock in the eyes of the semiconductor designer who studied Physics and eats nanotechnology buffs for breakfast. Now, when you are qualified to teach at the university level in the Philippines but somehow enjoyed a generous allowance for 5 years being a scholar in Japan, you tend to look for jobs that pay much higher salaries. I went home to get married on March 19, 2004 and have my interview before the said date. So when I talked to the president of the second company on my list, I was taken aback. My wife is soon to give birth to our lovely daughter by the month of July and I have to be at her side but this company can not close the deal for my salary with my additional condition that I have to be back in Japan by June. However, I gave him my word that I'll just wait for his terms and that's the only string attached to the said company.
My wife and I went back to Japan on March 22, 2004 in order to attend our graduation and to pack all my stuff in preparation for the job in the Philippines. There was this letter wating for me saying it is seeking my services but I have to call the referring agency by March 26, 2004. I am a man of honor and my soul bleeds when I have to break what I said. I called the referring agency and the agency gave me the person to contact. I called and a lady answered then she forwarded me to another person. I didn't know whom I was talking to at that time but we were conversing in Japanese. He asked if I can go to Tokyo to have an interview and I said I will be in Tokyo on the 26th since my scholarship grantor will hold a party for both graduating and non-graduating scholars. I pressed him to commit -- he didn't. Then, he called me on my mobile phone saying that he will meet me after my graduation. He is coming to Fukuoka to interview me! Why would he do that? I really had no idea what his role was not until we met for my interview. Here's an excerpt from what I can recall:
President of IMG Japan: "Which companies have you applied for?"
Daniel: "NEC, Astra, National Panasonic, Seiko Denki."
President of IMG Japan: "Are you already hired?"
Daniel: "No." --> (I am not hired by Asia Solutions technically)
...
President of IMG Japan: "What are your plans for the next 10 or 15 years?"
Daniel: "Have my own company in the Philippines. Or if you are going to put up a company there, I will be delighted to move and manage it."
Then we had some more tea...
President of IMG Japan: "I will try to contact you again."
End of interview.
Usually, when you hear the phrase "I will try to contact you again", it means "Sorry, you're not up to it, buddy". I have to state the fact though that the only problem we had was my visa requirement. But I felt there was a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel so I waited.
He didn't call! But he sent me an email requiring me to answer back at the conditions he set in order for me to get hired. Who would be nuts not to bite such an offer? I had to because I had no choice although my present salary is way below my qualification. Why did I do it? My monthly savings will be equivalent to a month's wage in the Philippines :)
