By: Dustin James Bayog
She sleeps during the day, and she’s awake at night. She attends her class mostly on Tuesdays, so she works from night until the sun rises. Repeat.
Ronabelle De Guzman falls in line to wait for their shuttle bus.
This has been a life so far for Ronabelle de Guzman, a 21- year old full-time student in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan who also works as a call center agent in a BPO company in Quezon City.
For almost two years, she struggled to find a balance between her studies and work. The shift of education into distance learning due to the pandemic might be a blessing to her, to barely finish two years in college while working every night.
“Hindi ko talaga mahanap yung balance na mag-eexcel pa ako sa academics habang nagwo-work ako kasi minsan may nami-miss akong activities, o di kaya nakakatulog na ko sa klase,” she said.
[I couldn’t find a way to balance where I excel in my academics while having work, I even miss some of my homework and I seldom sleep in classes.]
De Guzman is now a third-year business administration major in marketing management at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Manila. Her nine subject loads create more conflict to find time to do her school work while preparing to go to work.
Having no such choice, she sacrificed her sleeping hours which are supposed to be her rest.
“Late ako natutulog kasi minsan gagawin ko muna mga school works bago matulog para sa next shift ko,” she said.
[I finish my school works before sleeping for my next shift]
On the other hand, her duty starts at 11 pm in the evening. She wakes up at 5 pm to do her routines and wait for their shuttle service. For 9 hours, she endured all the kinds of behaviors of her clients, the sleepy hours, and the fatigue.
WATCH: Ronabelle De Guzman and other BPO employees take their shuttle service.
“Tinitiis ko na lang kahit na nahihirapan na ko parang nagsama yung dalawang klase ng pagod,” she said.
[“I endure that even though I’m struggling like you’re having two kinds of fatigue”]
From these hours of work, she earned P18,000 every month plus some benefits.
Call center agents talking to their respective clients. Photo from Nikkei Asia
The concept of working students is often praised by everyone and applauded for their perseverance and determination. This has become more romanticized when the pandemic shifted the education system into distance learning where students have more time to do sideline jobs to provide their needs for attending online classes. Rather than a choice, looking for a job became a necessity for them if they wish to finish their studies.
The Commission on Higher Education stressed that the financial crisis is the common denominator of why students need to juggle work and studies. However, the life of a student is already daunting enough, thus, the work responsibilities add more burden to students despite the money it compensates for them.
“Diba pandemic, kahit may trabaho yung mga magulang ko noon, nakikita ko na hindi kayang ma-provide yung mga kailangan ko since mag-cocollege na ako nun,” de Guzman told.
[“During the pandemic, even though my parents have stable jobs I still observe that it is not enough to provide my needs going to college”]
But working while studying might not be bad at all.
De Guzman shared that she could now help her parents to shoulder some of their expenses like the P1,600 per month house rent and home appliances. She can now also buy and invest things for herself from her salary.
“Dati kasi, naiisip ko na 20 years old na tapos feeing ko wala pa ko naiaambag sa bahay, kaya ngayon nakatutulong na ko kay mama tapos nakabibili na rin ako ng mga bagay para sa sarili ko,” she said.
[“Before I felt that I was already 20 and yet I couldn’t help my family with our expenses, but now, I shared partly salary with my mother and I am now able to buy things for myself”]
BPO Industry in the Philippines
BPO employees work in a new community hub from BPO company. Photo from Outsource Accelerator
Today, many students, even newly graduated ones, are now considering entering BPO companies due to the high salaries and benefits. In 2022, outsourcing networks or BPO contributed almost 9% of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the country with millions of BPO employees. That is an almost three percent increase in 2019 with 1.3 million workers.
Furthermore, those who work in BPO companies like De Guzman might have better and higher salaries than other industries per month.
The data from Indeed showed the average salaries of different sectors including the BPO industry. Looking at the table, call center agents earn much higher than others, including the education sector.
As of December 2022, the average annual salary of call center agents increased to P20, 504 but still varies depending on the level of position. This is the primary reason for De Guzman to choose the industry; aside from not needing a bachelor’s degree, the salary she earns is high enough to cover the family’s expenses.
For De Guzman, working in the industry also helps her improve her English proficiency for almost every day she talks to clients. ‘
“At some point, yes. Narealize ko na kaya ko pala makipag usap in straight English though may mga grammatical errors pa rin,” she added.
["At some point, I realized I can now talk in English more efficiently, though I still commit errors"]
The Downside
Juggling both work and studies is something that working students might get used to over the years. Some might ask them why to choose both if education can wait, but for De Guzman, things are not easy as that. And here’s why;
FOMO Culture
“Natatakot akong mapag-iwanan, natatakot akong tumagal pa ang pag-aaral ko, yung feeling na mga kasabayan ko naka-graduate na tapos tatanungin mo sarili mo bakit ikaw hindi pa?” - De Guzman
FOMO or the fear of missing out is a representation of insecurity or envy that anyone could feel when they feel left out of social happenings somewhere. Psychologists say this is a kind of social anxiety that dates back to ancient times when ancestors need to be aware of their surroundings. This became prevalent with the presence of social media platforms and technological advancements.
De Guzman admitted that she felt this FOMO phenomenon and persisted to continue her studies despite how hard it is to survive both at work and in education.
In a news article of ABS-CBN dated last 2010, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) stressed that only 50% of working students get to finish college due to mishandled schedules of work and studies, poor health, and others being given up due to insufficient finances.
This is what De Guzman fears, striving her best to graduate on time, despite the restless work schedule. She wants to hinder the feeling that she’s being left behind by her batchmates and friends.
"Ayaw ko na patagalin yung pag-aaral ko, and isang taon na lang kaya tiis-tiis na lang," she said.
[I don't want to prolong my education, an it's just one year left to endure]
Less Time with Family and Friends
“Madalas di na kami nakakapag-kita ng mama ko sa bahay kasi sa umaga nasa may tindahan siya tapos ayun oras ng uwi ko, ganundin sa gabi papasok ako tapos siya pauwi pa lang” - De Guzman
De Guzman family hangout in a fast food restaurant. Photo from Anabelle de Guzman
Her mother, Anabelle de Guzman, sells various things from kitchenware to children's toys. Her store is located meters away from their home. So she leaves every morning.
Meanwhile, Ronabelle de Guzman got home at almost 11 am in the morning and took a nap until her shift at 5 pm in the afternoon.
“May mga bagay talaga na nasasacrifice pag nagwo-work ka, una run yung time sa family, kami ni mama minsan na lang kami magkita kapag dayoff naming dalawa” she said.
[There are things that I need to sacrifice when I started to work, first is the time with my family since sometimes our day-offs are just the time we met each other]
She added that she also has lesser time to make time with her friends as she chooses to weigh what should be prioritized on her day off.
“Kahit na gustong-gusto ko sumama sa mga kaibigan ko siyempre iniisip ko yung mga dapat ko munang gawin bago iyon,” she said.
[Even if I wanted to join the, I also think that some things need to be done first]
WATCH: A dedicated tiktok for Ronabelle de Guzman from her best friend.
Trying to recompense the time, she makes an opportunity to hang out with her family and friends on her day offs during weekends.
Reverse day and night schedule
“Tulog sa umaga, gising sa gabi”
Ronabelle De Guzman scrolls with her mobile phone as she waits for the bus with other BPO employees
What happens when your day starts at night?
At 8 am in the morning, people start their day mostly with a sip of coffee, but for call center agents like De Guzman, this specifically feels like 10 pm which is a perfect time to sleep. Their time frame is different but living under the same sun and moon.
The Department of Health once reported that in 2017 as American and European clients have a time zone difference with the country, BPO agents tend to be on night shifts. It can cause disruptions to the work-life balance of employees given some illnesses like headaches, eye strain, chest and back pain, voice problems, and fatigue.
Evidently, De Guzman bought her own eyeglasses as her eyes started to get blurry because of constant exposure to computers.
“Isa yun sa nabili ko para sa sarili ko, yung glasses kasi naaapektuhan na siguro yung mga mata ko dahil gabi-gabi computer screen kaharap ko,” she said.
[One of the things that I bought is my eyeglasses because I think my sight is really affected when every night I face a computer screen]
Transition to full face-to-face learning
“Hindi siya magandang balita para sa akin…”
Photo from ABS-CBN News.
As the country announced that traditional or face-to-face learning can now be observed again in schools and universities, most of the students rejoiced and feared missing out on interesting events happening in schools. But not all students are on the same page — especially those less privileged ones.
Last November 2022, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced that full online classes will no longer be allowed next semester unless there is clearance from the commission. Colleges and universities are demanded to impose on-site or hybrid modes of learning in all degree programs.
This is good news, especially after two years of online learning, students are now able to get back to school as it motivates them more to learn than at home. But on the other side of the coin, De Guzman feels different.
“Ayoko kasi, mas magiging hassle siya since full-time worker ako, nahihirapan na nga ako pagsabayin yung dalawa kahit online classes pa lang, kaya paano pa if f2f na, kaya kung ayun mangyayari iniisip ko na maging irregular student na lang,” she said.
[It’ll be more hassle to me as a full-time worker, I’m already struggling before with online classes and work, what more if face-to-face classes? If that will happen, I’m considering being an irregular student]
Living almost 30 kilometers away from campus, De Guzman highlighted the importance of her work to sustain her future expenses as face-to-face classes will commence next semester. She plans to find a boarding or dormitory near PUP and paying the deposits, bills, and rent is already huge for her parents to shoulder.
“Kung mag-faface-to-face classes, siyempre hahanap ako ng boarding houses o dorm na malapit sa school kaya tinitipid ko na rin yung sahod ko para makaipon pa ako,” she explained.
[If there’ll be face-to-face classes, I’ll find a boarding house or dormitory near our school. That’s why I started to save money from my salary to prepare for that]
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