Mr. Jerry Caingcoy is the founder of TFCC – The Filipino Champions of Canada.
Part II
FCM: Going back to your professional work in the Philippines, how was that like, and what are some of your lessons learned?
JC: Coming from the island and graduating from the province, it takes a lot more effort to get accepted in the corporate world. It only takes one opportunity, one chance for you. And when you get that chance, you have to do your best because it may not come again.
I believe that the first opportunity I that was given, I handled it well. From there I was given promotions. I was offered high-paying jobs.
In the corporate world, I learned that you never stop learning. I learned to value relationships. I learned to play how to be a good employee, and at the same time be a good boss. These help me to get to where I am now.
Looking back, I am blessed that my previous employers have a lot of nice things to say about me and my accomplishments.
FCM: Have you found your professional experience useful here in Canada?
JC: I think that our experience is always something we can use to further our goals in life. Nothing is wasted.
Whether you fail or succeed in the past, all of the lessons learned are important to you.
As a new comer in Canada, there’s that thinking that you need a Canadian experience to get a good job. I know that’s a reality for a lot of immigrants. But I did something different. I looked for a job that will allow me to use my experience in the Philippines.
True enough, I landed an office job. That helped build my confidence and portfolio as a career professional in Canada.
FCM: Tell us your experience in the first few months here in Canada? Adjustment period? Challenges encountered during the early days in Canada?
JC: I have been working for the City of Calgary for nine years. I started with an entry-level job, and I moved from one business unit to another.
From there I was able to build my confidence and develop my soft skills.
And then two years ago, I became a team lead.
To be working for the City of Calgary is both a privilege and an honor. I know that this is something that I wanted to do and why I’m very passionate about public service.
As a career professional, every day that I wake up, there’s nothing better than to know that what I do impacts people that are living in this city, directly and indirectly.
My career in the public sector has molded my onto who am I today. And part of it is knowing and believing what I can bring to the table. And also be open to a lot of learning, and at the same time face the challenge of unlearning.
Learning is very easy as long as you have the passion and dedication to learn new things. But the unlearning part is the most difficult. You have to unlearn the things you have been doing for so many years. It’s not an overnight change.
I always encourage our fellow immigrants not only to learn but to unlearn. Because these things we need to unlearn can become hindrances to our growth in terms of career, and as a person.
FCM: What were some of the things you had to learn or unlearn when you came to Canada?
JC: First of all, language was not a problem. We speak English in the Philippines. But we still have to learn the way we communicate in the workplace. It’s that soft skills that we need to learn so we can communicate clearly with people. In a multicultural, diverse workplace, it’s a challenge to be able to communicate properly. So it’s communication, communication, communication. This is a very important part of the workplace. This is where understanding comes in. This is where working together comes in and where being part of the team comes in. I was thought English in the Philippines, but I had to learn to express myself the Canadian way.
Number two is that adjustment to the physical aspect of the country. Adjustment to the climate. All the emotional and mental adjustment.
It’s very important to be open-minded when it comes to change. That’s a very important aspect of overcoming the challenges early on. I have a very good understanding of what I need to improve and what I need to unlearn. And to be open-minded about things. There might be notions or beliefs in Canada that don’t appeal to you, but it doesn’t mean you have to embrace it. But it’s all about understanding, respect and being inclusive and being a part of a multicultural society where everyone is respected.
To date, I have nine years of public service. I started working as a clerk at the City of Calgary, moved across the corporation in different capacities and now a Team Leader in Finance.
We all go through adjustments from time to time especially when we are faced with a new situation or when we are in a new place. Like any immigrants, we go through the process of learning and unlearning. Learning is not as difficult as unlearning. It may take months to learn new things but to unlearn may take years or maybe to others for a lifetime.
The challenges are very common to everyone like the climate, language, workplace and how to live in a diverse community that we are in. While language is not much of a problem, I think we still need to adapt to the Canadian way of communication especially in the workplace and to develop those soft skills if we want to succeed in our career or even in business.
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