Humans of Kent: Gie Tugaff, Junior Resourcer, Dubai

How I've grown since joining Kent

Back before I joined Kent, I was a fresh graduate who had no idea where to go and what to do.

After I finished my 4-year course in the Philippines I decided to move to Australia and study my second degree in Business.

Living in a different country alone without my family was a challenging experience for me. Not knowing how I would survive the path I chose to take; I continued my plan to study in Australia. While I was there, I learned to be independent and to support myself financially, physically, and mentally. It was not easy at first, especially as I had to juggle both study and work which was very new to me at that time and I was very used to my parents doing everything for me.

Being by myself in a foreign land didn’t affect me much. As an introvert I enjoyed my own company although I still missed home and my family being around me. This new environment taught me a lot of things about myself and what I can do to support and get the things I want. I knew that I couldn’t go back, and I had to finish what I started. After a few years, I managed to finish and graduate from my second degree, which is one of my biggest achievements in life.

With all the struggles, ups, and downs, this experience contributed a lot to me becoming the person I am now but what’s next?

Life after Graduating

A lot of young people struggle to identify what is next after graduating. I knew that I had to start building my career, but I still was not sure where to start and what I wanted to do. I had a lot of things in my mind and lot of things I want to try. Due to personal reasons, I also needed to leave Australia after graduating. It was a very hard decision to leave but there are things beyond our control and we just must let life happen and move forward. I also kept telling myself that it’s okay to be lost and figure out things slowly. Although I had no idea what to do next, I decided to go to Dubai and try my luck.

One of the main reasons why I went to Dubai was to be with my Dad and find something that would help me to figure out what I wanted, and I could do. I knew myself that I had the knowledge. Knowledge that needed to grow, enhance, and develop.

Working at Kent

I started my first real-life working experience at Kent as an Intern. To be honest, I am not sure where I applied for the job because I sent so many applications that I don’t remember anymore. I just received a call, went to the interview (which was very nerve-racking by the way) and got the job. I remember being nervous but also eager to get the position. I introduced myself by telling something about me, answering questions they asked, and I remember sharing something about Harry Potter while during the interview. When I got the job, I was very happy and scared because I didn’t know what to expect.

I’m a very shy, quiet type of person that lives in her bubble and was like this when I first joined the company. I don’t usually talk to people which is a struggle for me personally and was when I started with Kent. However, I have a very supportive colleague who helped me a lot to improve myself.

One piece of advice that I will never forget that I received was “try going outside your box. It doesn’t mean that you have to change yourself but try to push yourself to do things that you don’t usually do. Starting from the small things until it becomes a habit”. This advice helped me a lot to improve myself although I’m still working in progress. And I can say if I was to compare myself when I first joined Kent and now, I can see the changes.

Kent also allows me to show and express my creativity at work which I appreciate a lot. Doing my job and having a chance to express my creative side is a great motivation for me. I gained not only good colleagues around me but also friends that somehow feel like family to me.