I work in my "first" job as a Junior Developer supporting the development efforts of my company’s internal ERP system. Similar to the internship I did in Cebu.
But there’s a clear difference. The biggest one was the culture. While my internship encourages direct collaboration and shared responsibility, my current job strictly follows a hierarchical system where positions determine what your role is allowed to do and what information you can access. Rigid yet ripe for certainty.
I personally prefer to be a bit flexible. I have a tendency to support people whenever I “feel” like it, whether by observation or just knowing that the work could have been done better. But in my workplace, it’s not always possible. You have to respect the governing rules and do the work that’s only in your scope. Otherwise, bad actors will exploit you for their own means.
That was a bit of a struggle during my first two weeks. My process and proactiveness in fulfilling tasks are fine. But recognizing my struggle now, I come to believe that being more careful matters. Filipino work culture is vastly different and murkier than the stories I heard from relatives and connections who had worked abroad.