Nope, You Don’t Need to Work Abroad to Achieve Growth

After reading “Growth means going abroad?” and Migs Paraz’s related post “Exodus”, I couldn’t help but ask myself similar questions. Was my move to Singapore worth it? Do the pay I’m currently getting, and the affiliation that I have justify leaving my home country, being away from my family and fiancee, and giving up a community and company I founded? Am I learning new things that I couldn’t possibly learn if I chose to stay in the Philippines? Is this really a step forward career-wise or just a big jump in salary?

I’m not really clear with my answers. I’m not really learning new things that I couldn’t learn on my own, I’ve always been keen on exploring new things related to my field. I’m working for a big name in the web/internet industry, but almost as a nobody. It doesn’t beat running your own company and steering things yourself, but the beef it adds to my resume is a pretty big plus. About the pay, I can’t complain about the pay.

So is it worth all the sacrifices made? I’ll have to say yes. The increase in pay allows me to sort of fast track things - help support my family, save up for properties, prepare for my wedding, etc. As for the step-down in the job title, I like to think of it as a small step back in preparation for a big leap forward. Save up now, then go back and fund yourself later. Getting in touch with family is no longer a problem. The world is too connected now, and we have the internet to thank for that. With regards to learning, I can keep learning new things on my own. I can keep growing professionally and skill-wise, with or without my current affiliation, in or outside my home country.

So for now, I’ll stay here, do what I can do, learn what I can learn, and earn as much as I can. I might just be trying to justify my greed, but It’s how I like to think of things. Sort of looking at the positive side of things to boost my morale.