Series 7 under my belt!
I came back to the Philippines not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. It was a very emotional phase and all I knew is that I needed to come home. I had found a job there before I left, a house that I call my own and a life that I wasn't sure if I still wanted. I spent four months lounging around, catching up with familiar people's lives and simply did things that I was not able to do back in Dubai.
And so my holiday was over and it was time to face reality once again, I needed to find a job. I have sent my resume to at least 20 companies over the internet and more than 10 came back to me to schedule an interview. One of my best friends also once mentioned to me that the company she worked for needed people and that I could try if I wanted. So then she told me stuff about it, surely enough to pique my interest and actually send my resume in. At the time, I have at least 6 job interviews in line. I chose to go to that one interview and found myself saying that I didn't need to go anywhere else. My best friend told me about the qualifying exams that I needed to pass to bag the job. I asked her if it was easy and she said that it's nothing I couldn't do. Well, she lied. Well she didn't because technically I'm still here but she omitted material fact, she didn't tell me I needed to go through a hole of a needle to survive.
So my first training day was the first week of June. The first two days, I already knew that I have put myself in deep waters. I already knew it wasn't gonna be an easy ride. I finished my first week barely breathing. Over the weekend, a small mishap lead me to where I am right now. I had an accident which required me not to report to work because of its severity. My trainor, asked me if I was okay just to join the next batch because there is no way that I could catch up after a few days being absent. So I thought about it well and finally agreed.
I spent a month of my life lounging around again [I mean what else can I do? I am stuck at home. I couldn't even walk]. I knew I had to read "the book" and so I did. Every single day. I have retaken the practice tests that I have failed on the first week. Then the day came, July 8th. I went back to work to join the new batch. By then the previous batch that I was with was down to 10 from 28. That reminded me again how seriously I should take this.
I came back with a plaster on my leg. A memoir of the accident that has just transpired. I must say that it helped a lot that I have re-read the past chapters that has been discussed already. Well imagine, we take up 2 chapters in a day an exam in between both, and this goes on everyday until we finish 24 chapters. That's two weeks, 24 chapters in 2 weeks. One day I caught myself saying, "Wow they should've hired magicians, that is impossible!"
Each chapter consists at least of 25 pages on an average. Unfamiliar terms, FINANCIAL terms! Whew! What have I gotten myself in to? I need to be familiar with a gazillion of concepts and rules and terms that I have never encountered in my whole life before. We need to take two topic tests of at least 80 items each test everyday. So yeah imagine having to remember new concepts, rules and terms and testing about them right after discussion... and yes it's TWICE a day. I literally needed to stay back every night to catch up on my sore topics. [And then, there were God's children {some of my classmates} who doesn't need to do this cos they're like copiers, they read it once, I dunno if they have photographic memories or a memory card chip in their brains. Pfft but it's so annoying how they didn't even need to put as much effort as I do.]
So I have passed both Greenlight 1 and 2 [these are the preliminary tests to gauge retention]. I started thinking, this is not so hard after all. So Greenlight 3 came and I flunked. The questions in this one were new and really difficult. Here I go again, the same Cheska that I know. Afraid of changes, afraid of the unknown. So then I realized, I am not as bright as I thought I was. I started staying every night again after our normal shift, to review, to retake exams and to watch topic videos. Greenlight 4 came and I failed it again. I was like "SH*T" I don't think I'll make it. I started picturing life after E* Trade knowing God will give me something better in case I don't make it.
A week passed and my Greenlight scores were in the range of 78 to 80. They said that I needed at least 82 everytime, a buffer of 10 points from the passing grade which is 72. I was hoping I'd get the easier questions in the actual exam.
I realized too how I never studied for anything in my entire life except this. [The college I graduated from didn't require us to do so, lol.] And I thought maybe I deserve to pass this. I remember a colleague teasing me while I was reading my reviewer while walking to the testing center. "Stop, you might score a 100!" and I was like "No, you'll never know if the question that I need to make my score 72 is in here!"
The exam started, and boy was I really nervous. Lunch break came. We all sat staring at the wall looking like mental retards. Haha. The look on our faces were priceless. The second half started and I felt sleepy and I felt as if my brain cells were dead and no longer functioning. I had to take breaks in between to draw. You see, drawing relaxes my nerves. Then come back to the question where I left off and do the same whenever I feel like my brain cells are shutting down again.
It was fifteen minutes to finish. I was done and I had time to change at least 4 questions. I was dead-crazy nervous. I have never been that nervous in my entire life. [Lol there are too many "in my entire life's" in this entry but hey that's how I felt]. I hit on the "Submit" button 7 minutes before my exam expired. Seven is my lucky number! I was already praying so hard, telling God that I would understand if it wasn't meant for me.
"Please wait as your exam is being graded" [or whatever it read there I can't really remember] stayed on the screen forever. After maybe 10 seconds, [my palm was on my face by the way] I peaked and read the word, "PASS". I looked for my score and there it was, 72%.
I couldn't be any happier, I think this was one of the happiest moments in my life. Made me realize that it is indeed a very rewarding feeling if you accomplish something that you've really worked hard for.
This was was written some time in 2014 but was never published. 'Cause well, I'm that bad of a blogger.
And so my holiday was over and it was time to face reality once again, I needed to find a job. I have sent my resume to at least 20 companies over the internet and more than 10 came back to me to schedule an interview. One of my best friends also once mentioned to me that the company she worked for needed people and that I could try if I wanted. So then she told me stuff about it, surely enough to pique my interest and actually send my resume in. At the time, I have at least 6 job interviews in line. I chose to go to that one interview and found myself saying that I didn't need to go anywhere else. My best friend told me about the qualifying exams that I needed to pass to bag the job. I asked her if it was easy and she said that it's nothing I couldn't do. Well, she lied. Well she didn't because technically I'm still here but she omitted material fact, she didn't tell me I needed to go through a hole of a needle to survive.
So my first training day was the first week of June. The first two days, I already knew that I have put myself in deep waters. I already knew it wasn't gonna be an easy ride. I finished my first week barely breathing. Over the weekend, a small mishap lead me to where I am right now. I had an accident which required me not to report to work because of its severity. My trainor, asked me if I was okay just to join the next batch because there is no way that I could catch up after a few days being absent. So I thought about it well and finally agreed.
I spent a month of my life lounging around again [I mean what else can I do? I am stuck at home. I couldn't even walk]. I knew I had to read "the book" and so I did. Every single day. I have retaken the practice tests that I have failed on the first week. Then the day came, July 8th. I went back to work to join the new batch. By then the previous batch that I was with was down to 10 from 28. That reminded me again how seriously I should take this.
I came back with a plaster on my leg. A memoir of the accident that has just transpired. I must say that it helped a lot that I have re-read the past chapters that has been discussed already. Well imagine, we take up 2 chapters in a day an exam in between both, and this goes on everyday until we finish 24 chapters. That's two weeks, 24 chapters in 2 weeks. One day I caught myself saying, "Wow they should've hired magicians, that is impossible!"
Each chapter consists at least of 25 pages on an average. Unfamiliar terms, FINANCIAL terms! Whew! What have I gotten myself in to? I need to be familiar with a gazillion of concepts and rules and terms that I have never encountered in my whole life before. We need to take two topic tests of at least 80 items each test everyday. So yeah imagine having to remember new concepts, rules and terms and testing about them right after discussion... and yes it's TWICE a day. I literally needed to stay back every night to catch up on my sore topics. [And then, there were God's children {some of my classmates} who doesn't need to do this cos they're like copiers, they read it once, I dunno if they have photographic memories or a memory card chip in their brains. Pfft but it's so annoying how they didn't even need to put as much effort as I do.]
So I have passed both Greenlight 1 and 2 [these are the preliminary tests to gauge retention]. I started thinking, this is not so hard after all. So Greenlight 3 came and I flunked. The questions in this one were new and really difficult. Here I go again, the same Cheska that I know. Afraid of changes, afraid of the unknown. So then I realized, I am not as bright as I thought I was. I started staying every night again after our normal shift, to review, to retake exams and to watch topic videos. Greenlight 4 came and I failed it again. I was like "SH*T" I don't think I'll make it. I started picturing life after E* Trade knowing God will give me something better in case I don't make it.
A week passed and my Greenlight scores were in the range of 78 to 80. They said that I needed at least 82 everytime, a buffer of 10 points from the passing grade which is 72. I was hoping I'd get the easier questions in the actual exam.
I realized too how I never studied for anything in my entire life except this. [The college I graduated from didn't require us to do so, lol.] And I thought maybe I deserve to pass this. I remember a colleague teasing me while I was reading my reviewer while walking to the testing center. "Stop, you might score a 100!" and I was like "No, you'll never know if the question that I need to make my score 72 is in here!"
The exam started, and boy was I really nervous. Lunch break came. We all sat staring at the wall looking like mental retards. Haha. The look on our faces were priceless. The second half started and I felt sleepy and I felt as if my brain cells were dead and no longer functioning. I had to take breaks in between to draw. You see, drawing relaxes my nerves. Then come back to the question where I left off and do the same whenever I feel like my brain cells are shutting down again.
It was fifteen minutes to finish. I was done and I had time to change at least 4 questions. I was dead-crazy nervous. I have never been that nervous in my entire life. [Lol there are too many "in my entire life's" in this entry but hey that's how I felt]. I hit on the "Submit" button 7 minutes before my exam expired. Seven is my lucky number! I was already praying so hard, telling God that I would understand if it wasn't meant for me.
"Please wait as your exam is being graded" [or whatever it read there I can't really remember] stayed on the screen forever. After maybe 10 seconds, [my palm was on my face by the way] I peaked and read the word, "PASS". I looked for my score and there it was, 72%.
I couldn't be any happier, I think this was one of the happiest moments in my life. Made me realize that it is indeed a very rewarding feeling if you accomplish something that you've really worked hard for.
This was was written some time in 2014 but was never published. 'Cause well, I'm that bad of a blogger.
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