MANILA — Young Filipinos entering the workforce should not wait indefinitely for their “dream job,” an HR executive said, urging fresh graduates to use available opportunities as stepping stones toward their long-term goals.
“If hihintayin mo, naghihintay yung dream job mo mangyari, baka hindi ka magising,” said Crissy Rollan, an HR expert and talent consultant.
Rollan was responding to questions on whether young workers should accept jobs that may not necessarily match their preferred career path, particularly as many graduates face the need to start earning soon after school.
Her advice? Start somewhere.
“If the opportunity that's in front of you right now is something that you are curious about, you wanna understand, you may not necessarily be passionate about it, but it is something that you are curious about and you genuinely think that, hey, I can actually learn from this company, I can learn from this experience,” she said.
“The path to get to where you want to be, who you want to become, the dream job, starts somewhere.”
Her comments come as a new Remitly study showed virtual assistant overtaking doctor as the top “dream job” among Filipinos based on Google searches.
Doctor ranked second in the Philippine list, followed by vlogger, lawyer, actor, astronaut, flight attendant, diplomat, content creator and social media manager.
The findings also reflect how career aspirations can change as people’s circumstances change, Rollan said.
“Lahat naman tayo nung bata tayo, pinangarap natin ang isang bagay, tapos nung nagdalaga tayo, nung nag-asawa tayo, dreams change,” she said.
“They do. Because you as an individual, as a human being, you evolve.”
Instead of focusing too closely on a particular job title, Rollan said young workers should understand why they want a certain career in the first place.
A person who wants to become a doctor, for instance, may be motivated by a desire to help or heal people. Recognizing that motivation can open up other career paths that serve the same purpose.
“You focus on the why. Why do you want to do it?” she said.
“If you connect it to ‘why do I want to be a doctor? Because I want to help. I want to be a person of healing or purpose,’ then not necessarily doktor lang ang gagawa nun.”
This approach can also help young workers who find themselves in jobs they did not initially plan to take.
Rollan acknowledged that not everyone has the option of waiting for the right opportunity. Some young people, she said, need to earn money even while they are still figuring out their long-term plans.
She said it would be unfair to tell someone who accepted a job because it was the only company willing to hire them that they should have waited for something better.
Instead, workers can ask how they can use the experience to build skills while earning an income.
“How can I leverage this experience so that then I am learning but also at the same time kumikita din ako ng pera,” Rollan said.
That does not mean workers should remain indefinitely in jobs that make them unhappy.
Rollan said employees who are unhappy with their jobs can look for other opportunities, but should know what they want to do next before leaving.
“Do not leave your job not knowing what to do next,” she said.
For those who cannot immediately leave, she suggested finding ways to make their current work meaningful by identifying what they can learn from the experience.
“You have to find the reason why you choose to stay,” she said.
The Remitly study, which analyzed Google searches for “how to be a…” and “how to become a…” across 424 occupations in 145 countries, also showed the growing presence of digital and AI-related careers in people’s aspirations.
For Rollan, the changing list of dream jobs is ultimately a reminder that careers do not always follow a straight path.
“What needs to be clear is that ano ba yung trajectory ng buhay na gusto mo para sa sarili mo?” she said.
“And paano ba makakatulong yung gagawin mo ngayon para makarating ka dun sa patutunguhan mo?”