Before I Found the Job I Loved…
There was this chapter of my life I rarely talk about.
I was working in the BPO industry: a call center agent on graveyard shifts, answering calls from people halfway across the world.
Everyone says it’s good money.
Everyone says “you’ll get used to it.”
But no one really talks about the cost.
The Calls That Hurt More Than They Should
I hated the customers.
The ones who already knew how to fix their concern but still called to yell.
The ones who demanded an “American representative.”
The ones who screamed at me like I wasn’t human.
“You know what, fck you and go fck yourself!”
One night, I answered a call from a dad. I heard him softly saying good night to his daughters. His voice was full of warmth. It was such a tender moment.
Then he returned to the phone and tore me to pieces.
“DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? I HAVE TO GO TO F*CKING WORK TOMORROW—”
He was furious. I couldn’t solve his issue.
He cursed me out while his kids were asleep in the other room.
And I cried. Not because I was overwhelmed, but because I’m someone’s daughter too.
The Real Reason I Broke Down
People saw me crying at my desk and thought I was stressed from the workload.
Sure, I was tired. But I’ve been overworked before. I was trained for discipline, I was a pilot for f*ck’s sake.
I broke down because the job made me absorb pain that wasn’t mine.
That man wasn’t yelling at me. He was yelling at his own life.
And I was just the random person on the other end of the line, expected to be polite, empathetic, and apologetic.
And when I put him on hold just so I could pee, I got scolded.
The Cycle of Abuse We Pretend Is Normal
Not all customers are cruel.
Some are funny. Some are sweet. Some actually say thank you.
But the kindness never lasts long enough to protect you from the next wave of abuse.
And here’s the line we all get told:
“You’ll get used to it.”
No, you won’t.
You don’t “get used to” being screamed at daily by people who see you as less.
You just adapt. You compartmentalize. You stop feeling.
Or worse… you carry that pain into your real life.
What It Does to You (Even When You Think You’re Fine)
You think you’re fine until:
- You oversleep all day
- You vape more than you breathe
- You stop eating right
- You ghost people who care about you
- You numb yourself with alcohol or attention or work flings
- You start crying alone and don’t even know why
You tell yourself it’s just a job.
But it chips away at your empathy, piece by piece.
This Job Is A Stepping Stone
And this is my point:
Being a call center agent shouldn’t be your endgame.
It can be a stepping stone, a temporary grind, a way to survive while you figure your life out.
Maybe you’re working to:
- Save for school
- Buy your first car
- Propose to you partner
- Learn discipline
- Build confidence
- Make new friends
- Just start somewhere
That’s valid. That’s enough.
But don’t get stuck thinking this is the peak of your potential.
To the Agents Who Stay, You Are Stronger Than Most
Some agents stay. Some even thrive. They get promoted to TL, OM, QA.
They stay because they care. Because they want to protect the people around them.
If you’re going to give your empathy, give it to people you actually see every day.
To your seatmate.
To the newbie on your team.
To your supervisor who’s been quietly looking out for you.
That’s where the honor is. Not in the industry, but in the people enduring it.
So Be Proud. But Don’t Be Stagnant.
“Kala mo kung sino, call center agent lang naman.”
That kind of shame only sticks if you don’t see anything bigger for yourself.
But if you know that you’re on your way to something greater? You’ll laugh at that.
So be proud.
Tell the world:
“I was an agent before I became _______.”
And please, for the love of God, cut off vaping.