India’s economy grew fast to as much as 17% because the young generation would earn as much as $4,000 through call centers—enough to spend for merchandise that were readily becoming available. In the Philippines, the economy is reeling benefits as well from call centers, and one of which is having strong spending power for the employees. But what’s in it for the young and privileged fresh graduates that are making a lot of them smile ear to ear?

For one, call centers offer higher salaries compared to other jobs in the local industry. Zolleica Carreon, 21, says, ”Fresh grads usually go for this job. I’m talking about people coming from good schools and high-end villages. Aside from the good pay, most call centers offer really good compensation packages. That is why they are tempted to apply for this kind of job. I myself am working at a call center, [and] my primary reason is just for the good pay.” Carreon has been with The ICT Group for 2 months. Her salary range is Phph13,000-Php16,000—a decent amount of earnings compared to the 4-digit salary typical for starting jobs.

Employees also receive company benefits and incentives. On a smaller scale, affiliates provide gift certificates and discounts for the employees at times. The possibility of getting awards and getting traveling incentives is just around the corner, provided that an agent performs well on customer relations, attendance, and the like.

Each agent gets insurance and opportunities to buy stocks, depending on each company. Aside from this, excellent individual performance is a must. Earning more points or better performance statistics can accumulate more bonuses on an agent’s paycheck.

Call center employees claim that the pluses do not stop there when one joins these institutions. Agents also get to have free training in terms of getting lessons with speech and lessons that concerns the job.

But these are just above the line. Aside from the money and the perks, what’s the deal? Why is it such a hit among the young and privileged?

Carreon shares, “applying for a Call Center Representative position is one of the easiest jobs to get into because it only requires you to have good communication skills. There are less responsibilities in this kind of work compared to [other kinds of] corporate work.”

Graduating student Nicole Gonzales, 21, thinks that “call centers are common among fresh graduates [because] these jobs do not require much. They only require that you have finished a four-year course and you are already qualified to apply. It's very easy for fresh graduates to get a job and to earn right away.”

Another reason why call centers are such a hit among the youth is that— colleagues are people from the same age range. Since most of the agents are fresh out of college, it becomes a workplace with a friendly environment. Contemporaries become close friends for they share the same interests, and they end up having fun at work.

In fact, People Support’s OIC Team Supervisor Marika Lao, 23, shares that “at work, we have an open door policy. We can just approach anybody, regardless of what position you’re in.” She adds that, “we even have a first-name basis policy; we can all call each other by our first names, so it becomes a friendly work area all together.”

Call centers can also be a good stepping-stone. In this dynamic environment, there’s a big chance to get promoted fast. Eventually, climbing the corporate ladder becomes a reality without having to suffer the usual repercussions experienced by others in the business world. Lao has been working for almost two years now, and it only takes her half a year to climb from one position to a higher one.

Carreon reveals that she works for a call center “mainly for the experience. I do not see myself working as a Customer Service Representative for a long time. I have no plans of staying as an agent for more than six months because I would really want to pursue an HR career. Sayang naman ang inaral ko sa college. I chose this job because after 3-6 months, I can apply for an HR position in the same company and still have a higher pay than other HR jobs that were offered to me in the past.”

Carreon adds, “I don’t think [young professionals] would want to pursue this as a long term goal. Young people now are very luxurious, and that is why they need a good job with a good pay so they would be able to cope with their lifestyles.”

Call centers are not only noticeable just because of the big pay and compensation. For some of the young and privileged youth, it is the “in” thing because working for call centers serves as a comfort zone: a leeway before eventually pursuing a career, a venue to earn for spending luxuriously, a working environment that does not require much, and a place where they can be amongst friends. 

Bum No More

Call Centers may work for different people in different ways. For some young people, it works for them because the salary that they get for working as a Call Center Representative is more than enough. For the other kids who have been privileged all their life, it works for them because the entire working environment suits them.

It has become a lifestyle. Charlie Cuna, someone who has never worked for a call center, observes, that for Customer Center Representatives, “ [their] time clock becomes totally reversed. The call center employee comprises an entirely new level or category in the working class in the country. Twisted hours, different lingo and of course, different clothing (yung ID hanging around their necks included), drinking habits (lasing sa umaga sa mga Shell Select or Caltex Starmart),etc.”

Diko Lorenzo, 24, really enjoys his job and says, “It really fits me because I am naturally nocturnal.”

But these are all superficial things. For people like Lorenzo, it is an opportunity not to be a bum. It is a better option rather than wasting time and not knowing what to do.

Lorenzo, before working for a call center, would spend his day just spending time with his friends or being unproductive at home. “I really didn’t know what to do with my life. I graduated from a good school but I wasn’t so sure on what I was supposed to do. Isang tropa kami na walang magawa sa buhay. When I learned about the call center opening, it was more, ‘hey, why not?’”

Some may say that it is a luxury to have a choice whether to work or not. “I am very well aware that people would cringe if they hear that I’ve been a bum and I didn’t know what to do with my life. Sorry, I’m not perfect, but at least now I’m doing something with my life and I am no longer being dependent on my parents,” says Lorenzo.

He adds, “I’m glad that I took a chance, because now, I’m very pleased with where I am. I have opened my eyes to the real world, I am making a better sense out of life, and I thank the opportunity that the call center that I’m working for has given me.”

Some people look down on call centers because they say that it is not a real job or it is a dead end job. “But they do not know what they are saying,” says Martin Kho, 22. He adds, “I did not dream of becoming a call center agent. It didn’t even exist when I was growing up. I think people should start to realize that it is not as easy as it seems. We have to deal with the annoying work hours, with the annoying customers, and other things. People should start respecting us for what we do because it is a job, and we work hard for our money.”

There’s a perception that Call Center Representatives do not really do much, but it can be a tough job. “Try sitting in front of the computer for more than 6 hours everyday and you’ll realize that it is no joke,” says Kho.

Customers often demand for good customer service on the phone. At times, they call because the service has become a last resort, and the frustration is already there, given the fact that the customer has to seek for help in order to get through a product. “Sometimes, we get verbally abused. But it’s all good, it’s part of the job,” shares Kho.

There’s the danger of risking safety. Roaming the streets at night increases the possibility that you’re susceptible to being a crime victim. People who are out at that time or coming home from work risk the danger of being with dangerous people in any means of transportation.

In the long run, working in the middle of the night can be harmful one’s health. A young person may claim that it would be all right because that person has enough strength or is accustomed to be awake at night like Lorenzo, but massive lack of sleep can lead to much complication in the years to come. Even if you try to make up for it by sleeping during the daytime, it can still have psychological and physical effects that can make you unhealthy.

Because of having a different calendar, Philippine holidays and even the Philippine days of the week is different from its foreign counterpart because of different cultures and different time zones. Chances are, if you’re a call center agent, you start to have a different lifestyle. The world that moves around you has a world of its own apart from yours because you have to follow a different format. “That is why sometimes we get teased that we have our own worlds, but despite all this, it works for me,” says Kho.

Graduating student Timi Gomez, 21, observes, “Trends in the customer care stunt the potential of my generation to discover and pursue more meaningful career options that might not pay as well at the beginning but allow for higher skill levels and return in the long run. However, I recognize the reality that these industries could also allow my generation to accumulate enough capital and experience to pursue other things. I recognize also that it is a way for the some youth to become more productive.”

High-school teacher Norman Llaguno shares, “they want to experience the working environment, so let them. A job is a job, and if you ask me, it is better than being idle. At least, when they decide to move on to another job, their prospective employers would see that they made an effort to do something out of their lives, rather than just sitting around and doing nothing.”

“It is a job that we like, it fits to our lifestyle. In fact, the job has become a lifestyle and it’s not so bad because it gives me a sense of belonging, a feeling that we are making something out of themselves,” says Lorenzo.

Despite criticisms, working for call centers not only works for people who are just in it for the high pay. These telecommunication centers provide inspiration and purpose for some young people who have been undecided with what to do. We should attribute this to the institutions that have made it possible for the young people to do something about their lives. The youth, including the ones who seem to be hopeless or useless, can make a difference— if only they are given a chance to do so.