December 8, 2020 is the actual date I turned 20 years in service at a government owned and controlled corporation – PAGCOR! My identification card states I was officially hired 2001 (as a probationary employee prior to regularization) but actually I started working with the company earlier than that as a daily-paid contractual employee bearing a non-plantilla position. I started working at 21 so I guess you know already how young I am already this year! Two times I created opportunities for me to finally leave PAGCOR so I can be self-employed, but I’m still with the company today. However I have no regrets! I was born pre-millennial year when job loyalty and employment security are more valued. It did not matter if I was not living my dream job. It mattered more that I am in a stable company that can provide for my needs.
Looking back, I may not be in my dream job but I am thankful for the comfortable life the company gave me. Also, some other dreams were materialized because I stayed with the company – I met my husband, I was able to nurture my love for theatre, and because of the work schedule flexibility I was able to build a side baking business.
I have also been baking a decade now to realize at least three things that are common with my current position now as a dealer in the casino and as a baker:
1. You need to work on night shifts (or extended hours) at times.
This Christmas, despite accepting only minimal orders compared to previous years, I only slept for an average of 3 hours for two consecutive days. As you already know, bakers in regular bakeshops wake up very early to be able to serve freshly baked breads early in the morning. Making customized cakes too takes a lot of time, and most times bakers and cake decorators need to work at night.
Thankfully I already mastered working on graveyard shifts due to casino work schedules, so this is no longer a big deal for me.
2. You need to work more when others are on a holiday.
Classic example is this holiday season. Any celebration is incomplete without a cake. When others are busy with parties, bakers are working non-stop making cake orders for clients. Pre-COVID, when most people relax on weekends, bakers hustle hard on weekends because it is when celebrations and parties are scheduled.
I rarely get a weekend days-off working in the casino and there are more customers on holidays, so again, thanks PAGCOR for the training!
3. Math is your best friend.
In the casino, there is what we call casino math. While in pastry arts, there is what we call Baker’s Math. Both are needed to be able to run a profitable business. What is the purpose of doing a business if you are not making profit, right? I am not a math wizard, but ever since elementary days I have always loved numbers. So I guess this is one reason why I stick to both jobs.
I know math is not everybody’s forte, but it is necessary to know the basics. It is very necessary in order to properly formulate recipes and costing for pricing purposes. In my ebook entitled Turn Your Baking Passion to Profit, Price Your Cake Right, I explained in the simplest form on how to compute cost and price for baking products. That is the beauty with math, certain math problems may be solved in a complicated manner but it can be simplified. As long as you understand the logic behind it, it will still lead you to the correct answer.
I thank God I made it to 20 years in PAGCOR and we survived 2020. In all times, let us appreciate what we have and what we have become. Let us push hard to do better each year and for the things we are not in control, we pray God to take charge! God bless our 2021!