Sid Rivera grew up in a province back home in the Philippines and was only able to experience the big city life during college, where he successfully pursued a degree in hotel and restaurant management as a working student, and obtained his diploma a Dean’s Lister.
Fresh out of college at 20, Sid tried his luck in Dubai. It was 2016.
“I have just been in the city for a week when I got a job as a telco sales guy. I didn’t have the vaguest idea how to deal with people of different nationalities. I just knew I had to make a sale, promote the company’s services and products… and I did,” Sid tells Dubai Vibes Magazine.
“I have grown used to dealing with people, but Dubai was a bit at a different level and so I quickly adjusted to the work culture,” he said.
Sid then moved to a travel agency where he took on a bigger responsibility of marketing the company’s services. Today, Sid works as team coordinator at a real estate company.
The sense of camaraderie holds firm in Sid’s motto.
“When I got my first salary, I bought groceries and sent these to typhoon victims in the Philippines. It’s my way of giving back and it runs in my family,” said Sid.
“One of the most important things for me is to enjoy a good work-life balance. By doing so, I retain the energy and passion I need to give my hundred percent at work.
“The ability to choose from among a diverse range of tasks was one of the best features I was able to develop in my previous job. My organization worked closely with a variety of societies and charities. As a result, the list of tasks I received included project management, public relations, strategy, and marketing. Each project provided a different challenge. As well as learning a wide range of skills to help the company, I was able to approach each new task with a fresh mindset. This, in turn, increased my level of creativity,” said Sid.
Looking back, Sid said his has been a journey full of learnings, “a dance of life,” he said, that sometimes caused him to stumble when he was not looking, and rise up again, in a manner graciously like it didn’t happen.
