Graduation Speech Essay
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, after your graduation you will be officially called ladies and gentlemen and expected to act as one in the world of careers. Congratulations on passing college. I hope you really enjoyed your stay in college.
It is a period to look back and smile about when you grow older. I feel that somehow I haven’t earned the right to stand here and talk to you about a career in banking and what I have learned. You see, I have only been a banker for seven (7) years.
My boss there can talk to you more on banking experience. Especially on developmental banking.Most of you may only know of commercial banks, you see them everywhere. Banks are channels for people and corporations to save money, invest money and borrow money. My bank is into developmental banking. The name itself says it. Development Bank of the ____________.
Our primary mandate is to provide for the medium and long-term financing needs of enterprises, with emphasis on small and medium-scale industries, particularly in the countryside. This means we give out loans to small and medium-scale businesses to enable them to meet their financial needs. Short term loans are loans which will be repaid within one to three years.
It is used to buy inventories and fund receivables. While long term loans are loans that will be repaid more than three years. They are used to acquire capital assets. The common capital assets are buildings and machineries. They are used to produce products and services. Sometimes loans can be as long as ten (10) to fifteen(15) years. They are reserved for ventures that are highly developmental like construction of water system, rural electrification, construction of schools, hospitals and ports, building of roads and bridges as well as acquisition of ships.
You might have heard of the RORO system in the country. It stands for roll on and roll off. It is an efficient way of getting cargoes as well passengers in and out of the ships/vessels. We, who live in the Visayas Islands, are acquainted with it. I mean who hasn’t ridden a boat? OK, for those who hadn’t ridden a boat yet, I’m sure you are going to experience it if you seek work in other islands. Boats are like moving bridges between islands. THE BANK is very supportive of the RORO system in the country.
In fact, this year, we will hold the Ready Set RORO!THE BANK InterIsland Race Year 4. The competition involves nine teams composed of three members, one (1) of which is an actor/actress, who will endure for six(6) days of challenges and non stop travel on land and sea to win the grand prize of P1M. The past years’ race were shown in TV.
I’ve heard through grapevine but its not yet final, ok, that the race may pass by the City. We hope that this will go through since it is a chance to showcase our city to the rest of the country. So back to the topic, actually, I never left the topic.This is one thing I have learned about banking and it is applicable to every industry.
As an employee, you have to know the business you are in and advertise it in a good way. Because you see, whatever is good to your company can also be good to you. It means that the company will continue and you will also continue to receive your pay.
And our salary is what is important, right? Especially to us fresh graduates. Ay, di na d I ko fresh grad. Feeling lang.
For me, receiving my first pay was a momentous experience. It means I have arrived. It means welcome to the world of independence.You can now buy things on your own without having to ask for money from your parents. And you can now reverse roles, now you can give your parents money. I think I did that. I gave most of my first salary to my mother.
Another thing I’ve learned is to watch out for opportunities. Before working in THE BANK, I used to work in another universal bank for four (4) years. I met many of my friends there and learned a bit of tech savvy banking.
But I felt I can still better my position. So when an opportunity came to enter in THE BANK’s MAP, I took it.It was a bit risky for me because I already had a pending promotion in the other company and there was no guarantee that I would land a job in THE BANK if I failed MAP. And another thing, it means training in Manila for a year. Although I have been there a couple of times, it’s still a different world to me. Most of you have the advantage of knowing how it is living outside your home while studying. I have never had that.
Still I took the risk and I think it paid well. I met people all over the country and made friends. I learned many things about banking that I never knew before.I experienced independent living in a big metropolis.
And for us who passed the training, we were given the rank of Assistant Manager. Was the training difficult? It depends on how you manage yourself, which is another thing I’ve learned as a banker. Managing oneself involves managing expectations, time and stress. As an employee, the Bank has certain expectations from you. You are expected to be competent in your job, to have skills suited to the tasks you will perform and to be a productive member of the organization. As an MAP graduate, the expectations were much higher. You have to deliver results.You do it by focusing on the job at hand and just do it.
Two good tools to help you are time and stress management. Delivering results within a time frame can be stressful. You have to prioritize and get organize. Plan and execute your plans but do not strain yourself. Think of your health and your family so you can work for years to come and not be burned out. And lastly, I’ve learned that in everything you do and whatever plans you make, ask for God’s guidance.
He is always there for us and will never fail to deliver. As with school and with careers, you can be the best that you can be with God in your life. Thank you.
