My Greatest Assets

I got married when I was 22. My wife and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary this July. I was just starting in my first IT consulting job, and I took a leave of absence telling my project manager that I was going to get married over the weekend. She smirked and asked me if I was sure. I thought that it was an insulting question - of course I was sure. But I dont blame her. I married young. Back then, I didn't come across as someone "marry-able".

And, in the course of six quick years, 3 boys joined the family. When I had only two boys, a warehouse supervisor at a small town in Portugal looked at me from head to foot and asked, "Don't you have anything else to do in the Philippines?" Again, that was insulting. I was 25 then. Easily insulted.

Now, I have a 9-year old, a 7-year old, and a 4-year old. My wife and bestfriend, and my boys, are my most prized possessions.

Single Income Family

My wife stopped working when she was 8 months pregnant with our eldest child. We both agreed it was to our family's best interest if she stays at home with our children. She's done that for the last 9 years. Our youngest is now 4 years old.

An acquaintance, a Russian immigrant, once commented that you'd need to be rich to have 3 boys. Materially, we're not; though we're doing much better financially here in the US than when we were in the Philippines.

I consider it a tremendous blessing to be able to support our family of 5 with a single income. I think I can write a book about it. But, we're budgeting wisely and keeping track of our expenses. Plus, with my wife at home, it allows me to fully focus on my work. I really think that allowed me to progress on my career knowing fully well that if I leave our house to go work, my household is under the best manager it can ever be under - my wife.

IT Consultant

I thought that if you worked in IT, it will allow you to be on the Internet full time. That's how I viewed it way back in 1998. A friend chided me for thinking that the "I" in IT stands for "Internet". For me back then, it wasn't far from the truth. (Lest someone gets confused, here's the Wikipedia entry on IT Consultancy).

I majored in Chemistry as an undergrad. The day I took my oath as a chemist was my last day on that field. I shifted careers and never looked back. I'll be 10 years on this profession next June. Looking back, it has been a most fulfilling one -and will still be for the next 10 years or so. Then, I'd shift to being a high school math teacher. Or a house husband. Or maybe a stage dad. Who knows?

But I digress. Being an IT consultant has brought me to places I've never thought I'd visit. It made me a resident alien here in the US. It brings food to the table. And on occassions, it could be real nice food. I'm very thankful for this career. It's far from being over.