Age doesn’t matter: Seniors find second wind in call centers

 

MANILA – In the dead of night, Richard Ancheta answers phone calls from across the Pacific, leading a team of millennials, while most people his age are sleeping off arthritic pains.

“Daddy Richard,” as the 61-year-old father of two is called by his peers, has worked in call centers for a decade, proving it is never too late to pursue a lucrative career, even at retirement age.

The former software engineer at a local bank said he found it hard to find a job after a failed attempt to start a business.

He recalled being turned away at the door because of his age. Software companies were not interested in someone who thrived during the heyday of MS DOS, Pacman, and WordStar.

It was in the country’s thriving business process outsourcing industry that Ancheta found his second wind. He has been with his current company, Alorica, for two years after a stint with Convergys.

“Sabi ko sa misis ko, subukan ko ito. Pumasok ako, first time. Gabi, may trabaho na ako. Naisip ko, ‘This is great’ I went through the whole process, but when you get there, what you will realize is that hindi por que may edad ka na, o mayroon kang kapansanan ay tatratuhin ka na nila differently,” he said.

(I told my wife, I will try this. I got in, it was a night shift job. I thought: This is great I went through the whole process, but when you get there, what you will realize is that you don’t have to be treated differently because of age or disability.)

STARTING FRESH AT 50

Ancheta said it was not easy retooling his body for the night shift at 50, but he eased into his new routine by exercising regularly and quitting drinking.

“I had to adjust my sleeping habits…Nahirapan din ako mag-adjust nun. Hindi diridiretso ang tulog mo, putol-putol, especially kapag summer. You get used to it eventually,” he said.

(I had a hard time adjusting. I did not sleep straight, especially during the summer.)

The soft-spoken Ancheta barely looks 61 with just a few strands of white hair.

Seniors are welcome in the BPO industry, as companies need to fill thousands of job openings, said Jay Santisteban, operations director of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines, says that.

Source: https://goo.gl/FWBgiJ