Am I glad I left the company? Yes.
Do I have any regrets? Yes.
My regret from whole experience is joining the company, that is my biggest regret because had I not been in such a rush to get a job of my own, I would have thought about the decision a little more, turned down the offer and not feel like such a quitter.
2.5 days is really really short and even though it will obviously not be reflected on my resume, I may be a quitter but I'm not retarded, it's will be something that is going to be bugging me for a while.
This experience is pretty similar to what I went through when I first entered the F&B Industry, I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted in a job, I was just happy I was no longer working in that design firm anymore, so I settled for the first baker position I was being offered and it was through that first position did I finally get a clearer picture and better understanding of what exactly I was looking for, to bake in a bakery that specializes in cakes, not in a restaurant.
So after having some time to think things over about my current situation, I've gotten a slightly clearer picture of exactly I want am looking for should I find another Sales Designer Position.
1. I want a position that focuses on design and project management, not one that also expects me to focus on the technical drawings. The whole reason why I chose to look for a position as a Sales Designer is because most of the time, Sales Designer are not expected to do any sort of drafting, that was left for the In-House Designers.
From my own experience, I've come to conclude that there are 2 kinds of job an Interior Design Diploma holder can find.
1. A Draftsman or In-House Designer
2. A Sales Designer.
(Don't really need a diploma for Sales Designers but it's the closest thing to a real Interior Design job)
I avoid looking for drafting positions because it's a very boring job and I'm just not good at AutoCAD. I'm in general not confident in my software abilities, so any position that requires me to have "an extensive knowledge in AutoCAD, 3DS Max & Sketch-Up" automatically becomes a position I'm too under qualified to apply.
If I were to look for a position as a Sales Designer, then I do not want to be doing any sort of drafting, that means serve AutoCAD a restraining order and get it at least 100 meters away from me at all time, same thing applies to 3DS Max and Sketch-Up, I do not want to be in contact with any of those software, I want someone else to be my proxy and do the technical drawings and 3D Renderings for me.
The position I had applied for at the company was one that essentially combined the 2 job types together and turned it into this one single fucking job I absolutely abhorred, a Sales Designer with Drafting duties.
2. I want a job that would allow me to be a Freelance Interior Designer, that means one that comes with Flexible Working Hours, or a full commission based job, it sounds weird right now because I was all about stability a few months ago, but I've come to realize that I'm not someone who's able to commit to a job.
I don't want to have to wake up every morning and report to work at 9.00 am to 6.00 pm, Monday to Friday.
I want to have the freedom to control my workload and not be encumbered, I want to choose when I want to have projects to do and when I want to take a break, I don't want to have a sales quota set by the company that needs to be met at the end of every month, because I'm obligated to, just because I'm receiving a basic pay from them every month.
Becoming a Freelance Interior Designer is the end goal, it would allow me to actually start sourcing for my own customers in the future without the need of a company to back me up, essentially allowing me to become my own boss, that's the whole reason why I wanted to give Sales Designing a try.
3. If "training will be provided", please at least let the trainer be someone who's competent in teaching, someone who has experienced in teaching new guys in the ins and outs of the job, someone who knows what to teach and what not to teach, the senior designer that was assign to me was a great Interior Designer, but he wasn't a great teacher.
On the first day of work, he told me..
"If you have a better way of working, then let me know, I don't want to tell you how to do your work."
...and so I told him my way of working, which included what software I preferred using and how I did my designing, to which he tells me that I have been doing things all wrong, that I should be following his way of working because his is the right way. Contradictory much? Needless to say, I really had a hard time adjusting after that, one that was completely unnecessary because the method I was using has been proven to work, it was the method I had learned from another Design Firm.
4. It would be great if the company will have more local workers than foreign workers. Being a part of a company that encompasses almost 90% Malaysian isn't really ideal for me. I don't want to feel like a minority at my own workplace, in my own country.
I know foreign talents are cheaper to hire because there isn't a need to pay for their CPF, but come'on, even if it ratio of employees in the company isn't Singaporeans > Foreigners, at least make it 50/50. I mean everyone I spoke to had a Malaysian Accent in the company, I don't want to end up speaking in a Malaysian accent 6 months down the road.
So I'm now back on Jobstreet trying to look for other positions in Interior Design and really scrutinizing every job requirement and responsibility before I apply.
22/10/2016 Update.
I had some time to think it through and I honestly still want to become an Interior Designer, the reason I quit the job wasn't because I hated Interior Design, the reason I left the company was because it just wasn't a good fit with me, reasons stated above.
I wasn't willing to learn because I didn't want to be there, I just really didn't want to work there. So I'm going to give this one more shot, just like I did with my F&B career, one real and proper shot before I throw in the towel because honestly, if I don't, I really don't know what else I should do.
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