Cernan Ben Canoy – Technical Support, Billing and Sales

Hi I’m Ben and here’s a little something of myself…

I was born and raised in humble beginnings in a small town where the main sources of income are farming and boating (bringing tourists to a well-known falls, Pagsanjan Falls).

Being the youngest among 11 siblings, I even have nieces that are older me, and one who is of the same age! You could say that in this kind of setting, abundance of food and money would be an issue.

Division of labor is set, and escaping such tasks is not acceptable. There are rules to be obeyed and tasks to be completed before you can go to school. I had to sell anything I could… including candies, fruits and breads – to name a few. And I earned most of my allowance at school.

I chose not to join many of the extra-curricular activities and trips – so no boy scouts, no field trips… none. There was even a funny story when I was earning money by selling guavas to my classmates, that a competitor sold a better variety of guava (bigger and tastier). This rendered my small business dead. She happened to be our class adviser, so in this case, I decided to sell something else because the competition was too much to handle. 🙂

Looking back at my childhood, please know it is definitely not a story of struggle only. It is a story about what life is. During those years, I learned a lot of things: Family, Education, Respect, and Discipline were taught by our parents – right to the core. We were taught that family comes first. Education is the key to be ready for the battles of life. Discipline will help us win each battle – and while not all battles can be won, they are all a learning experience.

I can say, I was a working student my entire school life – especially during college days. I sold pies in between classes and sometimes even during classes! After classes, I taught kids as a private tutor. This kind of routine every day was exhausting for me, but something I had to do.

As Mark Twain said, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education,” for I am a student of LIFE.

I served also as a full-time Missionary for two years. This allowed me to meet a whole bunch of people. I have seen families with different status and situations in life. And every day, we visited, studied, followed-up, recorded, and reported the growth of each family that we worked with.

The jobs that I have performed, from selling different things, being a tutor, serving and teaching for a spiritual cause allowed me to deal with people face to face on a daily basis. I also worked in the BPO industry dealing with clients from the US. I learned technical skills, like troubleshooting simple issues with phones, TV and the internet. I was also exposed to the billing and sales department of the same company that allowed me to be of great help to each customer that I encountered. I always made sure that I was thorough with all of my assistance and the information that I provided.

My wife is working with an online company that allows her to work at home. For me, it is such a nice thing working at home, being able to earn a living and being present for my family. This allows me spend quality time with the reason I am working so hard for. 🙂

Skills can be developed, that I am sure of. This will be my first time to venture into this kind of industry, so I do lack experience – but with the right attitude and discipline I know I will be the best VA that I can be.

For a copy of Ben’s resume please click here.