In some cases, having the right skills, mindset, and attitude is not enough to jumpstart one’s career and, later on, achieve success. Sometimes, it takes some guts and a leap of faith to get to places, career-wise. Consequently, being in a workplace that exudes the right culture as well as an environment that puts a premium on ambitious goals can also help big time.
This is what happened to Josh Mesina. His decision to join Magic in 2016, turned out to be something extremely favorable, to say the least. Let’s get a glimpse of his Magic journey below.
A leap of faith and the turning point
I was hesitant since they were unknown and just setting up in the Philippines in 2016. I gave it a shot anyway since working in a startup piqued my curiosity. The idea of working in a startup in 2016 was relatively uncommon, so it was a complete leap of faith for me. At first, I didn’t see myself staying for longer than a year; but 7 years later, I’m still here hehe.
Magic journey in a nutshell
I was one of the earliest PH-based employees way back in 2016 so I’ve seen the company go through so many phases. I’ve been lucky enough to have taken on 10 different roles across different aspects of the business from various layers of Operations Management, leading Innovation Projects, managing Operations-based Projects, to Client Retention Analytics, Quality Insight, and now leading the Product Team. Taking on different hats, a mix of stable systems-based roles to unpredictable innovations-based roles has helped me have a more well-rounded perspective of how Magic works – and has taught me countless lessons and skills; a lot of which I still practice up to this day.
The role that jump started Josh’s Magic career
Too many to mention! Over the past 7 years, I’ve been able to take on so many roles and opportunities that have all played a part in my career and personal development. A lot of the roles I’ve taken on, I was fortunate enough to have been entrusted with. A lot of the time, I never felt fully prepared or capable; but my work mentors trusted me and my capabilities enough to take a risk. Fortunately, it’s all panned out well so far!
Proudest moment
From a work perspective, it’s difficult to pinpoint just one moment with how long I’ve been here. But collectively, it’s working with countless of people who’ve I helped develop over the years. I find fulfillment in seeing the people I work with grow in their own ways, knowing that I played a part in that. From a not-so-work perspective, I met fiancée here! She herself has also build her own successful career path where she’s also been able to take on various different roles over the years.
Leading a team
I was fortunate enough to be entrusted with bigger and bigger roles over the years which has often pushed me out of my comfort zone – but these moments not only helped my career path but also helped me develop as an individual. Being entrusted with various roles made me realize how wide my capabilities are and can be; and I still feel continuously challenged despite being here for 7 years already. Whether it was learning how to manage people, to being strategic in solving complex problems, to employing data analytics to back up projects/initiatives, to being exposed to highly technical engineering and business financial knowledge.
The most enjoyable role
I’ve been able to play a part on projects that are crucial to the companies growth plans – this has allowed me to experience challenges that I’d say are at a whole other level. Though I’ve had to adjust a lot to be able to keep up in terms of how fast things have been moving, it’s really satisfying to be able to contribute towards the most important and forward looking initiatives of Magic.
Staying engaged and motivated
The recurring approach that I’ve taken across all the teams I’ve managed really comes down to making a genuine connection with the people you work with. Genuinely caring about their well-being, relating with them based on their interests, and playing a part in helping them grow as individuals.
Achieving work-life balance
Pre-pandemic, Magic underwent a major change where we went from a fully in-office setup beginning to explore a fully remote. Then the pandemic happened and it essentially made the fully remote setup permanent. That, along with hiring talents from all over the world, further established Magic being able to operate normally without an office. That, coupled with a flexible schedule, has helped me allocate time for work and my personal life; along with helping me save on transport costs and stress from daily commutes!
Unique work experience
Definitely the conversion from in-office to WFH. I used to really enjoy coming in-office especially since our office was in BGC, but transportation time and costs eventually became too much. While adjusting to WFH was huge for me at the time, I’ve since been able to adjust really well, even building my own “battlestation” as a personal project and exploring other hobbies. Now, I can’t see myself working an in-office role again just based on the time and costs saved alone!
In a nutshell
Some of us are pretty much scared of diving into the unknown, at least career-wise. After all, not knowing what’s going to happen next can be intimidating. But Josh’s Magic experience shows that taking a leap of faith and delving into unchartered territory can be rewarding.