After all. I didn’t JUST pack a suitcase when I left the Philippines. I packed eleven years of experience under my belt as a teacher and academic leader. I left behind a postgraduate degree in education. YEARs of student-teaching certificates. I was proud of where I came from. I was devoted to my career in education. And I thought that those were enough Qualities to make my transition here smooth-sailing as long as I stayed eager to learn and humble. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. Like a lot of immigrants in Canada, I quickly learned that starting over meant starting at square one. Except we’re not actually starting at square one because starting over, in this case, meant having to reintroduce yourself to the workforce not because we’re unqualified but because we are getting settled in Canada. I’ll never forget questioning my self-worth when I’d have to accept positions way beneath my years of experience. I used to be the one teaching kids in the Philippines. I used to STAND IN FRONT OF CLASSROOMS full of students teaching them about life. I was USED to making lesson plans full of engaging activities. Now, I was the student once again. I felt like I was taught everything from zero and asking myself “Did all those years even matter?” felt like a soundtrack on replay. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized I was asking myself the wrong question. If I were to ask myself one question about my experience being restored, I’d ask, “How can I apply everything I’ve learned to excel in this next chapter of my career?” 

That question changed my mindset when it came to having to start over. I’m currently working with students with autism and other neurodivergent learners. My job has taught me that growing in your career doesn’t always mean going up. Sometimes going up requires you to grow sideways. Sometimes starting over requires you to learn like it’s your first day. Starting from nothing looked like me accepting a position with a smaller title but with the mentality of working toward my larger purpose. Starting from zero looked like having the humility to start where the jobs are (instead of where I thought I should be because of my experience). I’ve seen so many immigrants wash their worth away because of their jobs in Canada. I’ve known Nurses who would study all night just to be able to qualify as Registered in Canada. I’ve seen Engineers work at retail job just while they search for engineering positions. Accountants working entry level office positions. Teachers who despitefully love on kids even though they’re just forced to start at SQUARE ONE. 

When I look at my fellow immigrants, I don’t see people who gave up on their dreams. What I see is resilience. I see warriors who fought from their old lives to create a better life for themselves and their families. I see people who understood that their job here does NOT define them and their journey. I understand how you feel. Believe me, I do. But I choose to see my experience elsewhere the same way. Instead of reminiscing on how I “lost my status” as a teacher, I reframe my mind to how I gained strength. Strength from knowing that every grade level I help, every student that learns how to communicate because of the work I do, every new certificate I get and challenge I face is a brick being laid in my story. When I landed on Canadian soil, my years of experience teaching in the Philippines wasn’t tossed out. In fact, my experience in the Philippines is the foundation I’m now building my life upon. Canada isn’t just looking for workers. Canada is looking for people with real life experiences. Canada is looking for people who grew up in different cultures. Canada is looking for teachers who knew STUDENTS didn’t just learn from books, they learn from people with compassion. Canada is LOOKING for immigrants. 

We, as immigrants, have spent years perfecting the ability to never give up after life punches us with adversity. I still wholeheartedly believe that if you work hard enough, you’ll receive great rewards. But what I’ve learned to believe in just as much is the art of patience. Your experience may not be seen right away and your growth may take you years to feel like you’ve reached your peak but please DON’T forget this: If you’re going FORWARD, no matter how slow you’re going, you’RE GOING. To my fellow immigrant professionals out there still fighting to rebuild what Canada tried to make you feel you lost: You are more than your job title can define you as. You are stronger than your feelings will tell you. You are educated. You are passionate about your career. And you deserve to be here just as much as my next friend. Starting over doesn’t mean you started from nothing.