Today I Celebrate FIFTY !!! 🎂🎉🎈🎇

Aaaagh, I'm 50 Now! No, not the age - the Reputation Score! 😄

It's been 234 days since I first joined Steemit and I feel I'm at a point where I'm finally coming into my own and obtained some measure of credibility (I hope 😛).

I first learned about blogging back in 2007 from a team mate when I still worked in a BPO. He was posting pictures about their farm, the organizations he joined and various random thoughts and musings. I thought it was interesting but just couldn't devote any effort to what I thought then as something kitsch and trivial. Little did I know it would boom into a colossal industry in the years to come! 💰

Fast forward to 2015, I already quit the BPO scene for it's toxicity and looked for a less abusive job. First week of March I got hired as a work-at-home Quality Analyst.

The company paid us via Bitwage , a payroll startup that allows users to pay or be paid in Bitcoin and funnelled to Coins.PH for withdrawal. I had absolutely no idea about Bitcoin or Cryptocurrency back then. I even had an argument with the payroll department why my pay's exchange rate did not match FOREX rates. 📊

It was when they explained how things were processed and computed that my mind was opened to the world of blockchain technology and crypto. Tech nut that I am, I started to research about cyptocurrencies and while browsing in Udemy I saw a free course about earning money just by posting blogs and that's how I discovered STEEMIT! 🎉🎆

The Udemy teacher made it sound so lucrative and easy that just by posting a single picture or video you'll immediately earn $200++. HOW CAN I REFUSE? I immediately signed up and got my account approved a few days later. I logged in and discovered a website that's oozing with brainpower, it was information overload! Blogs about almost anything you can think of, I was very intimidated. 😶

It was lonely not knowing anyone on the platform so I went around socializing; commenting and replying to posts and I was very happy that there's a tag for my country #Philippines ! I started to acquaint myself with my kababayans and eventually learned of #SteemPH. I joined their Discord Channel and with their guidance found out that 80% of what the Udemy guy taught was so wrong! He advocated making generic "great post" comments and single picture or video blog entries. 👎

After unlearning the crap taught by that guy, I followed the "Do's And Dont's" on the platform and applied other best practices. It was hard starting from the bottom but as I kept writing, learning and expanding my network, my efforts to improve in Steemit went more smoothly. 😄

I'd like to give A HUUUUUUUUUUGE THANK YOU! to @surpassinggoogle for giving me motivation to push forward and encouraging me to be myself when I was just a fresh 25-Reputation newbie.🐟

I will be more loose, casual and authentic with my posts from now on and I hope you will find value with what I have to share. 😊