I’ve been a part of RareJob since 2019. I started as an Operations Associate and now I’m an Operations Specialist for the Onboarding Team. I mostly work on the backend of onboarding operations by making sure that all sessions go smoothly for our coaches, and that tutors and applicants are supported throughout their applications.

One of my biggest struggles when we had to shift from working from the office to working from home was staying fit. I was never an exceptionally healthy person but my daily commute, which I once dreaded, was my only constant source of physical activity. I could consistently reached my daily goal of getting 10,000 steps in a day because of it. So, even though I had the benefit of being able to sleep in for an extra 2 hours daily, I had to figure out how to get myself to move around while working from home.

I started doing light exercises in the morning and before going to bed, and later on, I started jogging around our village. These were good additions to my non-existent work-from-home exercise routines, but I eventually got bored of them because they were too repetitive.

Sometime in 2024, my social media algorithm started showing me clips of badminton trick shots. There were shots that looked easy or something I thought I could do so I picked up my old badminton racket from my school days and tried doing them at home. Needless to say, what I was doing was not the same as the videos but I did feel the strange craving to play an actual game again—a feeling that I have not experienced since grade school. As luck would have it, I saw the company Badminton Club leader’s announcement where they were inviting people to play with them. I took this as an opportunity to try badminton again and catch up with one of my work friends. I remember being nervous and anxious that day because it was my first time playing in probably 15 years and, for more, it was mostly with people I didn’t know. But despite the initial apprehension, I had a lot of fun that day.

The club leader also mentioned her plans to revive the RareJob badminton club and I was all for it! I remember when we were still in the old office, some of our co-workers would have badminton rackets with them because they were members of the badminton club. I wanted to join back then but because I was still a new hire at the time, I was under a different HR program, plus I was way too shy to even attempt to join. So, when the next club sign-ups were announced, I immediately went to join the Badminton Club.

We usually have one game every month and the date is determined by when most members are free to play, and if there’s a court available on that date. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the Badminton Club because the members are all so nice and accommodating. We’re all around the same level when it comes to badminton but the more competitive players accommodate even newbies when we occasionally get mixed together. Every game is the right mix of good-spirited banter and competitiveness.

I’ve made new work friends and reconnected with old ones whom I hadn’t seen in person outside of a few company events through the Badminton Club. Anyone from RareJob is welcome to join the club, and it’s a great way to meet people that I would otherwise never even interact with in the office. I think it’s especially valuable to have groups like this since we’re in a remote work set-up and we don’t really get a chance to socialize with our co-workers too often.

If you’re looking to start a new sport or return to an old sport, I think the best way to go about it is to find a friend or a group of friends who also want to try it out. Personally, I don’t think I would have started playing badminton again or been as physically active as I am now if it wasn’t for my friends inviting me to play or having the opportunity to play regularly.