Pursuing a career path unrelated to your course is daunting—but not completely impossible. Take it from Danica Lynne Casta, a 24-year-old STEM graduate who ended up starting her own cake business after graduating.
Amidst the height of the pandemic two years ago, Danica graduated from Mapua University with a BS degree in Construction Management and Engineering. While she already had a full-time job in line with her degree, she was still looking for another source of income to alleviate her family’s financial problems.
She wasn’t a trained baker by any means, but she enjoyed cooking enough to spend her measly savings on a small oven. She then opened an online bakery named Amberlyns Cake with the goal of offering budget-friendly bento cakes that are both aesthetically pleasing and tasty.
Of course, learning how to bake and manage a business at the same time was far from easy. “Wala po talaga akong [baking] seminars na in-attendan. As in self-taught… sa YouTube lang ako. Sa TikTok 'yung mga hacks, nakaka-help po talaga iyon,” she revealed in an interview with PEP. “Lockdown noon nagbi-bake na ako paisa-isa lang. ‘Tapos pangit ‘yung mga cake na gawa ko kasi first time ko.”
After much practice, Danica’s photos of her cakes started gaining traction on social media. During special occasions, she would also boost her posts online, offer same-day rush orders, and promote her business on different Facebook groups.
“So nag-post ako ng mga cakes ko, parang preorder. So yun, may natatanggap ako na order, isa, dalawa... 'tapos doon na nag-start,” she said.
“Masama pa ang loob ko noon kasi magbabayad ako ng ads,” she admitted. “Ayun, sobrang dami kong orders, hanggang sa hindi ko na namalayan ganoon na pala siya kalaki.”
According to the Philippine Star, Danica now receives over 1,000 orders every month from loyal customers and big celebrities alike. That means she earns a six-figure income solely from her homegrown business!
Moving forward, Danica plans to expand her business further and establish physical stores all over Metro Manila. Beyond being a baker, though, she’s currently taking a masters degree at Mapua as she still plans to be an engineer someday.
Her advice? Don't be afraid to follow your dreams! “For all na gustong mag-pursue ng dreams nila na malayo sa course nila, kung passion mo talaga ‘yung ginagawa mo, kung gusto mo talaga, push mo lang ‘yun. Mas prefer ko talaga passion,” she told the Philippine Star.
This story originally appeared on Candymag.com.
* Minor edits have been made by the Female Network editors.
