The Eye-opener Sharing Moments (Meeting 2)

 Every person has its own story which is worth listening for. You may pick some interesting things and may learn something from them as you lend your time and ears to them. You may not expect that they can inspire you and even change your life in just an hour. That’s the power of words especially if its came from their experiences as well as from their hearts. You can really feel it to extent that they can bring you to the place they were talking about. That’s what I felt as our facilitator speaks in class and share his perspective and goals in life. My experience that I was talking about happened in the second meeting in our subject Technopreneuship, June 17 in the morning. Full of Dreams and faith. That’s what I feel as I listen to our facilitator. I really don’t expect that I will discover something new about our facilitator since my expectations are serious like as the tic of the clocks run, anytime we will experience tough challenges. In that time, I was expecting struggling faces as I turn to my left and right, sweating of hands, and trembling of voice as our feet step on the little podium in front of the class assuming that we will present our innovations in the class and will defend as best as we can. To my surprise, the day of our subject starts with an amazing activity which I find it fun and really inspiring as the hidden idea behind the nine dots reveals. The air shifts from nervous state into a new ambiance because of the things I had assumed earlier as the class was not true. As Sir Gamboa shared his story, it really inspires me more and that was I really like within the four hours or maybe five hours we seated in our chairs.

                Our facilitator shares his perspective in life. He also shared some of his experiences as well as how bright his dreams are. Let’s start to his dream. If you want me to describe his dream that he told us, it was like a small star that evolve into a sun in the solar system. It was big, and really bright, full of positivity. He’s ultimate dream if I were not mistaken to hear it, he wants that Davao to shine brightly like a sun. It’s not like bright as literally like it will have all the lights in the whole country but what I mean is that he wants the Davao to be the top of all the places in the Philippines as the center of IT business as well as other field of business. This dream is not really difficult, it’s just SO DIFFICULT. Honestly, I find it impossible. Imagine if you will bring the Davao on top, it really needs a lot of efforts as well as money. This dream is not just like “I want to have a luxurious car someday” or “I will have that house someday”. It’s not for himself but for the Davao City. Davao is just a city that is new to advance technology and embrace this not so long ago unlike other cities in the Philippines like Manila. That’s the reason why I just spill out in my head that it was more likely an impossible dream. It was impossible dream for me but was changed into a possible dream as Sir Gamboa continued his story. As he started to speak up, he just snapped out the thoughts that were running in my head in that time. He talks about how he started his step to work out on his dream and that made me focus more on him. In what I remembered, the first step I guess starts when he and his friend was called out and told them that they were going to the Australia. The purpose of going to the other country was not to have a pleasure trip. Going to Australia was to learn something new with a given period of time. Our facilitator said as he shared his experience that they were supposed to spend months in Australia for studying. There were a financial support for the two of them and all they need to do is to say yes and ride with the plane destined to Australia. But the next thing that he reveals was not what I was expecting in that moment. I thought that the next thing he will utter with his mouth was the thought that he with his friend said yes and things went well but in my surprise, it was opposite. He and his friend who were supposed to go in Australia stayed in the Philippines. Instead of saying yes, our facilitator said no and presented a new idea. As what our facilitator said, he is proud as always. I don’t term it as boast person but as a proud person and I find it funny instead of having a bad reaction as he told these words to us. Since he’s a proud person, he didn’t accept it for some incredible reason. According to him, if the two of them will go to Australia, they will become the most incredible person in that place and no one will be left for the Philippines. The class laugh as hard as we heard those words he uttered. I just keep on buying those jokes as well as being amaze on how he managed to add some gag when he was serious which makes our class exciting and fun. The part of the sharing that I also laugh is when he was called by an officer or maybe the head of the CHED. I’m not sure if it’s the head but I’m sure that our facilitator was called by the CHED. So the reason why he was called because of changing the entrepreneurship into technopreneurship and it matters because entrepreneurship was introduced then into IT courses. They argue why he changed it and he explains that Technopreneurship suits for the IT courses because IT involves technology. He also said about funny things with the deans of other universities, it’s not bad though. The class is lively from the beginning as the discussion ends.  Actually, it happens all the time even in the first meeting in Technopreneurship and in the other subject which we are under in his supervision. There are few teachers can do that and our facilitator in this subject is one of these people. If you, readers wonder why I address Sir Gamboa as facilitator, it’s for the reason that he don’t want to be address as a teacher. You may wonder and want to know the answer bubbling in your mind but it will be answer sooner or later along reading this one, you will know it later. Back to the sharing moment, as what I am saying, he and his friend declined the offer and they weren’t able to go in Australia but he suggested an idea. He propose an idea that instead of going in the other country and spend the money for their study, let the white people come to the Philippines. Let be the education take place in Davao. So as what happen, the money was used for this idea which was approved since it’s a good idea. This idea is for the purpose to expose Davao for this kind of opportunity which is to open up a new curriculum. The new course is the Technopreneurship we are enrolling today. Yes. Our facilitator is one of the people who made an idea to include this subject for the IT courses. As what Kim Chui said in her movie, “Isn’t it amazing?  Isn’t it?” well, it was. I was dumbfounded as those words lingered in my ear lobe as it go up and hang on in my head and processed in my brain. To think that he was really an incredible person, I was still surprise that he was one of the founders in this course. I wasn’t surprise about his ability to make it but how he works for it. It was amazing to know how he had come so far and how he was devoted to his dream which I called I earlier as an impossible dream. Knowing these things from our facilitator are an inspiring to hear and this was what I like from the sharing happens in the second meeting of Technopreneurship. That’s my point in talking so much things about what he shared to us and how I sound like I was really amazed, astonished, and whatever words you can compare to what I feel. The sharing happened in the second meeting just showed me how dreams could be possible. I also realize that dreams a wonderful thing to have. Dreams are the things that people hold on to. Dreams are the reason why there are many successful people in their different field and expertise. That’s the reason why we see many inventions, large establishments and incredible things today. Without dreams, I could really say that life will be no direction. Life is vague and possibly will end up with nothing. In the sharing also, I just realize that fantasizing of our dreams in night is not enough. Effort. A six letter word. This word is the key to unlock the door to the word success. It’s like you’re playing a wide maze and you must find the exact key to pass the maze. Finding the key will cost great effort, same with having a dream. As what I said earlier, dreaming is not enough, you must make it come true and the answer to make it true is to exert effort. That’s what our facilitator showed to us in that day. His dream was really big and now, he’s positive to it. He always says that Davao could be the center of IT business through producing great and effective graduates. Based on my own understanding, our facilitator’s way to achieve this dream is to guide the students to be able to attain their diploma and to produce great students. This way doesn’t give any assurances that these great students will not leave the Davao but he’s positive that the future great graduates will really help Davao to be more productive in terms of technology and he still working on it. In sharing in that meeting, he also included other things. One thing that I like the most is when our facilitator said that we cannot learn anything from him but he will teach us how to value our attitude. I consider it as one of the unique things that I’ve heard along the sharing happens in the second meeting of Technopreneurship. It was great to hear from a facilitator. He explains that we can learn things from many sources. We can learn Java, Android through the help of our friend in all times, Mr. Google. Anyways, only few just care about the languages put up in a program. In the real world, customers cares only for the outcome. Understanding in what he said, I think that the other message of it is learning can be more effective in a way that I as a student can have all the options on how I can gain knowledge. In other words, learning is not limited in the four corners of a room or in a computer laboratory. As what I always hear in the a show like drama shows in the television, the best learning can be found in exploring things, without setting walls to be able to learn more. To answer the question why he doesn’t want to address or to be called as a teacher, this is the answer. We cannot learn anything from him since he will not teach us anything he knows but will just guide us to be more productive and will know how stand with our feet. I guess, that’s the primary lesson in the words he utters in that moment which is to be independent and be more productive in our own way. As what I just stated a while ago, everything can be found now in the internet. I think, it’s an effective way of teaching. Students will now exert more effort than waiting for the teachers to feed them the resource. Again, according to our facilitator, he can just teach us how to give value in our attitudes. For him, it was the most important thing in his class which I’m really agreed for. Even in any place, whenever and wherever you are, you must have a good attitude if it’s not better nor best. Without right attitude, a right conduct, it will cause great, enormous problem. That may start misunderstandings, turn into fight, disunited within the group and end up failure. I may sound too far but it the truth behind the thought without proper attitude. Reading along this paragraph may sound too far from the question as well as to this subject. I may sound that I’m talking about the Value Education subject instead of talking about what is the real definition and essence of having Technopreneurship in the IT curriculum as well as in the society. But my answer to the question ‘what was I mostly like about the sharing’ was not really the content of what our facilitator shares about but the lesson in life with it. As I keep on saying these words: Dreams, Effort, Success, I think it’s the main ingredients to complete Technopreneurship. Technopreneurship is just similar with the word Entrepreneurship. As the matter of fact, as Sir Gamboa said, some of the letters was just replaced that made it as a new word.  Technopreneurship is also involves selling and buying system, business operations which is almost the same with the Entrepreneuship. The only thing that the two words differ is that Technopreneurship is a form of Entrepreneurship which involves technology which is basically applicable on IT courses. Why did I say that the three words I always mentioned are the great ingredients for Technopreneurship? Dream has a big role to everyone as I said a while ago. Dream also has a great part into Technopreneurship. Technopreneurs must have goals in life, must have a target point, must have the term called dream. The dream makes our technopreneurs to exert more effort. It’s like a fuel that makes our ship to move. It’s a direction where we are heading to. Without dreams, do you think that there will be any establishment in our place? Obviously, the answer is NO. We will remain as the caveman people who just live to eat, and to sleep. But dreamers won’t be the same with these people. They want changes, better life than living like a caveman. To be able to change life, EFFORT has a great factor. It’s one of the great factor in Technopreneurship. Building this kind of idea needs an effort. We already know that it’s likely the same with entrepreneurship but it’s more complicated. Since technopreneurship world are composed of dreamer and creative people, they exert effort to make their dream come true. To earn more money, to live better life, to be known, to help the society is the common dreams for the business people out there. If they want to achieve those, they will exert effort to think practical ideas, efficient techniques upon building business proposals and plans, and play like a Pro. Business is a world of competition and nowadays, everything turns to embrace technology and use it as a tool to be ahead from others. That’s the use of the word effort in the world of competition. Great effort comes with a great reward. As they dream and work for it through using great effort, the next thing on the line is the word called success. Everybody wants to be successful in their own field. In technopreneurship, it’s the goal of technopreneurs why they work so hard. Nobody wants to be failed especially if it talks about business. Money, sweat and blood are the investment when it comes to business. But achieving success is not easy to claim in our hands. As I keep on saying, it needs a lot of effort to exert. At this moment, I came up to a thought about this subject. For me, technopreneurship is not just all about the selling and buying stuff or any business operations with the touch of technology, it also talks about what must an individual could have to understand it more and to be able to an effective technopreneurs.

                                ‘Which part do you liked least?’ A question which is difficult for me to provide an answer. Based on what I just mentioned earlier, I just find the whole hours of our second meeting as amazing and inspiring. I took me for a while to digest what are the things that I don’t like or I liked least in sharing happened in that meeting. Then a light bulb lights and sounds “ding” in the top of my head. Don’t take it literally that there is really a light bulb on the top of my head. I just use these words to add spice in my work which I don’t know if it really did. So as I was saying, thoughts just pop out in my head. I don’t really hate the things that were shared by our facilitator in the class but the reality and the common situation within the family and students. “Go to school, get good grades, and land in a high-paying job." the words that locked my eyes as our facilitator showed his PowerPoint presentation in the class. Reading between these lines didn’t make me disagree with it. These lines were called the “Default Mindset” for those people having this kind of thought about the formal education. Honestly, I’m one of these people and I’m having this kind of mindset within the twelve years living as student. It was a common mindset which was originated long, long time ago. Parents out there mostly send their children to school with this kind of thinking. They plant these thought in the mind of their children thinking that it was the right thing to put in their mind in their children. If you will ask some students, you may find answers same with the kind of thinking I was talking about. This only proves that this default mindset was passed through generations. Students strive so hard to get good grades aiming the thought that they will get a high-paying jobs. These students who were set by their parents in this kind of goal take in this mindset which was carried until in the tertiary education, in college. Without knowing, as students move into the next level of education, they will blind their selves into reality. They won’t mind what they really want to be and just mind what courses are in demand and the numbers of zeros will they get soon in their salary. That’s the reality. These people closing the door to look in the other side why they go to school every day. They’re closing their doors to aim much higher like being an employer someday. They’re blinded by their default mindset to be a boss in their own company and just settled with a title of employee. Our facilitator also shared something connected to Default mindset. This was about the great graduates of Davao, the real situation of our city. Davao can produce great graduates in the field of IT. In fact, if all graduates that will work together and will be placed in Davao, maybe Davao is one of the top cities in the Philippines right now. But it was far for what I mentioned above and until now, it didn’t come true, not yet. There are many people who said that Davao has great IT students. It’s true and I really agree with it. These can be proved in the achievements of Davao universities as they participate in any contest. If their participants didn’t get the first place, they can be in the second place or within the top ten lists of winners. But why Davao still remains on its position and doesn’t have booming improvements like Cebu and Manila? As part of the sharing moments in the class, Sir Gamboa mentioned the reason why other cities are on its peak and why Davao is still the same and has slow improvements. According in our discussion, Davao became the supplier of great employees for other cities. Great isn’t it? Universities in Davao must be so proud that they were able to produce great students which have great contribution in the booming industries of othher cities in the country. These best students choose to work in other cities like in Cebu and Manila because of its alluring compensation that they will get which is not equal on what they will earned if they stay in Davao. Best students are attracted on wonderful offers to them and as a result, they will migrate to other cities and basically will work for them. Since the best students are taken by the other cities, those average students will just be the remaining people in Davao City could have. Even these average people may find ways to leave Davao for other cities since they know that there are a lot of companies out there compare in Davao City. To think of it, Davao must be the richest city in the country today but because these best students have this kind of mindset, this place has still slow improvements in terms of the status of our industries. It has least companies compare to other cities which is disturbing. What is the use of having best students in Davao City if they cannot contribute any help for this city? Davao was just become a supplier but didn’t become as a prosperous city like Cebu and Manila. Hearing the reality opens the eye of everyone in that room. It hits me again that I must have learn more and there are things that I thought it was right. As what I said earlier, I’m one of these people having the default mindset. When I was in kindergarten years, I was aiming to be an engineer since I love to draw and I know that it’s a high-paying job. This mindset of mine continues until I was in my fourth year in College. Even though plans were changed and I took other course instead of taking up engineering, my mindset was still the same when I was in my kindergarten years. Partly, one of my reasons in taking up BSIT is it’s in demand. Way back then when I was going to college, I always heard in the news that one of the in demands courses was Information Technology (IT). One of my reasons why I took this course is the assurance I feel that it’s an in demand course. I’m having the thought that I could earn a lot of money when I’m done in college and will have a work which is related in IT. I’m also fantasizing that being an IT graduate has a great possibility to go in the other country which can earn thousand or even millions. That’s the thought running in my head as I step into the gate of USeP. As years pass by, I was aiming not to be an employer. I was aiming to be an employee because I just want to earn money as long as I can help my family. I just want to be web based programmer, any work as long as it’s with the course I take up. Being a boss or the owner of an IT company was never my plan. At first, I don’t find that my mindset is wrong until this second meeting in Technopreneurship happened. I just realize that if ever I finish my business here in USeP, I will be the new member of those graduates that will do the same thing as what I had mentioned earlier. I may go to other cities and just being contented as an employee. So if you will ask me again if which part that I like the least, it’s the default mindset thing. I don’t like it for the reason that I don’t like to face the reality but I hate it or least like it to the fact that the twelve years of my student life is just aiming for the silver one not the gold one. I just mentioned a while ago that there are many people who have this kind of mindset. I think this default mindset was formed due to the situation of the people. For me, I guess this kind of mindset formed because me, personally just want to earn money for my family without knowing that there are better ways of thinking and setting goals in life. Without knowing that my dreams could be bigger than I ever thought. I’m thankful that I was given a chance to know what kind of mindset I have as a student and to see the real situation of Davao that I thought this place is already improved.

                As I have a reflection in the sharing of perspective, ideas, and experiences, I came up to a question. If all students have the default mindset, what will happen to Davao? There are possibilities that the situation of Davao industry will be worst than today’s situation. As what our facilitator shared the true situation of Davao, these only proves that the effect of having this kind of mindset must not be ignored. If it will continue and will be pass into new generation, Davao will be still a city which is left out while other cities in the country is on its peak which must be prevented. Our professor presented also the Alternative Mindset. This one makes me understand more about how we must set our goals and how we will run our student life. This one gives me a new direction to achieve the right goals in life. I believe that presenting the Alternative Mindset in the students like is really important. It can change the future of the city as well as the future of the students. In just a few hours of listening to him, I just realize and have a reflection to myself. Lending our ears can change our lives like what happened in our second meeting. You can name me anything like I’m just overeacting but it’s undeniable that those words open my eyes. I’m just keep on minding how life will be so cruel if you don’t have many zeros in your wallet without considering the other things and I know, there are lot of students like me who thinks that way. If they will be given a chance like what I have, maybe sooner or later, Davao will have a booming industry. But, what was on the alternative Mindset that can save students from having the Default Mindset? According to Sir Gamboa, Alternative Mindset is having the thought that instead of “Go to school, get good grades, and land in a high-paying job.” It will be replaced as “Go to school, get good grades, create and own a company." The two lines had a big difference if you interpret it. The first one only minds to earn money and contented to be an employee forever while the other one minds to earn money as well as to be an employer, not just an employee. The second line sounds better right? Having this kind of mindset will give a big difference into new generations. As an individual have this kind of mindset, he will do his best to get good grades, to earn more money and to be the boss of his own company. Imagine if best students out there will have their own company in Davao, employment rate will increase. There will be more opportunities for the people of Davao and this city will be given a chance to be improved and will be line up to the cities in the Philippines as the most prosperous city. Spreading this kind of mindset doesn’t only guarantee a one person, but thousands of people, and the city itself. People really matters in the economy. There will be no city without people. It can be compare to a brain of a person. People are the braincells and the brain is the city. If these braincells will be degenerated, brain won’t function well. Same as Davao City and the people in this city. If people stays together and build their own company in their own city, I could really say “ Davao, Life is here!”  

                In the second meeting in Technoprenership, I learned and understand more things especially in life. It’s surprising that even Values Education is not part of the curriculum, you can learn it from this subject. I learn how to be a positive person even dreams are look like difficult to achieve. I learn that how effort matters to attain the success. I also find out that other’s stories really can touch one’s life like what happened to me. I also just value more the importance of education. I felt lucky to have a chance for a person like me to seek possibilities in attaining my dreams. There are many people who don’t have the chance as what I have and I’m really glad with this chance. I realize also that education is not just all about earning a lot money as soon you are finish with your studies but it’s a way to earn knowledge as well as to develop a mindset which not only consider practicality but also the real essence why people undergo with this kind of program. Striving hard to have good grades has a main purpose aside from landing a high-paying job and, it’s to help the community as well as yourself. Many people out there finish their studies but don’t know the real purpose why they go to school every day. It’s like wasting of time knowing that you can earn money even you don’t have to go to school.  But, if you’re purpose is like hitting the two birds in one stone, like being a boss in your own company and earning a desired salary then it’s not a waste of time, instead it’s a pleasure for the individuals to attain the real goal with the right mindset.