Election 2010... a Bright Future for IT in the Philippines

Looking at it from a 'project management' point of view, the preparations leading to the Philippines' first automated election system was almost at a 'nightmare' level. Just like a lot of fellow Filipinos, I shared the view and sentiments of the so called "IT Experts" I often see and hear in the news. As a project manager, you never deploy a system this big, a system this critical, without a thorough simulation and comprehensive "operational testing." I wanted to remain optimistic about the new system, but checking each item in my imaginary project management 'checklist', I cannot help but feel nervous about the situation. So with that feeling of nervousness, plus ongoing talks about possible failure of election scenarios, I went out on May 10, 2010, to cast my vote.

But as always, Filipinos never seize to surprise and amaze, specially concerning our democratic exercises. For starters, I was happy to see a lot of people joining the long lines of voters, and the mood was generally relaxed, if not festive, in the voting precincts. Secondly, in spite of the many 'glitches' in the technical preparation, and the supposed over-sensitivity of the system even for small mistakes in ballot shading, the voters (young and old alike) looked genuinely excited to try out the new system. Thirdly, unfamiliarity with the new system made the voting process quite time consuming compared with the previous, but voters were very patient about it, with some even extending until late in the night to cast their votes.

While waiting for about 4 hours before I finally had the chance to vote, mostly I was smiling with the thought that the Filipinos had again shown the world their love for democracy, their openness to adopt new technology, and their undying faith that things can, and will become better than it is now.

Oh. I almost forgot why I wanted to write this entry in the first place :)

Being an IT professional, I wanted to say how happy I am of the openness and enthusiasm of Filipinos in quickly adapting to the automated election system. In my own experience in the IT industry, a computerized system, however reliable and efficient it may be, is only as effective as the willingness of the "users" to use it in place of their current (manual) system.

In our recent election, I saw not only the willingness of voters to use the new system, but their excitement to be a part of it, in spite of the many negative news about it. If it is any indication of our general willingness to adopt a more organized, a more efficient, yet more structured (inflexible and sometimes rigid, specially regarding mistakes and errors) system than the one we are used to already, then I can say that we Filipinos really have a bright future in IT (and technology) ahead of us. I can see this trickling down to our local companies and organizations. IT solution providers and software developers can now propose computerized/automated processes and systems, and we do not have to worry so much about acceptability and adaptation by the users, especially Filipinos. Once they are convinced of the benefits, they will be more than glad to be part of the new system.

Remarkable PhilNITS Pass Rate of 31.25% from Davao

Congratulations to all who passed the recent PhilNITS exams!

(check out the results here at www.philnits.org ... passers from Davao begins with FE04...)

I am so happy!!!

I am so happy right now for so many reasons...

... results were updated to show 15 passed from Davao in the recent (March, 2010) PhilNITS exam, from the initially heartbreaking thought (see my previous entry) of only 5 passers

... we have met our target of 10 passers for Davao, however improbable a target it was when we set it knowing that Davao averages only about 6% pass rate and maximum of 5 passers in past exams

... we have met the challenge of our major sponsor company, Data Horizon, who hopefully will decide to continue their support and confidence for Davao IT students/professionals

... we have achieved a remarkable 31.25% pass rate (15 passers out of 48 examinees), which is quite good even compared to average national pass rate of around 15% and even Japan's average pass rate of around 20%

... we have achieved this result in spite of the surprise major change in structure and format of the examination

... it is a well deserved pass result, as I know most of the passers and I know how much heart and effort they have put into preparing for the exam

... our review program has finally reached this milestone, learning from several unsuccessful attempt to produce a good enough number of passers from Davao

... we provided very promising career opportunities waiting for our passers, considering how difficult it is to find a good job that compensates well and one that helps us to grow in our chosen field of Information Technology

... we have a good participation from our local SW development companies, contributing also to our list of passers

And finally, I am happy and excited that this inspiring result would encourage and motivate more from Davao to challenge the PhilNITS certification exam.

Lessons Learned from PhilNITS... again... and again...

It's about a year ago when I wrote about how PhilNITS reminded me how hard an exam it is to pass, and how unexpected the results can be. It seems I never learn.

Much of what I am feeling, and what I want to say now, you can read from that post (Lessons Learned from PhilNITS, May 8, 2009).

I am glad that 5 passed from Davao this time. I am glad that three of them I helped with their review, and of those three two were just third year college Computer Science students of UP Mindanao. But...

I know how to accept failure. Having conducted PhilNITS reviews for several years now, I have had my share of crushed expectations. But for me, believe it or not, more important than the present result is the improvement gained each time. It might take some time, but if I can show improvements every time, however small they may be, time will come when we can consistently produce good results.

The probem is, I am not seeing any improvement in the results from our review program. I would like to think we already covered all bases we can possibly can, but still the result doesn't seem to show any pattern at all, aside from it being consistently low (around 3 passers only everytime). Here are some of the possible causes that prevents us from getting a better performance, and what actions were taken to try to resolve them, or why I believe they should not be a reason for us not to pass the exam:

1. Not enough resource/reference materials for review ==> We have gathered around 15 years of past exams (some from translated Japanese exams); received an exam handbook containing almost two hundred past questions with solutions; received a softcopy of the preparation book for IT passport; received a hardcopy of the FE preparation book; received copies of several lecture materials about fundamental IT concepts; and we even use one or two Japanese reviewer books. I usually tell my review participants that we actually have more than enough review materials that we can feasibly comprehend during our limited review time.
2. Not enough focus/time is being given for the review ==> Busy with schoolworks (thesis, SP, exams, school activities, etc.) is one the usual excuses. But come to think of it, so are the other students in other schools. Teachers who passed the exams I would think are even busier with their teaching loads, not to mention their having to take care of their family and kids when they get home. As I usually advise my review participants, do not expect to secure 1 hour or longer review periods from your usual schedule, but instead, try to find those packets of time (around 5 to 20 minutes) which I fondly call "nakaw na sandali". These would include lunch breaks, snack breaks, travel time, even CR time. Added up, they amount to almost 2 hours of review per day.
3. Lacking of motivation and desire to pass the exam ==> In this trying times wherein even the best graduates find it hard to find a good job, what can be a better motivation than an almost certain job offer if you pass the exam. Don't you think a three-year training in Japan, then going back to Davao and establishing the company here, a good deal? All you have to do is pass the exam, and you are almost certain they will offer you the job. of course not all who take the exam would have the same motivations, but I strongly believe there are quite a few (at least 30%) are highly motivated.
4. Fundamental concepts learned at school is not sufficient ==> I can agree that our schools' current curriculum can use some revising/improving, but students from lesser known schools were able to pass the exam. Even older examinees whose curricullum during their generation I suppose is already obsolete by today's standard, are able to pass the exam. And in our review program, we even have a system to identify which are your weak areas, so you can give focus on improving those areas particularly.
5. The review program is not very effective ==> Assuming this is true. But still, some students have passed the exam even without the benefit of an organized review, without access to the materials that we have. All they have to rely on are the materials they can freely get from the Web.
6. The exam is really impossible to pass ==> This one I cannot accept. If Manila and Cebu can show 10 to 20% passing ratio, I cannot accept that students from Davao cannot do the same, or even better. I simply refuse to believe that students from other cities are much better than ours.
7. The format of the recent exam was changed (from previous) without any warning ==> True. It has caught us off-guard and by surprise, and may have even caused unnecessary nervousness during the exam. But the examinees from other cities also experienced the same, but still they managed to pass the exam.

Maybe I have written too much already. Maybe all I really wanted to say is that I do not know what to do anymore to effect an improvement for the next review program. The last few exams seems to show that the result is really unexpected always. Would it be wise to just conduct the review any which way, without much strategy and planning, and just leave the passing or failing of the exam to mere 'chance'?

A Special Note of Thanks

Yesterday (March 28, 2010) we had the PhilNITS examinations here in Davao City (simultaneous nationwide, and also with several Asian countries).

I intend to write more details about the examination, particularly the one here in Davao, soon. But for now, I would like to say "Thank You"...

... to all those who took the exams!
... especially to those who exerted extra-ordinary efforts to prepare for the exams
... to those who participated in our tight-scheduled, month-long (almost), daily reviews
... to Data Horizon, for continuing to sponsor the review and the exams for our students
... to members of the Davao Software Industry, Inc. (DSII) for taking/challenging the exams
... to MCA, for sponsoring the exams for some of our Davao IT engineers
... to PhilNITS Foundation, especially the Davao team, for their support and assistance
... to Kato-san, for visiting Davao again, after almost a year
... to the teachers, for their undying support and inspiration to their students
... to those who joined our bowling game last March 21 at the Fairlanes bowling alleys
... to my lovely wife, my cute kids, and my family, for their support and understanding

I am saying my "thank you", not in anticipation of the would-be results, but I am saying my "thank you" regardless of what would be the results of the recent exam.

20 Topics to Start Your PhilNITS Review On

A recent visitor (BK) to my blog wanted to know if I had a list of recommended topics to focus on in reviewing for the PhilNITS exam. So I came up with one.

Actually those who have attended my reviews were provided a list of Frequently Appearing Topics/Questions, plus subsequent discussions on them. But since that might be difficult to share here, let me give you a list of the 20 most important topics. As the actual scope of questions of PhilNITS is very wide, I hope this short list will be more manageable and can help get your review going:

1. Radix Conversion
2. Data Structures (Lists, Queues, Trees)
3. Basic Search, and Sort Algorithms
4. Flow-charts and Pseudo-codes
5. Memory Architecture, and Performance Calculations
6. Processor Performance Calculations
7. Auxiliary Storage Capacity and Performance Calculations
8. State Transitions
9. Data Flow Diagrams
10. Basic SQL Commands
11. System Availability (MTBF, MTTR)
12. Software Development Methodologies
13. Testing Methodologies, and Phases
14. OSI Basic Reference Model
15. TCP/IP Addressing, and Common Protocols
16. Database Normalization
17. Public Key Cryptography
18. Basic Accounting (Break-Even, Profit, Loss, Inventory)
19. Seven QC Tools
20. Arrow Diagrams, and Critical Path determination

As for Tips and Techniques on how to prepare for the exam, and how to improve your chances of passing, these past entries may be useful :

http://abrightfit.blogspot.com/2009/04/pointers-on-how-to-pass-philnits-fe.html

http://abrightfit.blogspot.com/2008/07/pointers-on-how-to-pass-philnits-fe.html


The best of luck to you.

Lessons Learned from PhilNITS

Today is May 8, 2009. I just finished eating an early lunch when I visited the PhilNITS website (www.philnits.org). I was surprised to see the results of the April 26 (2009) exam already posted, as I expected it to come out after a week more or so.

I immediately looked for passers from Davao (starting with FE005-...), and was surprised to find only 5 in the list of FE passers. I have set my mind not to expect too much (as I did last time), lest I might be dissapointed. But to be honest, I was hoping more from Davao would pass. Maybe because some took the "Removal" exam only. Maybe because some of the examinees already took the October 2008 exam and some of them even got very good scores. Maybe because our current batch of examinees really showed very good promise during our review program. Maybe because some of the examinees were quite confident about their performance when I asked them immediately after the exam.

Today, I was just reminded how difficult it is to pass the PhilNITS exam, and how unexpected the outcome can be. I have learned these so many times before while helping to prepare examinees to pass it. I have not really forgotten those lessons, I just thought that with all the lessons I already learned, and with all the new techniques I introduced to prepare for the exam, that "this time" would be "the time."

But alas, it was not to be.

Today I feel down... I feel I let so many people down.

But I will not give up. PhilNITS is definitely hard to pass, but it is not impossible. And I will continue to find ways to help people do well in the exam...

PhilNITS Exam (Davao City) -- April 26, 2009

Today is another exciting day for Davao IT!

Today, April 26, 2009, a total of 76 IT students, professionals, teachers and enthusiasts are challenging the PhilNITS certification exams. Majority are taking the exams for the first time (most of them college students in their 3rd year of education), while some have experienced taking it before and are determined to continue the challenge. Almost all examinees are challenging the FE (Fundamental IT Engineer) exam, but there was one who challenged the SW (SW Design and Developent Engineer).

To facilitate the exam, and to provide morale support, Shinichiro Kato (PhilNITS' Vice President for Finance) and PhilNITS Davao staff members Joy Alferez and Renan Cruz were there. Arriel Nengasca also lent a hand in behalf of DTI-XI. I too visited the UIC (Bonifacio) Campus to give support to the PhilNITS people and to the examinees, especially to those who attended my reviews and orientation seminars.


My hopes are high that our examinees will do well in the exam. But with an average passing rate of only about 10% nationwide, I am realistic in my expectations. Still, knowing personally the capability of most of the examinees, I am confident that they have done well. I am just hoping their scores are good enough to reach the passing mark. Last year our review program helped to produce the first student passer from Ateneo de Davao University (Jedd Benedict Kris Mahilum), and also from University of Southeastern Philippines (Rendell Andrin). Three of our review participants from UP-Mindanao also passed (Larvi Jerrick Badoy, Raymond Bryan Brion, Ian Jay Plaza). A good number also got good scores, but ufortunately were a little short of the passing mark.

The PhilNITS review courses were made possible through the generous sponsorship of Data Horizon (a Japanese SW Development company). PhilNITS Foundation also found additional sponsors, allowing more Davaoeños to take the examination in spite of their tough financial standing. This was all made possible through the tireless efforts of PhilNITS president, Ma. Corazon Akol, and its vice president, Shinichiro Kato.

It would be about a month or so before the results of the exams will be known. For the time being, we can relax knowing we prepared well for the exam. Pass or not, we have already benefited a lot (in terms of IT knowledge and skill improvement) from preparing for the exam.

Best Computer Science SP (Special Problem) 2009 (UP-Mindanao)

I have always had a high regard for University of the Philippines' (UP) students and UP graduates, as I believe they have one of the best curriculum, professors and students amongst the universities here in the Philippines.

Here in Davao, there are a few admirable universities producing top quality IT engineers (CS, IT, IM, CoE, ECE, etc.) every year. But the fact that majority of those who are passing the PhilNITS certification exam are coming from UP-Mindanao (UP-Min) reinforces my respect for UP, particularly for their Computer Science course. But learning that only a handful of their CS students graduate on time (it takes 4 school years to complete the regular CS course) made me a bit curious why. Apparently, one of the main factors for not graduating on time is their Special Problem (SP) subject, wherein each of students are tasked to focus on a particular problem, and provide solutions (or probable solutions) by applying what they learned from their entire CS course. As per my discussion with UP-Min's CS Department Chair, Ms. Vanessa C. Ramoran, the ideal SP is one which introduces a new (may even be revolutionary) algorithm, demonstrating the field of expertise of the CS course (as a differentiated from other IT related courses).

When Mr. Riannel Tecson, a CS faculty member of UP-Min, invited me to be one of the judges for their 2009 Search for the Best SP for CS (April 17, 2009), I took it as an opportunity to personally see the kind and quality of SP UP-Min produces, and maybe even get an idea why some of their students find it hard to finish on time.

The quality and contents of the manuscript and the presentations of the finalists (please see list below, ordered according to the sequence of actual presentation) did not dissapoint me :

1. Sedfrey Dickson Atay : Barangay Mintal's Human Resource Management System
2. Kevin Bernard San Gaspar : Windows Vista Compatibility and Addition of a Compiler Function for the Examination On-Line (an exam system used by the CS department)
3. Precita Samonte : Office of Student Affairs (OSA) Student Organizations A.S. (SOAS) Website

They might be a bit different from what I am used to in my experience in the IT industry, but as an academic exercise they are quite impressive.

After the presentations by the finalists, and also after some discussions with Ms. Ramoran and my co-judges (Mr. Tecson, and Professor Vicente Calag), I now have a better understanding why the SP might cause a student not to graduate on time. Here are some of the possible factors that I learned :

• SP is an individual exercise (and usually takes a lot of effort to complete)
• SP corresponds to only 3 units (side-by-side with other major subjects and school activities, sometimes focus is lost on the SP completion)
• SP usually is started from the fourth-year of the CS course (so if you miss it's completion, you cannot graduate on time)
• Some UP students are already working (usually as part-time) while studying (so sometimes there is reduced motivation to finish the course on time as they are already earning)
• As more and more students are needing one or more extra semester to finish their course, it might have brought the wrong notion to younger students that it is the norm rather than the exception

But these factors are well known by the students (and is common also with other universities). And although they might make the SP more challenging, there is still no excuse for not finishing the SP on time. And it still is the responsibility of the student to manage his/her time well so as not to loose focus on their SP's completion. But with the able guidance, coaching and mentoring from their teachers, I believe the situation would definitely improve. Perhaps, it's solution can even become the subject of one student's SP in the future :)

IT Olympiad Quiz Bowl

Yesterday, me and my wife attended the IT Olympiad Quiz Bowl, as part of the contest's judges. The IT Olympiad is a yearly event organized by CDITE-XI and PSITE-XI, and participated by schools under their group. Aside from the Quiz Bowl, part of their event was their Research Paper Presentations, and a Programming Contest.

This time, it was a partnership with PhilNITS to formulate the Quiz Bowl's questions. Being located here in Davao and a known advocate of PhilNITS, and being neutral (no official affiliation with any particular school), I was requested to develop the questions. It helped also that both me and my wife (who helped by reviewing the questions I made) are passers of the exam.

I had to skip sleep the night before as it was the only time I had to finish developing the questions. It was all worth it after seeing that the participants, organizers and even the audience appreciate the questions. All my tiredness and sleepiness went away when I observed several organizers and audience trying to answer the questions too :) That was part of my objective as I wanted the competition to be "engaging and educational" too.

The questions were said to be more challenging as compared to previous ones. But basing on the result of the competition, if you have fundamental knowledge on IT concepts, you can answer the PhilNITS-based questions. That's pretty much the same with the actual PhilNITS exam. At first glance they seem impossible to pass, but once you get to know how it is organized, from which topics (they call it IT Body of Knowledge) they base the questions, and what are the most important areas to focus on, you will gain that confidence and pass the exam. It was one of the messages I was hoping to deliver during the event. And I am hoping it will inspire more students to join the Quiz Bowl next time, and also take the PhilNITS exams.

Congratulations by the way to the organizers for such a meaningful, and successful, activity. Congratulaions also to all participants and their coaches, and also the audience who came in support of their respective school mates. Of course, a congratulation is in order to the winners :
1st place = Jose Maria College
2nd place = UP Mindanao
3rd place = Davao Del Norte State College

My Guiding Principles for Year 2009

Year 2008 marked my return to the IT industry (click here to read a previous post on this) since relocating here to Davao city.

For year 2009, I plan to be more focused and involved with IT.

Based on my actual IT work experience in the past, there are several areas of IT I can participate in, e.g SW development, Quality assurance, Human resource development, etc. I can opt to work for an existing IT company here in Davao, work as a consultant, or maybe even put up my own company. But I believe in starting small, and doing all you can to succeed in every step.

I have decided that the most fulfilling for me would be to get involved in the Human Resource Development (knowledge, skill, competency) side of IT. Naturally the main core of my activities would be trainings and seminars, but they would also be supplemented by the following :
* PhilNITS ==> to serve as the base standard of our knowledge and skill level in IT, and also as a tool (PhilNITS exam) to objectively measure our competency
* SW Development ==> to serve as a venue for practical application of the skills learned during the trainings, and to gain actual experience needed to become a competitive IT engineer
* HR Deployment ==> to serve as an end goal of our skill improvement activities. for most at least, the goal is to get employed in a reputable and highly competitive IT company

To make sure I do not go off target, I have the set the following as my guiding principles :
1. Earn a living for my family, and find fulfillment in what I do
2. Promote PhilNITS and contribute to it's sustainability
3. Improve and promote IT capability of Davao

Financial earning is very important, specially so because I have a family to raise. Currently, much of my efforts now are done without much regard to the immediate gain I might be getting in return. But it is my hope that the foundation I am laying down today will reap rewards for PhilNITS, for me, and for Davao in the near (hopefully very soon) future :)

Consistent with my guiding principles, I try to represent PhilNITS any possible way I can (specially here in Davao). I strongly believe that by utilizing PhilNITS (the standards it sets and the actual certification exam), we can even surpass our Asian neighbors (Japan, Korea, Singapore, etc.) in terms of IT knowledge and skill. Capability wise, we definitely have the potential. And now we have the tool (PhilNITS).

In my previous work in the IT field, I have worked with IT engineers who hailed from different cities and provinces of the Philippines. It is my observation that those coming from Davao generally have the traits that makes for a good IT engineer : technically adept, easily trainable, very sociable, and has the potential to be good leaders. I has since made it a personal mission to help develop the IT skills and promote Davao as a good IT destination.

As my initial activities, I have conducted PhilNITS reviews (contributing to the passers from Davao), shared my learnings and experiences with IT students (preparing them to be more competitive when they become IT professionals), and personally promoted Davao (to my Japanese friends and aquaintances, in my trainings in Japan, and other activities done outside of Davao). I am also actively encouraging our graduating students to excel as IT engineers, and let the world know that they hail from Davao, as they are Davao's most effective promoters.

The number one challenge I am facing now is finding similar-minded people to help me turn my plans and ideas into reality. Activating the PhilNITS-society (passers of PhilNITS) members living here in Davao would be best. As working together we can work towards having more PhilNITS passers from Davao, get more sponsors for IT skill development programs, and conduct IT-related trainings and seminars. Another option is to collaborate with teachers and students who are involved in IT, as this could have the widest reach and coverage for our advocacy of IT skill improvement in Davao. I know that alone my activities may not bring much of an impact, but I strongly believe that the day will come (soon) when we can form a group that would embrace and promote that advocacy of having a brighter future in IT, starting here in the Davao region.

2008 : The Year I Returned to IT

When my family transferred to Davao year 2006, I temporarily hibernated from the IT industry, where I worked for more than 12 years. In that span of time I got to experience and manage different aspects on an IT company, e.g. Software Development, Project Management, Offshore Assignment (IBM Japan), Quality Assurance, Recruitment and Training.

Year 2008 marked my return to IT. It was kicked-off by a 5-week training in Japan for "Bridge Systems Engineer," (click here to read a previous post on this) wherein I confirmed I still had what it takes to lead and manage SW development projects, particularly focused on offshore contracts from Japanese companies. It was good to be able to visit Japan again after some time. Aside from the very good technical learnings I got, it also provided me with a good opportunity to plan my return to IT.

Upon my return I discussed with PhilNITS for a possible tie-up to conduct some IT trainings here in Davao. PhilNITS Foundation president, Ma. Corazon M. Akol, was very kind to accomodate my ideas. Our first collaborative activity was a PhilNIS-FE review program. We found it hard to gather interested participants (our target were Davao IT professionals) for the review. But I guess the timing and situation was just right, as PhilNITS was able to secure a sponsor which allowed us to accomodate several participants for free. We even got more sponsors to be able to to offer the same review programs to selected Davao students. I think the outcome of the review was decent enough, producing all 5 student passers from Davao for the October 2008 exam. (click here to view October 2008 results for Davao)

November of the same year I got another chance to visit Japan, this time for a 3-week training on "Software Design and Development Engineer." (click here to read previous post on this) I learned many valuable information about the PhilNITS exam on this training, which I would later use to improve my PhilNITS review program. The time spent in Japan also gave me the chance to reflect on how successful my return to IT is for the year 2008. Although actual activities done were not many and only occasional, I think I was still able to lay down a good foundation for my plans for 2009.

Hopefully year 2009 would be a much busier and much fruitful year for me, for PhilNITS and for the IT engineers of Davao...

Davao PhilNITS-FE Passers = 12+1 (as of 11/07/2008)

To keep track of the PhilNITS passers of Davao, my wife and I donated to PhilNITS Davao office a wallclock wherein the names of all those who have so far passed the exams are printed. As of the latest results of PhilNITS (November 7, 2008) posted at their website (http://www.philnits.org/), the number of examinees who have passed the PhilNITS FE exam in Davao so far is 12. There are also some examinees who passed only either the AM or the PM part. And I am positively hopeful they will complete the remaining part next time they take the exam.

Here is a glimpse of the clock face :

You might have notice 13 names in the clock face. The other one is my wife's. She passed the exam in Manila, but is now back in her beloved hometown of Davao, and is here for good.

The next level exam, PhilNITS SW, has not yet been conducted in Davao (maybe because nobody have registered to challenge it). But this coming April 2009 exam, there are some of us who are seriously considering to take it, and of course with the intention (or at least hope) to pass it. So until now all the passers are for the FE exam.

So far the clock can still accomodate the names of all passers. But I am hoping soon we will need a bigger one... meaning, there will be a lot more who will pass the exam and we cannot place them all in the current clockface. Now that is something I am excited about, and really looking forward to...

Eat-All-You-Can Barbecue in Tokyo

(November 8, 2008. Tokyo, Japan) Together with some friends from my previous company, we went to eat at an “all-you-can-eat barbecue” restaurant at Shimbashi. With all the excitement, I forgot to check the name of the place. For 1,200 yen, you choose from a buffet of meats (beef, pork, chicken), vegetables, etc., and barbecue them right at your dining table. There are ready-to-eat complements too, like rice, dumplings, noodles, etc., a selection of fruits and desserts, and an unlimited refill of juice and colas. The patrons were a mix of different nationalities (Japanese, Filipinos, Asians, Europeans, etc.), and two buses full of Chinese occupied only a fifth of the packed place. My stomach was so full when our 1-hour time limit expired, I felt like needing a wheelchair to leave the place.

To burn some of the fats away, we went for a walk at Ueno Park. After taking some interesting pictures and visiting some of the nice places there, we decided to call it a day and go our different ways (I was living at a different area than them, and had to take a different train line). But we felt like there were still much to talk about, and lost time to catch up. We decided to chat for a little bit more at Starbucks, or any other cafe house, but we ended up at Mc Donalds. some had coffee, others had nice cold drinks. We were still too full to eat. Before we knew it, we already spent more than two hours just chatting about anything.

But most of our discussions revolved around some news and happenings about their company, AWS Systems. Somehow I felt like I still belonged to the company, as it was my first (and only). I had to leave it (after more than 12 years) when I started raising my family and transferred to Davao. Somehow our discussions gave me renewed energy to pursue the current challenges I am facing, and helped clear my mind to set the direction of my return to IT, this time focusing on skill development of the next generation of Filipino IT engineers.

We also talked about how we can motivate young Filipino IT students and enthusiasts to pursue a future in IT. Informally, I asked for their support in sharing their stories and experiences, both good and not-so-good, about their IT career and life. We agreed with the observation that one of the problems facing future IT engineers is the lack of a clear image or idea of what is in store for them in the field of IT, and how they can grab those opportunities. We also talked about the values, knowledge, skills and attitude that should be taught and introduced to them based on the actual needs and requirement of the current IT industry. I hope one day we can make concrete steps towards sharing these stories with others.

Then finally it was time to go home. Aside from being re-energized with meeting my friends again, I was so happy because our Nihongo teacher (sensei), who is also a good friend of mine and a baptismal godmother of my son, gave some gifts for her godson, and a lot of Japanese food stuff to bring home to Davao. Unfortunately for those in Davao (but fortunately for me), some of those stuffs may never reach them, as they are too tempting to ignore, specially when I am by my lonesome in my hotel room studying and preparing for my lessons the next day.

Present IT Situation in Davao

The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), an independent administrative agency tasked to promote trade and investment between Japan and other countries, commissioned a research about the IT situation in Davao, and published a report in the January 2008 issue of their monthly Philippine IT Industry Report.

In this entry, I will discuss about and quote some portion of the report. The research was conducted at the later part of 2007, so it is possible more up-to-date data and information may be available today. To access the whole report, kindly visit the JETRO website at http://www.jetro.go.jp/

For me, the focus on Davao is a welcome development as it is my aspiration that Davao has the same level of exposure, attention and investment opportunities in IT as Manila and Cebu. I have always believed that Davao has a rich pool of technically capable and well-rounded (in terms of attitude and personality) potential IT engineers. But unless we have more investors, both local and multinational, Davao would be relegated to sending their best IT graduates to Manila, Cebu or to other countries like Japan. This seems to be confirmed by the report as it says “IT Services/IT Enabled Services (ITS/ITES) industry-related activities among Japanese firms in Davao are currently very limited beyond the hiring of graduates from Davao universities by Cebu- and Manila-based Japanese companies.”
ITS/ITES Companies in Davao
The biggest contributors in terms of IT-related job creation are coming from call center companies. There are 15 companies engaged in Software Development, but most are operating in very small scale, with the largest one not even having 100 employees. “Some of the well-known software development houses based in Davao are Lane Systems (http://www.lanesystems.com/) and Hubport Interactive (http://www.hubportinteractive.com/) – both are home-grown companies. At the end of 2007, there are as yet no foreign-funded software firms in Davao.”, the report says.

Industry Data
As the ITS/ITES industry in Davao is still very young, there is not much statistical data available. Such data would be very useful for potential investors, planners, and other IT stakeholders. The Department of Trade and Industry Region 11 (DTI-XI) data shows the number of Davao-based companies for the following : Call Centers = 6; Animation, Web Development = 5; Software Development = 15; Medical Transcription=5; Engineering Design=1. In terms of salary, the minimum wage in Davao is 250/day, while Call Center agents may get between P11,000 to P13,000 per month. Software developers on the other hand may receive from P7,500 to P12,000 monthly salary.

Infrastructure
“In terms of Davao’s communications infrastructure, it is safe to assume that it will further improve over time as major telecommunication operators are already present in Davao. And, increased supply of office spaces are to be expected as real estate developments in addition to the Damosa IT Park are being planned by SM and Ayala, among others. With regards to power supply, an executive of Nakayama Technology Corp. told JETRO there is a 5 to 10-minute outage per week, or none at all. Power supply does not seem to pose a serious problem here.”

Major Challenges
Based on the report, there are two major challenges in the promotion of the IT industry in Davao. The first is the concern about Davao’s seeming poor public safety, mainly because it is part of Mindanao. “Davao’s crime rate is low, the widespread image about the poor public safety in Mindanao in general is unfortunately also applied to Davao,…”, the report says.
The second challenge is how to meet the increasing demand for more IT professionals. According to the report, “Region 11, which includes Davao City, sees an average of 16,600 college graduates each year, but the number of graduates from IT-related courses does not reach 1,000 per year.”

Conclusion
The report concludes that “The reporter’s honest impression of the state of Davao’s ICT industry is that, the maturity level of the private sector industry, and the public sector that supports it, is still low.”

It Pays to Get Certified

In the highly competitive world of IT, it pays to get certified. Certifications are used to confirm that a particular individual has reached an essential level of knowledge or competency. Having the right certification opens up opportunities towards better employment and career opportunities.

A college diploma is one example of a certification (academic). Getting a diploma certifies that the holder has met all requirements for his/her chosen field of specialization. Let’s say for example, in the field of IT, having a diploma in Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (BS-CoE) indicates that the holder has undergone a (typically) five-year college education program that utilizes a curriculum that was deemed appropriate by our government’s department of education.

Although in general the BS-CoE curriculum is common for all schools, there are certain parts of the curriculum that some schools (those with “independent” status) have the prerogative to modify as they see best. Also, each school will have their own way of implementation, some more effective than the others. It gets more complicated when we take into consideration the global scene, wherein our BS-CoE curriculum may or may not be similar with that of other schools in other countries.

In such a scenario, there is a need to have a standard that is commonly recognized and implemented nationally, and to a certain degree internationally. That is one area where certifications are highly beneficial. Let’s say for example you passed a particular Microsoft Certification Program (MCP). Your MCP certification is valid and will be recognized as a stamp of competence wherever you choose to use it locally or even internationally. So in a way, certification provides for a commonly recognized standard of measure in the otherwise diverse field of IT education.

But having a MCP certification may not do you much good should you happen to work in an organization inclined more towards open source than Microsoft’s proprietary technologies. A Java certification will be more appropriate in such a scenario. But what if the organization does not utilize Java in their development also? But that is the reality of certifications. You have to focus on getting the certification that is most appropriate for your particular purpose, and you should get those that will most likely be recognized by your target audience.

Certifications tied up to a particular vendor or brand, such as MCP, Cisco certification, etc., are called vendor-specific (or vendor-developed) certifications. If you are utilizing the products of such vendors, having their particular certification is most advantageous. A second type of certification is the national (country-developed) certification. An example of a national certification is the “bar exam” for those who wish to become lawyers. Passing such certification legally gives you the rights and privileges to practice the law profession.

A third type of certification is the vendor-neutral certification. As the name implies, such certifications are not tied-up to a particular vendor. Usually they indicate compliance to a defined level of skill, knowledge or process. To gain recognition, such certifications are either developed or reviewed by leaders/experts of their respective fields. An example of such certification is the PhilNITS certification. Having such certification implies that the person has the essential knowledge level of the fundamental concepts of IT, and the fundamental skills to design, develop and test software programs. The PhilNITS certification was designed by Japan’s IT experts and leaders, and is well recognized in Japan and several Asian countries already.

Listed below are just a few potential benefits of certifications. They offer a wide range of benefits, not only to the holder of the certificate, but also to the community (or school, group, company, etc.) as well, wherein their benefits are multiplied several-folds :

Skill Development and Improvement
This is one of the most notable benefits of certifications. Skill related certifications are generally created or reviewed by experts and industry leaders, and attaining them means you have met the essential skill level. It is as if getting personally reviewed and audited by several experts. Even for those who have tried but did not pass the certification, the simple act of working on improving oneself to the level required for the certification consequently results in an improvement of one’s skill.

Appreciation and Recognition
Having the right certificate can give you that fitting recognition you deserve, whether you are looking for a job, seeking a promotion, building or improving a business relationship, or simply just wanting to showcase your competency and competitiveness. For example, having a PhilNITS-FE certification results brings about recognition as a competent IT engineer, with a solid foundation of IT concepts and programming skills.

Balanced Skill and Knowledge
In the process of preparing for a certification, the coverage of the certification exam is usually broken down into several categories to better manage reviewing for them. By knowing your performance on each of the categories, you can identify which areas you are strong and weak at. By focusing on your weak areas to improve them, it will result to a more balanced skill.

Standardized and Objective Measure of Skills
As mentioned earlier in this blog entry, schools differ in the effectiveness level of their education. And although most are claiming as being the best in a particular field, without a standardized measurement, it is impossible to objectively measure their respective performances. Having a common certification provides for a common measure and also a structure to which the school curriculum can base on. For companies on the other hand, it helps simplify recruiting and hiring of new engineers.

Education vs. Training

The title may suggest emphasizing the difference between education and training. But the difference discussed here is not so much in their goals of leading someone towards learning, but more on their respective approaches in achieving it.

In my analogy, education (used in the context of learning in school) can be likened to “pushing”, wherein the basics and fundamentals are provided to the students in order for them to learn. Imagine teaching someone how to swim for the first time. You first provide the basic skills that need to be learned, and then guide the student while he/she is trying out what he/she learned from you.

On the other hand, training (used in the context of career related trainings) can be likened to “pulling”, wherein the goals are set and it is up to the trainee to achieve those goals. The trainee is the one to decide which of his/her skills to use, and learns by himself/herself any other skills necessary. Imagine this time training someone to compete in swimming. Usually you set a target time to achieve, and have your swimmer practice and train until he/she can beat the set time.

The main point of difference between education and training as described above pertains to the degree of responsibility by both the giver (e.g. teacher, trainer, etc.) and the recipient (e.g. student, trainee, etc.) to achieve the desired learning for the recipient. It is my observation that the more you go up the ladder of education (schooling), the responsibility of the teacher to provide you with instructions decreases, while your responsibility to learn by yourself increases. And when you graduate and enter the professional world, it becomes mainly your responsibility to continue learning.

Some companies are generous enough to provide trainings, specially the advanced and higher level ones, to their employees. Also, trainings may be provided for “specialized” skills, especially those that are required by a particular project or customer, but may or may not be so valuable for other projects and customers. But as an advice, when working in this highly competitive world of IT, always keep in mind that the responsibility to learn new skills generally lies with you. And if ever trainings are provided to you (specially the free ones), be thankful and be appreciative of them.

Trainability and Adaptability

In the ultra-fast evolving world of IT, being adaptable and trainable is essential for survival. How fast you can learn and adapt to new technologies is oftentimes more important than your current set of skills. You may excel in what you do now, but if you cannot adjust to the changes, you will be left behind.

This is also what the IT companies are looking for in their search for prospective IT engineers. It is a common observation in the IT industry that there is a big mismatch with regards to the skills required by the IT companies and the skills learned/developed in school. Your academic and scholastic performance is valuable and will help you get their attention, but in the early days of employment, people who show trainability and commitment to learning new skills are the ones who will stand out.

As illustrated below, employee X initially entered the company with a more impressive skill set than employee Y. But after only 3 months, employee Y has surpassed the skills of employee X. There might be a lot of factors why this happened, but assuming all factors (training, projects, location, etc.) are the same for both employees, employee Y seems to be more adaptive and trainable and is showing the greater potential.

Using conventional recruitment methods (resume, entrance exams, interviews, etc.) it is very hard to measure a person’s trainability. Experienced managers and HR personnel might be able to identify these during their recruitment process, but it would be advantageous for the applicant if he/she can narrate past instances wherein he/she showed an ability to quickly learn and adapt, specially in relation to technical skills.

During your career as an IT professional, trainings will play a big part of your growth. But as valuable as the company initiated and company provided trainings, self-study and personally initiated trainings and research will be a big factor to how fast your growth and promotion will be.

IT Engineer Career Path

Should you wish to become an IT Engineer, the career you will choose will most likely fall in any of these three major areas : 1) Auditor side; 2) User side; 3) Development and Operation side. On this article, I will focus mainly on the latter, the “Development and Operation side”, wherein I have personal experience working on.

* based on the Japan Information-Technology Engineers Examination Center (JITEC) examination categories (http://www.jitec.jp/2_01english/02examcategories.html)

As illustrated above, the Development and Operation side is composed of different fields of specializations. The entry level would be the Fundamental IT Engineer (Programmer). As an IT Engineer, typically you will have to start as a programmer, then work your way up to become a Software Design & Development Engineer (SE), then choose amongst the higher-level fields of specialization (e.g. Project Manager, Embedded Systems Engineer, etc.).

It is a common misconception that a programmer is somebody who only does coding of programs, but in reality, a programmer is expected to have skills in designing, coding and testing, plus a some fundamental business skills (communication, leadership, teamwork, etc.). On the average, it takes around two to five years of experience as a programmer before you can become an SE, and around five to ten years before you become a Project Manager (or the other higher-level fields of specialization).

Here is a short description of each of the fields of specialization for the Development and Operation side (as taken from http://www.jitec.jp/2_01english/02examcategories.html) :

Fundamental IT Engineer (Programmer)
Individuals who have basic knowledge and skills related to general aspects of information technology, including those who compose program design sheets, construct programs, and conduct a series of operations to the extent of unit tests in information systems development projects.

Software Design & Development Engineer (SE)
Individuals who compose internal design and program design sheets, construct effective programs for information systems development projects, and perform a series of processes ranging from unit tests to integrated tests.

Systems Analyst
Individuals who plan information strategies based on management strategies. Develop overall system plans and individual systems, support information system development projects from the planners’ standpoint, and evaluate the results of such activities.

Project Manager
Individuals who are responsible information systems development projects. Ensure smooth operation of projects by developing project plans, procuring necessary resources for project implmentation such as personnel and materials, and managing budget, delivery schedules, and quality.

Application Systems Engineer
Individuals who perform a series of processes in information system development projects raging from work requirements analysis to system design, program development and test operations in accordance with project plans.

Technical Engineers
Individuals who perform core functions in the construction and operation of information systems infrastructures and support development and installation operations as specialized engineers in individual information systems development projects.
Specific knowledge includes that related to networks, databases, systemsmanagement, embedded systems (including knowledge on microprocessors and system LSIs) and information security technology.

Careers in IT

Upon graduation from high school, and prior to choosing what course to take up in college, it is best to consider which career you plan to go into after college. In the field of IT, you can choose from a variety of careers that will suit your skills, interests and needs.

I listed below a few of your possible career opportunities in IT. Please note that the description that follows each are based on my personal understanding and observations only, and might contain a few subjective comments here and there. Should you want, the Internet may provide a more detailed and more descriptive information for each.

Software Developer / Programmer
Mainly you will be responsible for designing, coding and testing software applications and programs. Here are some examples of application and programs that you might find yourself developing :
a) online banking and purchasing system (e.g. e-Bay, Citibank online, etc.)
b) email and chat programs (e.g. Yahoo Messenger, Gmail, etc.)
c) social networking applications (e.g. Friendster, etc.)
d) point of sales or POS (the most visible part is the one you see at the cashier’s monitor when you pay for your groceries, at fast foods, etc.)
e) embedded systems (programs that control your printer, mobile phone, digital camera, etc.)
There is a lot of room for growth and advancement in this type of career. Aside from the ever-improving technologies you will be encountering, you can also advance to become a systems’ engineer (SE) or a project manager (PM) later in your career.
This blog, although speaking about IT careers in general, will mainly focus on this type of career.

Animation and Game Developer
This is one of the most exciting fields in IT, thanks in part to animated movies (e.g. Nemo, Matrix, etc.) and popular internet and computer games (e.g. Ragnarok, Counter Strike, etc.). If you fancy yourself designing and creating characters for animation, or developing storylines and strategies for games, this might be the career for you. It would be a big advantage if you have a high level of creativity and imagination, and have good skills in sketching and drawing (although there are lots of tools available to help with this).

CAD Engineering
Some architects still use primarily paper-based designs, but the most demanding and modern of buildings and infrastructures would not have been possible without the aid of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Engineering softwares. Imagine yourself designing the newest car models, buildings and skyscrapers, airports, bridges, etc., and even seeing how they would look like and testing their structural integrity way before they are built. It will be an advantage if you have skills and interests towards architecture and designing.

Network Engineers
The Internet will not be possible without the worldwide inter-connection of computers and servers. And basically most companies, organizations, Internet cafes, and even homes have their computers connected in a network. Network engineers are the ones who know best how to configure, setup and make those networks work. Network engineers are responsible not only for the physical connections of the computers, but also the OS and software configurations to make the interconnection work as intended.

Technical Support Engineers
With computers as commonplace as a TV sets now, there are lots of opportunities for people who have skills in troubleshooting, upgrading and servicing them. With the millions of computers in organizations, schools, and homes it is bound to happen that those will need servicing just like any other consumer appliance. Do you see yourself taking apart laptops, desktop computers and other computer related gadgets to see how they work, how to improve them, or how to fix them if broken? If so, then this can be a fulfilling job for you.

I am listing here a few more :
Call Center Agents
Medical Transcriptionist
Database Administrator
Systems Administrator
Systems Analyst
Quality Assurance (QA) / Test Engineer

I plan to write about these in my future blogs, so please do watch out for them…

Realizing a Dream…

With the help of IT, I can now start realizing one of my dreams… that is to teach and share what I have learned and experienced thus far. I have always had the passion for teaching. I actually look at it as “sharing”. Isn’t it wonderful how sharing takes away nothing from you, and yet gives so much benefit to others whom you share with?

I often say that I may not be the best or the brightest in the areas I am sharing my skills or knowledge about, but with the insights and experiences I have gained thus far there just might be something useful others can learn from me. Some of the most important experiences I will be sharing may not not even be mine. Experience is a wonderful thing, as even if we can only “physically” experience so much in our relatively short life, we can nevertheless accumulate an unlimited number of “virtual” experiences as we listen to the experiences (stories) of others.

I also love trying to imagine and placing myself in other’s shoes, to see things as they do, and to understand as they would. This helps me understand better when listening to other people. But it also helps me when I am the one doing the talking/explaining. Seeing it from my audience’ point of view makes it easier to explain in ways they would best and most easily understand. I guess that is why there are times I can help people more easily understand things that I myself have just recently learned. And it is such a rewarding experience. It is what made me think that teaching might just be for me.

And even though financially, geographically and time-wise it is hard to reach and to teach others, blogging has provided me with a venue to start realizing that dream. So while struggling to provide financially for my family, and spend quality time with them, somehow I will find the time to do my “sharing”.