The Alternative Mindset

The alternative mindset: “Go to school, get good grades, and create and own a company”. Who doesn’t want to be a boss? Well surely, it’s me. It’s kind of ironic how I don’t like getting bossed around at the same time does not like the feeling of ordering anyone around. I’m pretty submissive and to tell the truth, I’m a no go in becoming a leader. In fact I’d rather let someone decide for me rather than me deciding on my own (I’m a bit of a masochist). Yeah you could say I’m pretty bad at decision making just like how I decided to study Information Technology in this University with a blank face not knowing what I’m up to. I could have pursued an art career but seeing my father (a Fine Arts graduate) penniless, it made rethink of what to do in my life. I did have regrets, yes, but that’s what also kept me going because if and only if I become successful in the near future (roughly 2 years from now) those regrets would turn into gratitude.  What now? I don’t want to become a boss nor do I want to be bossed around. Would it be possible to do it alone? Or maybe with a partner? Or my group? Hey! Why not? An independent worker is not that bad. I’ve seen so many great indie games that are created by only one or two developers. All we need are collaborations. I also dreamed way back on becoming a game developer myself. I may not look like it but I’m actually pretty hard on video games. Still I don’t think games would be a good start. I want to start up with a more creative, useful, wowing kind of innovation that could go “BOOM!” in everyone’s mind. Contributing in the technological development here in Davao is what our facilitator told us after we graduate. Fair enough since this is the city where we grew and learned everything we had until now. This is the alternative mindset our facilitator proposed on us. I don’t think I could grasp the idea fully yet but for safety assurance I’ll always keep this in mind and always make it a part of my decisions whenever I need it.

It all starts with an idea right? What if we pursue this idea and somehow someone is willing to support you making that technological idea to reality? We accept and start our own startup company using the idea we had. Invest and pretty much win win if successful. Starting your company is bit scary. You may end up bankrupted but that’s the challenge we need to face! We need to start from the bottom and if we successfully climbed up the top, our IT industry will might as well blossom but still it is a steep road up ahead full of high level monsters so be warned and bring and wear your best weapons of war and excellent grade armors. But still there are a lot of factors that hinders this way of thinking. Just like what was said earlier in my reflection, a lot of big companies sought the best graduates in town and offers a lot of big special packages and compensations that you or even I can’t say no to. Work outside the country is also one the big factor that affects this mindset. As we all know money makes the world go round and of course we tend to choose works with higher salary and we know works outside the country gives you double, triple, or even five times the salary of normal employee here in the Philippines in particular. Let me give you an example. I have two sisters; one is a college graduate, a nurse, and one who stopped and now, just like what I said earlier, residing and working in Japan as a factory worker. My sister here who currently works at Davao Doctors Hospital (DDH) as reliever roughly receives 10 thousand per month and my other sister who is a normal factory worker in Japan receives at least 20 thousand per month depending on her work hours. See the difference? The pay was doubled and to think my sister studied four years just to get a degree in nursing as oppose to my sister who stopped and became a factory worker in Japan. Work wise it is my sister, who is a nurse, gets the easier way of working but that’s not the point is it? Also there are a lot of job openings in other countries as oppose to here that pays you more than you can imagine. They are going for the sure win win rather than gamble everything and start up their own company. Going back to the possible implications, if the IT industry blossoms here in Davao, a lot of graduates would probably stay, work, and build up their own IT careers and families here in Davao. And maybe, just maybe, those graduates who left Davao would decide and start going back to take root here. Then Davao becomes the starting place and quarters of most highly competent IT professionals with sound social and ethical standards. Schools here in Davao pertaining to IT becomes renowned not just locally and nationwide but worldwide! Wouldn’t that be amazing? Just one key and it will open up a bountiful of opportunities not just for you but also to Davao. But of course these are all just implications but still we’ll never know. But still though, we can’t change the fact that IT businesses here in Davao are quite low and we can’t deny the fact that, and blame, the graduates that supposed to be the key of changing Davao’s IT industry that is one of the reasons and factors why they are seeking a place with a lot resources to pursue their IT careers and leave Davao for their own purpose in life. Everything that you have read here is actually for the sole purpose for the development of Davao and the ambition and maybe a dream of our very own facilitator that Davao will become the IT hub and capital of Mindanao - and possibly the Philippines, BIMP-EAGA, Asia Pacific Region. They even already thought of a name for it which is “The Silicon Gulf” of the Philippines or rather in the Asia Pacific Region. “Technopreneurship programs should be added as an integral part of the education offering an entrepreneurial culture by planting the seeds for new ventures, preparing entrepreneurs through technopreneurship education, and providing the infrastructure to perpetuate and support new start-ups and ventures. The program should integrate value chain of enterprise creation; one that encourages start-ups, tolerates failure and rewards well” –Rajesh Sakya. This is just what our facilitator did and it amazes how Rajesh Sakya accurately defines in that paragraph the intention of our facilitator.