Proposal Experience

I'm the type whose knees always shake when standing in front of many people so I really tried my best to keep calm and focus. But I failed. When I stood in front of everyone my mind went blank. "What was it again?" I thought. My classmates stared at me and my thoughts started to drift away but somehow I managed to  speak without even comprehending what my mouth let out. I started speaking "non-sense" and got really embarass that  I could just melt away. I know they didn't quite get what I was saying. My thoughts were rambled and I didn't know how to explain it anymore. Then I saw the frown upon our facilitator's face. "So what problem are you trying to solve?", he said. My heart started to pound faster. I stuttered. Series of questions were asked but I somehow managed. The moment of truth came and gosh, I overcame it and got his approval! It was a really nerve-wracking experience. I can't seem to put my idea into words and that made it really hard for me to explain it. The only thing I always think about when explaining is that I always put my shoe into someone else's so that I would, at  least, know how am I suppose to get this idea through his vision.

FTS Travel Report (Minor)

 

University of Southeastern Philippines

Bo. Obrero Campus, Davao City

TRAVEL REPORT

August 27, 2014

Seminar Overview

I never really expected anything BIG from our one-day (one-hour) Minor Field Trip but one thing I know is that it was, well, worth it. 

Having the chance to visit Synnex-Concentrix, located at Damosa IT Park, Davao City, was truly a privilege. We were accommodated really well from the time we set foot inside their company until the time we said our goodbyes. The speakers, a.k.a our tour guides, were charismatic and, from my point view, were quite thrilled to tour us around their company. I’m guessing, no, it was because it was exactly the same day last year that they had their tour, as beginners, around the company. Kind of an anniversary as they say. They answered all our questions with knowledge and understanding and, guess what, they were even eager to answer more. They really know their stuff. They even shared their own experiences when they were just starting to work in the company. Overall it was a trip worth remembering.

DAY 1

As I said, we went to Synnex-Concentrix for our Minor Field Trip. To be perfectly honest, we only chose to held it there because no other companies were willing to show us or let us visit their data center or control room because it’s “confidential”. Still no regrets though because Concentrix really was an awesome company. One thing I noticed when I entered their company was that it was really colorful. Still, I was not really that hype at that time because I didn’t really expect that much from a BPO company but boy I was wrong. That visit actually changed my perceptions towards the BPO industry. They are not just about calls and calls and calls but there’s a whole lot more. They also have a Research and Innovation department and quite surprisingly three alumni of our school were working their and one of them entertained us and answered our questions. Although they are the Research and Innovation department, they don’t really develop the systems that the company uses. They were more like testers because the developers or their main department was actually at Cagayan de Oro branch. I think they also mentioned that they were more like quality assurance team but they are also responsible for the deployment of new systems that will be implemented. We also had the chance to take a look at their server room. Their server room was actually kind of neat but the system administrator said that it just looks clean but it’s still actually not a conventional room for a server room. They also have an Activity Center where there are two kinects available to play! There’s also one billiard table and a table tennis for recreational and stress relieving activities. 

What I learned?

I learned so much about their company or the BPO industry in general. Call center agents may not be our field but there are still a lot of job opportunities for us IT and CS students in a BPO company. We even met two computer science students there in an on-job training (OJT). Skills in networking are definitely a plus in their company since they are also dealing with routers and stuff but I’m not really into computer networking and I can’t see myself as a system administrator. Also employee encouragement is really important. 

What I like?

Aside from the place which was really well crafted and engineered, and very colorful to add, it was the atmosphere has really gotten into me in a good way. It’s like they’re having so much fun and no sense of panic can be felt if you get what I mean. I also like how competent and knowledgeable their employees are. I actually like everything about their company.

What I dislike?

Nothing much. Everything that happened in our trip was pretty much likable even though most of the time our tour guides kept on bragging and promoting their company which is pretty normal.

APPENDIX

What can I recommend for the improvement of the advance seminar program of USEP?

For me, I would recommend Synnex-Concentrix as one of the few choices for the students to visit on their local field trip. The atmosphere is really great. They were very accommodating and they answer your questions quite clearly. They also have competent employees who are inclined in the field of IT and CS.

My advice to those who will take their advance seminar program in the near future.

My advice to those who will take up their minor field trip in the future is that they should always put in their minds that they are doing this in order for them to learn and discover how this industry works because when the time comes they might see themselves in the position of those that they have met in the near future. They should also ALWAYS ask questions if something is not clear to them. Asking won’t make you look dumb, well maybe for five minutes you are but it’s better than being a dumb forever right? Asking is also a form of learning and for me, it’s also an indirect message towards the speakers that you are listening and is interested towards whatever you’re discussing.