(Note: This is a reply to Mr. G.'s thread in USeP-IC Web Forum - Assignment 1: Think about yourself worthy to be called as IT professional, how do you see yourself 10 years from now, what are your strategies to get there?)
"Ten years from now...I will be leading the team in automating business and non-business transactions in the city's local government units..."
A dream. An aspiration. But knowing the possibilities of time, that is not far from getting true. Who knows?
When our professor met our class for an orientation of the subject Management Information System 2, he asked the same question. Most of us were inaudible as to what we really imagined our lives to be in the next decade. Some were called to stand and verbalize their thoughts. But none of us I guess, satisfied our instructor. It was the same as answering the question 'what would you want to be when you grow up?' during the end of elementary and high school years.
As I was deliberating my thoughts of how to answer the question, I also asked myself what would really be me in the next few years after I finish my studies? Should I be one of those fresh graduates who venture into freelance jobs or apply to other colleges and universities for part-time teaching and enrolling in masteral degrees at the same time? Nevertheless, I discard the idea though I am not so sure of how my future would look like.
When one of our classmates cited that he wanted to go and work abroad (peace, Franz!) and our instructor moaned a disagreeing tone discouraging everyone to go abroad immediately just a few years after graduation, it helped me organize my ideas in a clearer view. What our instructor wants is for us to realize that we are scholars of our localities and the nation expects us to serve our very own than the other foreign nations. Furthermore he said that developed countries are not anymore hiring IT professionals for they are now into outsourcing.
The first point stated by our instructor led me to one thing I have been thinking some time ago. What most of the people nowadays wanted is to go abroad and land into jobs there where they could earn a relatively higher rate than what our local employers could give. Practicality, that is what they said. With the economic crisis gradually tightening our belt stiffly, I would not be surprised that more and more Filipinos are applying jobs outside leaving their lovedd ones behind just to provide the financial needs of the family. Maybe that is the common reason why most college students took courses in demand in the foreign countries. But me? I have the slightest idea of the global demand status of my course. I thought that if ever opportunity comes, maybe I could grab it. But I never thought of aspiring to work outside though, it never crossed my mind that I will be pressuring myself to finish my studies and be eager to work abroad. I choose to work here.
My professor was right. We have been lucky to be studying in a state university. It is then worthy for the government and the country to be served by us, who have been given the chance to have college education. I think it would not be detrimental if we just have to spend even a few years to work here before venturing to greener pasture if we have plans to do it. Not only we could gain experience in working here but we will be able to pay back what our country have given to us by sharing our knowledge and skills for the benefit of our own. It should end that way, shouldn't it? How could we let the other countries get the benefit of our services when our own nation lacks assistance and needs help? It is just the same as 'why are we suffering financial budget just to import goods we consume while we are exporting world-class raw materials for the products that we buy?' Silly, isn't it? That is what we hear from the news and current affairs regarding the economy of our society.
As an Information Technology student, I have learned the value of how important and critical even just a single bit of data or a simple detail of information is for an organization. With the computerized system we have nowadays, the rise of economy in developed countries relies much on the software and hardware aspects of technology. And we, people have big roles in leading our nation from scratch to riches. We may not have the technology other big countries have but I believe we have enough resources and skillful people to start small. Enough to survive on our own. Only these resources are not utilized to their real functions that is why it is not performing well according to its purpose. I think the authorities failed to invest more on developing and maximizing the resources we have to its full worth.
I will tell you an evident thing why I was able to say that. Just look at our government and private transactions. While the foreign countries are mechanizing their industries, we still use the old manual (and convenient) way of processing our documents. Convenient for those who have been used to it and refuse to give in to the new flow of modernity. We, students are studying the what's and how's of the trends and applications of technology yet we could not find it anywhere being used WIDELY especially in mission-critical or even private business organizations locally. Only some. Just a few I guess, contrary to others who are using it almost in all establishments and institutions. I knew we all know of the advantages of computerized systems and that it is not that easy to switch immediately to automation. I am happy that some organizations are considering helping private institutions improve their manual systems by introducing applications of IT into business. I guess that should where we should fall into the picture. We have big roles in helping the organizations use the information technology to the benefit of the business.
Say for example, my mom works in the local government unit (e.g. barangay) in our place. I could not exactly recall when or what year she has been staying for soooo long in the office until late in the evening just to finish all these sorts of paper works. I could still remember, she called me in asking me to help her with some computations and listings and everything that she could not do alone without getting late for the deadline. The works are just easy-to-average but kind of pain in the head. Imagine a sort of numbers and forms to be filled up, copied, referenced, computed, updated, and reprinted again. If in any case the numbers and budgets are not in tally the job has to be redone. If entries are not on the right track, reviews should be made and you will find yourself getting back to scratch over and over again. Hassle, isn’t it? The only system computerized in their office, I guess, is the encoding of data and printing of all kinds of papers and forms to be submitted and signed by the officials. I could not find a single system where it is not just used for printing and encoding ONLY but something else. Hopefully they had. But unfortunately, even the higher office which requires them to process their documents are also doing almost the same thing – manual processing of data. I am not surprised to see bulks of papers in the tables in the offices where you can only see heads of the people working on it because they are all covered with piles of documents. And what makes it annoying is that if the higher office finds some erroneous parts on the documents, the recent ones you are working in the present would be affected. So the result, you will be reviewing the stuff from the past months or years and stop the current document you are working now. Not mentioning that as the time goes by, your job to be done is also piling up in queue and the budget your office is allocating for current projects will be delayed due to chain effects of the process. Whew! Just imagine the stress that manual processing could do. I guess it would just be okay if what you are processing are only just some sorts of simple things. But it is complicated.
Thinking about these made me wonder if the local government already has or starting to have (or just planning to have!) a convenient way of gradually changing these manual system of processing documents in the local barangays into computerized and centralized way. I could really imagine other employees too with almost the same duties as my mom has. They are doing jobs overtime with no extra pay (sometimes, depending on what institution you are working with) but just concerned of beating the deadline so to get things done.
This is just a simple scenario where we could apply the basic advantages of an automated system. That is, to reduce difficulties caused by manual data processing. Regarding data storage, an office could house thousands of papers if manual system will be pursued up to now. There will be problems in finding just a single sheet of form if needed because it will take time to sort files and folders and cabinets and drawers and before you realize, you spent two hours delaying your other tasks just to find a single important document where in fact you could search the archives of your database in the computer if and then these things are stored in the computer. Regarding data security, you will have lots of cabinets and drawers with various files and folders to be protected from fire, water, insects, and interested third parties who might want to grab your data. Plus, much of these are taking space in your office not mentioning the eyesore it gives for failure to maintain orderliness in your workplace. Human errors which may happen every now and then will reduce the accuracy of data and that would eventually lead to unreliability of information. How I wish every business and non-business transactions in the local government units and private organizations will be as easy and convenient as a computerized and automated system of data processing.
As an IT professional in the very near future, I am very positive that I will be of help to my nation by sharing my knowledge and skills and applying what I have learned to the benefit of my community. I know there may be lots of IT graduates and professionals out there who are more skillful than me but I am saying to myself that I could also give a part of me to my country. A good start is to lend a hand in planning a good way of easing the complexity of works in the manual system.
By helping and visiting some time in my mom’s office, I was able to observe the flow of what they were working. This gave me the idea of identifying some points from which possible problems would arise. Most of the time I would not touch any of my mother’s work for fear that I might mess up with her things or take her out of her concentration. So I would choose to explore the office computers to find interesting things whatever that would catch my attention. And oftentimes when I do not find any games or sort of recreations, I would content myself with searching the archives of word and spreadsheet documents saved in the computers. Boring, isn’t it? But inspecting these files makes me realize that we are really lacking in the appropriate skills even in just organizing files and folders of our office. With this, how can the government consider making its way to full automation of processing documents? Not all employees and staff working in the government units have basic knowledge in computers.
I think the government is also considering the fact that it would take much time and effort on the end-user part that will be undergoing training when the automation of manual data processing will be pursued. That is why, maybe, the human resources that are working in the present and are conveniently working their tasks according to what and how they have been used to do it are just enduring the system.
But what about the next generation that will replace the staff in the long run? Won’t they think of an easier, more convenient way of working? Of course, they are not the only ones who will benefit this. I am sure the government is gradually making steps in doing away with the old data processing and shift to electronic automation.
In the moment I am kind of starting a simple program of storing lists of sponsored scholars I have found in the office computer into a database and retrieve it just like what we do in our school projects. I am not giving pressure to myself since nobody asked me to do that but I was thinking that I might do it part by part only by some point in time when I happen to visit the office. I was envisioning myself of making an automated system in our barangay where my mom and other barangay staff would not find hard times in searching the archives and updating the database of whatever information they want to store or retrieve. And as a consolation to myself, I was just imagining that because of the system that I might be doing, our barangay will be known and acknowledged by the city government and the other barangays and would eventually be given a reward for this wonderful innovation. Hahahaha! That is just a dream but I actually wanted to do it anyhow. Who knows, if it ever happens then the local government would make our barangay a premier in automated transactions and they would realize that they should also start doing the same to the other barangays and the central office. In that way they would consider investing budget for this simple innovation and will eventually lead to automation of all business and non-business transactions. Act begets act.
And because of that little concern I did, I will gain experience in applying the concepts I have learned to my community. Ten years from now, I will be leading the team in automating business and non-business transactions in the city’s local government units. In the next five years, I am envisioning myself as part of a group of advocates who desires for the improvement of data processing in a centralized office. I will be helping my local barangay in developing and using programs and applications that will lessen the hassles and disadvantages of the manual system. Through this, more and more tasks will be quickly and accurately done because processing time will be reduced. Eventually, more people will be served and will be happy because of the prompt response of the personnel in the offices.
Well, before we let our minds wander through the imagination of the future let us think of the present first. Of course, what I am thinking of tomorrow would not be as effortless as picking an apple in the tree. I need strategies to get to my goal. And one of these is to invest in the present.
Before I could lead the team of IT professionals I should prove myself worthy to be one. It is not as simple as showing your credentials having earned a bachelor’s degree in that field of work but attesting your skills of being a properly qualified and experienced one in the environment. So to be able to develop a system, I should have firm foundation of the knowledge about the system. Right now, I should put into mind and heart whatever things I learn in my university to be able to apply these concepts later. My exposure to the industry would greatly help. It would give me a better view of the actual happenings inside an organization. By studying the flow and structure of the information system of an organization, I will be able to point out some areas that need improvements. But of course, corresponding recommendations should be made to make the study significant especially to the role of the IS in the company and the value of the organization to the community as a whole.
Not only concepts and teachings will make me proficient, but also familiarity in actual programming or software developing (gosh…scary!). With several school projects, documentations, machine problems that I am required to do and submit in school, I am confident that all of these will make me practice my abilities and eventually learn.
I am hoping that I could learn much as I go along with my experience as an IT student.
Of course, I would not learn the full cycle of my profession without the assessments and reviews of my evaluators. If then I would not know my strengths and weaknesses. I need their opinions and suggestions on whether I need to maintain or improve my performance and to help me know if I am keeping on the right track. Furthermore, I should also know how to get along with my colleagues as well, since I will be working with them for some point in time in systems that might be used in mission-critical situations. As early as now while I am still studying in the university, I should know whom should I choose to be with in my group projects. As what one of our professors is telling us, there should not be all good programmers in one team. In a group, there should be at least a good project manager, a good analyst designer, a programmer, and a good documenter. This is very important since a major task will not be handled alone by programming only or by documenting only. There should also be fine relationship with each team member as it affects the performance of each other and to the quality of work. A certain project should be worked out by all team members collaborating and complementing each other’s respective skills and corresponding tasks.
With these simple yet effective strategies, I believe I will achieve my simple dream someday. Who knows, I might reach my goals far better than I am saying today? Only time could tell. With hard work and perseverance, a determined mind and dedicated heart could surpass any challenge. Think positive. Think clear. Aim high!
