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You are not a part of his world and you will never be. Period.

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On Hold

The project that we’ve been working on for more than a year now was put on hold due to the probable changes for the company by the end of this year (which by the way excited us when we first learned about it :)). This is the very project which caused too much stress to the team members. Stress level was high that it drove some people to submit resignations. And almost everything and anything related to it was oh so full of drama.

You see, prior to the announcement which we did last Friday (just a day after confirming the changes from the business owners), the management team met to discuss what will be the possible impact of the changes. We have anticipated negative reactions which will be normal given all that went through with this project. But we were also hoping for open-mindedness from the team as this is something that we never saw happening. But during this time, I did not get any reactions from my team. I thought perhaps they are still in the process of internalizing what was just announced or maybe they are too shy to ask the director directly. Yes, we asked for his help for this as well hehehe.

So last Tuesday, I met with my project team to really know how they are feeling about the changes. And I was in for a lot of surprises more than what I expected.

Here are some of the feedbacks:

• It’s sad because I feel that our efforts are just wasted but the director is right that we gained a lot of knowledge during the duration of the project, not only in terms of our skills but also on handling situations involving the project. I just want to know what’s next for us.
• I feel bad about it because of all the efforts already exerted will be wasted but more than that, I feel relieved.
• I actually did not feel anything. My concern now is what we are going to do now that the project is on hold.

I was blown hehehe. I did expect about them being sad and all but to hear them that what’s concerning them more actually are their next assignments really PLEASANTLY surprised me :). I felt their maturity about the whole thing and they are more on the positive side! Note that these same people have been part of the rollercoaster ride for this project so to hear them say those things was happiness for me.

I am one proud and grateful boss :D.

Longest

I had the longest employee evaluation last night. It lasted for almost 6 hours. It was a very tiring and draining experience. But I’d like to give myself a pat in the back because I was able to easily switch roles during that time – from being the strict manager to someone who is empathizing with him to an outsider observing the exchange between the officer and the employee and trying to comprehend everything and quickly thinking on how to handle it. The greatest thing though was that, I kept my cool…and that’s an accomplishment in itself because I’m not known to be very patient when it comes to discussions that go around circles. :p

But then again, I’m not yet done with that. There’s today to tackle still, which I don’t have any idea until this moment how I’m going to hanle it. Perhaps, it will all dawn on me, after I have my hearty lunch. :D

And in the middle of the interesting discussions last night, I learned that I have to attend a meeting at 10AM today. Good luck. Right at this moment, I feel lightheaded due to lack of sleep. I may be a Dory for most of the day hihihi.

Blog Facelift

During the weekend when I opted to stay home because of typhoon Peping, I found myself toying with the idea of changing the theme of my blog (after sticking with Blogger’s classic template for almost 4 years now). I thought it was that simple, but lo and behold, it took me almost 5 hours to complete the major part of the task, from looking at themes from numerours selections to deciding on what theme to use to do a little tweaking to customize it further to my taste. But I’m not completely done yet. I want it more personalized but I haven’t gotten to that yet.

Anyway, after those grueling hours, from this:

To this:

What is your message?

My college alma mater is doing a profiling of all of its alumni. A student sent me a template to fill out with the usual stuff - employee profile and then some message. At siyempre kinarir ko pagbibigay ng message. Pero dahil prinessure nya ako, hindi ko na na-organize masyado yung thoughts ko :p. I'd like to share it still with you though so here goes.

*****

Kudos to the students and faculty behind this idea. I hope it will become accessible via the Internet as well so that alumni can also view and update their own profiles. :)

To the students of CICS, while you are in our Alma Mater, make the most out of it. Learn what you can, seize all opportunities to be the best of what you can be, and of course don’t forget to have fun.

If you’re aiming for a career in Software Development, love your SAD (SMA in your curriculum) and Database programming and get serious with your thesis :). These are some of the fundamentals that helped me when I stepped out of college.

You may have heard it before and I’m saying it again. It’s a lot different in the real world aka work place. But it’s not as scary as it sounds. It may be a struggle at first but once you get the hang of it, it becomes enjoyable and you’ll soar amidst all the tight deadlines, extended work hours, changing business requirements or project deliverables, and everything else that comes with the so called corporate world.

Let me give you a glimpse of the real world:

• Proactive - one of the key words you'll always hear from companies. It simply means "magpakabibo" and yes, that doesn't only apply to kids. Employers will appreciate colleagues who can contribute to the team. Don't be afraid to voice out your opinions.
• Trainings - some companies have, some don't have. But you should not rely on companies to give you opportunities to learn new things. On your own, you are expected (YES, expected) to learn the skills needed for your job or any other skills that you want to pursue. Besides, trainings, even the advanced ones, only cover the basics still :).
• Fear of the unknown - don't be afraid to ask questions or admit that you don't understand the project requiremets. I always say this to my subordinates. It's ok to ask questions. Asking questions doesn't mean you are not capable. Understanding is the key. You cannot successfully finish the next phase of the project unless you have a solid understanding of the requirements. The absence of it will always lead to reworks at the end.
• On project assignments - here's one from my former boss. The mere fact that you are given projects to work on means that the management still trusts and believes in your ability to deliver the project. And so I say, don't frret if you need to extend work hours just to meet the deadlines. It's just like staying up for the night just to complete your school assignments really. Don't fret if you are given more tasks than another colleague. That's actually a good sign. Besides, it won't always be the case. There will always be days or seasons that you'll be idle to the extent that you'll be bored to death. So a little of those "I'm so busy I can't go out to gimiks anymore" moments wouldn't hurt. :)

There are endless opportunities in our field. Don’t be afraid to explore until you find your niche.

And while being busy in your studies and later on making it big time in the corporate world, do make sure that you don’t forget your social responsibilities – caring for Mother Nature, giving back to the community, showing support for our country. How to do this? The options are endless, and it starts from within oneself. :)

Go CICS, go Louisians!

Cheers!

* Image from here.