Lighting a Fire! - see photos in the album

Last week I was "volunteered" by my boss to work with the Ayala
Foundation... AFI, along with Intel run several computer
clubhouses in several depressed communities in Manila. As part of
their program, they invited their clubhouse suki members over to Tower
1 to see for themselves how computers are used in the real world.



Initially I thought we were just supposed to give a walkthrough of the
software that we use in architecture/presentations... mostly CAD,
Photoshop, Corel, Sketch-up/etc. But after getting a feel of the
"crowd", I figured that most them are already approaching the
HS-College crossroads, and that maybe they could use some advice on
their future decisions.



I found out that majority wouldn't be able to go to college because of
the high tuition costs...I told them that the truth is... college is
only a formality... the computer virtually opens up a whole world of
opportunities... and that I myself have seen (in my dad's office) that
college undergrads or HS grads can still make something out of
themselves through computer skills... I told them the story of one of
our former encoders... he was "discovered" by my dad in a silkscreen
shop drawing the templates for the t-shirts... my dad needed draftsmen
for one of his early projects... and so he called him up to work with
him. My dad tutored him on the basics of drafting and paid him an
education allowance so that he could train and learn CAD, eventually
after 5 years he was able to get a job in Abu Dhabi, where he has just
been recently promoted to CAD Production manager...



Over the years these stories are repeated in our office, and I have had
the chance to work alongside these exceptional and humble guys... I
learned firsthand that the lack of a formal education, despite its
initial handicap... is no obstacle to a person who has the fire in the
belly, the ambition, the fortitude and discipline to enrich
him/herself. Oftentimes, life  is a better teacher, and the people
around you, better mentors than the "professionals" you find in
college. If knowledge and skills are the things that you lack, well...
the internet/computer brings that to you... you just have to use it for
positive means.



I think that I was able to light a fire in them... They were all
excited... I could see quite a few eyes narrow and squint... yung
tipong nanlilisik ba?