In this podcast host Marco talks to young professionals to hear about their stories on how they got into their field, how they studied it, and what they do now in their work. The goal of this podcast is to provide career insights, motivation, and study tips for students who are still deciding on what course to take in college or what career to take after college. Catch new episodes every Friday!
Ep.24: How to be an A.I. Engineer, and what it's like working for startup companies | Interview with Joseph Daniel Dantes
About the guest: Joseph Daniel Dantes is currently working for Blaize, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology company, where he is mostly in charge of developing software tools that are used in communicating with their AI accelerator hardware. Before this, he also worked for another AI technology company called Wave Computing. He is a Computer Engineering graduate from UP Diliman, and he was a member of the Ubiquitous Computing Laboratory in their institute.
In this episode we talked about:
What inspired him to pursue a career in AI engineering
His experience during their bootcamp training at Wave Computing
What he loves about working for a startup company
His role at Blaize, and some of the projects he has worked on so far
What edge computing is, and what it was like before edge computing
The day-to-day activities of an AI engineer, and the typical timeline of AI projects
What are the challenging and rewarding aspects of working as an AI engineer
What is AI, and how it's different from other related topics (machine learning, data science, etc)
How neural networks work, a simple example
The latest in AI technology, and why the development of AI is deemed to be the fourth industrial revolution
What makes a successful AI engineer
Follow JD Dantes on social media for more AI-related blog posts:
Writings on https://jddantes.substack.com
Medium https://medium.com/@jddantes
Twitter https://twitter.com/jddantes
If you wish to learn more about neural networks, here are some useful lecture notes:
https://cs231n.github.io/convolutional-networks/
https://cs231n.github.io/understanding-cnn/
10/2/2021 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 47 seconds
Ep.23: How to be a Network Operations Engineer, and how customer tech support is done | Interview with Erwin San Pedro
About the guest: Erwin San Pedro is currently working as a Network Operations Engineer for NetOne Systems Japan, where he is tasked to help their customers resolve network issues, find downtime threats, and report outdated systems. Before this, he had three years of experience as an Electrical Project engineer for Hexel Works Japan. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE from UP Diliman, and he was a member of UP EEEI's Ubiquitous Computing Laboratory.
In this episode we talked about:
What urged him to make a career shift from electrical project engineering to network operations engineering
His first months of training at NetOne Systems Japan, and his role for the Operations team
The Plan-Build-Operate-Optimize (PBOO) framework, and different roles in each department
The day to day activities of a network operations engineer
The types of customers they have, and the kinds of concerns that they deal with
His process for researching, resolving, and recording the network issues
The many different parts connected in a network systems
The challenging and rewarding aspects of the work of a network operations engineer
The next steps in the career of a network engineer
Why Security Engineering is a highly specialized skill
How his past experiences in Hexel, UCL, and UP has helped him so far in his new career
9/18/2021 • 58 minutes, 55 seconds
Ep.22: How to be an FPGA Engineer, and how FPGA enables 5G's high-speed communications | Interview with Carlos Luigi Ramos
About the guest: Carlos Luigi Ramos is an FPGA Engineer for Anritsu Japan. He has 4 years of experience in developing digital circuit modules for the signal modulation/demodulation and MIMO applications for 5G Testers. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE from UP Diliman, and he was a part of the Digital Signals Processing Laboratory.
In this episode we talked about:
How he ended up working for an FPGA team, and the kind of training he got in the beginning
The languages used in FPGA coding, and how its parallel processing is different from other codes
The projects he got involved in, and the work he has done for the Demodulation and Modulation groups of Anritsu's 5G Tester
What are detailed in the 3GPP specifications
The process of FPGA development: design (spec review, circuit design, timing charts), coding (circuit, input data, output data), simulation (in PC), verification, hardware deployment, and testing
The challenging and rewarding aspects of the work of an FPGA engineer
The next steps in the career of an FPGA engineer, how to become an expert FPGA engineer, and the two types of an FPGA engineer
What is an FPGA, the applications you can build with it, and the devices that need it
FPGA vs ASIC, and how FPGA allows reprogrammability of the digital circuits
The FPGA architecture, and the best practices in designing FPGA applications
The most useful skills and character traits for an FPGA engineer
The future of FPGA, and why the demand for FPGAs will only grow in the future
9/10/2021 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 6 seconds
Ep.21 (Part 2 of 2): How to be an Antenna Engineer, and software vs hardware engineering | Interview with Mikhail Eñano
About the guest: Mikhail Eñano is a Product Design and Development engineer for Toshiba Japan, where he is part of the Telecommunication Systems Equipment Design group. He has 5 years of experience in product design, evaluation, and troubleshooting of RF products, mainly equipments for Satellite Communications. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE from UP Diliman, and he was a part of the Wireless Communications Engineering Laboratory (WCEL).
In this episode we talked about:
How he first got interested about wireless communications engineering
His undergraduate thesis project for WCEL
The antenna development process
Comparisons between software engineering and hardware engineering
What he needs for him to start developing his own products
Why a master's degree is almost crucial to an RF engineer
The next steps in the career of an RF engineer
Qualities that will make a successful RF engineer
The many different career opportunities for RF engineers
9/4/2021 • 38 minutes, 27 seconds
Ep.21 (Part 1 of 2): How to be an RF Engineer, and the Hardware Product Development cycle | Interview with Mikhail Eñano
About the guest: Mikhail Eñano is a Product Design and Development engineer for Toshiba Japan, where he is part of the Telecommunication Systems Equipment Design group. He has 5 years of experience in product design, evaluation, and troubleshooting of RF products, mainly equipments for Satellite Communications. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE from UP Diliman, and he was a part of the Wireless Communications Engineering Laboratory (WCEL).
In this episode we talked about:
The products being developed in the Telecommunications Systems Equipment Group of Toshiba Japan
What are RF products, and what do RF engineers do?
The different kinds of RF engineers
The products/projects he has been involved in so far
Some of his patent applications, and the patent application process in Japan
The different teams and different kinds of engineers involved in the development of a product
The stages in the product development cycle: design, prototype, development, production, support
What's unique about this process when it comes to RF products
The different certifications and evaluations of electronic products, and how they are conducted
The most challenging and rewarding aspects of the job of an RF engineer
Why RF engineers are important and will never become obsolete
Current challenges and exciting researches in wireless communications
9/4/2021 • 59 minutes, 7 seconds
Ep.20: How to be a Mobile App Developer, and how AdBlockers work | Interview with Marc Patrick Celon
About the Guest: Marc Patrick Celon is a software engineer for Samsung Research Philippines where he is currently developing the AdBlocking technology of the Samsung Internet browser. He is a Computer Engineering graduate from UP Diliman and he was a member of the Ubiquitous Computing Laboratory (UCL).
In this episode we talked about:
The different kinds of apps they develop in UCL
Why he chose Samsung Research PH as the place to start his career in app dev
His early projects for Samsung, and how software dev is different in the industry compared to in college
How they monitor and find issues in the web apps they deploy
How he got involved in mobile app development, and why Samsung Internet is capitalizing on its AdBlocking technology
Where the ads are in a browser, and why AdBlockers need to be constantly updated
The day-to-day activities of a mobile app developer
The side projects they have in Samsung, as well as how they present their patent or product ideas
The difference between mobile app development and web app development
How AdBlockers hide or block ads on a website, and what they replace them with
What personal projects he is working on right now
How someone can get started in web app or mobile app development
The differences in developing iOS and Android applications
8/27/2021 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 27 seconds
Ep.19: How to be a Web Developer, and how cloud technology is changing Web Dev | Interview with Rodrigo Celso II
About the guest: Rodrigo Celso II is currently working as a software engineer for Metro East Technology Resources Inc, where he helps develop internal web applications for Telecom companies. He has a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering specialized in Digital Signal Processing from UP Diliman, and he is currently pursuing his MBA degree.
In the first half of this episode we talked about:
Why he entered a career in Web development, and why he chose Metro East Technology
What web development is, and how UI/UX has become a separate area of work
How his career has progressed in the past four years, and the kinds of projects he has worked on
Differences between a web developer and mobile app developer
The day-to-day activities of a web developer
The lifecycle of software development, and the difference between Waterfall and Agile methods
How he learned the many programming languages needed for his work
The challenging aspects and rewarding aspects of working as a web developer
The next steps in the career of a web developer, and why he is pursuing an MBA now
In the second half of this episode we talked about:
What is front-end development, and what is back-end development
How UI/UX is planned, designed, researched, and implemented
How the user data is accessed from/sent to the servers
How cloud technology is impacting the web development process
How their team is transitioning towards the adoption of cloud infrastructure
Current trends in UI design, and the trendsetters in UI design
The main design principles in creating sustainable and adaptable software
What makes a successful web developer
The many reasons why someone should pursue a career in web development
How someone can start learning how to do web development
8/20/2021 • 1 hour, 18 minutes, 51 seconds
Ep.18: How to be a DevOps Engineer, and the future of the IT industry | Interview with Ivan Nepomuceno
About the guest: Ivan Nepomuceno is currently working as a DevOps Engineer for Samsung Research Philippines. He also has previous experience as a release manager in Asurion, and as a system engineer in Azeus. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE from UP Diliman, where he specialized in wireless communications engineering.
In the first half of this episode we talked about:
Why he entered the IT industry after graduating from college
What products/services he was involved in at Azeus
How he taught himself DevOps engineering
His work as a release manager in Asurion
The day-to-day activities of a DevOps engineer
Why we would want to put codes into containers
How they automate the deployment of applications
Differences between developers, operations, and DevOps
The challenging and rewarding aspects about the work of a DevOps engineer
How someone can advance to DevOps position
In the second half of this episode we talked about:
How DevOps developed, and why it's crucial for our software systems today
The future of IT and DevOps
What businesses need a DevOps engineer
The minimum background/knowledge you need to get into DevOps engineering
What it takes to be well-versed in the work of DevOps
What makes a successful DevOps engineer
Best way to start learning DevOps engineering
Why DevOps is very in demand right now
8/13/2021 • 1 hour, 6 minutes, 3 seconds
Ep.17: How to be a Space Systems Engineer, and what we can do with space data | Interview with Izrael Bautista
About the guest: Izrael Bautista is currently finishing his PhD in Space Systems Engineering at Kyushu University. He is also the project manager for BIRDS-4, a cubesatellite project involving different engineers from the Philippines, Paraguay, Nepal, Turkey, and Japan. His involvement in the Philippine Microsatellite Project started from 2015, and since then he has contributed in the development of the power system of Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 satellites. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE and a master's degree in Energy Engineering both from UP Diliman.
In the first half of the episode we talked about:
How he first got involved with the Philippine Microsatellite Project
His contributions for the Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 projects
What is an amateur radio
The data that we can get from our satellites
Why he decided to pursue PhD in Space Systems Engineering
The subjects he took for this degree, and the format of their classes
The mission of the BIRDS-4 Project, and the make-up of their team
His role and contributions to this project
The technology he used for the solar cell of the satellite
The background necessary to qualify for Space Systems Engineering
The timeline of the project, and why most cubesatellites last only 1-2 years
The new career opportunities that opened up for him because of Space Engineering
In the second half of the episode we talked about:
The harsh conditions that satellites should be able to withstand
The challenges in the communications with the satellite
What our Space Agency is working on now, and the kinds of roles they need inside
The future goals of the Philippine Space Agency
Where we're getting our funds for our space missions today
Why space data is valuable to private enterprises
Why pursue a career in Space Systems Engineering
Why satellites are the king of systems
How someone can start learning amateur radio
8/6/2021 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 11 seconds
Episode 16: How to be a Human Resources officer, and how to find and get that job you want | Interview with Jenvia Domingo
About the guest: Jenvia Domingo is a Senior Technical Recruiter for Pointwest, an IT & Services company in the Philippines. Counting her 1 year experience as a recruitment assistant in Action Labs IT Services Philippines, she now has 5 years of experience in the end to end recruitment of IT, Software, and Operations professionals. She finished her bachelor's degree in Human Resource Development Management (HRDM) from New Era University.
In the first half of this episode we talked about:
What inspired her to take the HRDM program of New Era University
The five different facets of Human Resource Management
The curriculum of the HRDM program in New Era University, and how the subjects are taught
Her job searching experience after graduating from college
Why she chose to find work in the IT industry
Freelancing, outsourcing, staff augmentation, and direct hiring
The day-to-day activities of an HR officer
The challenging and rewarding aspects of working as an HR officer
How she overcame the challenges of learning about the technologies in IT, and developing her interviewing skills
How to be a successful HR officer, how to develop the passion for this work, and finding mentors
In the second half of this episode we talked about:
The complete hiring process, and how to find and get that job you want
How recruiters find the right candidates for the positions they are trying to fill
What are the different concerns employees can ask from their HR department
How are employees usually evaluated and rewarded
What are the causes for terminating an employee, and how to approach letting go of employees
The steps you need to take when you decide to resign from your company
How are salaries of employees decided
What makes employees stay in the company, and what makes them leave early
Why pursue a career in Human Resource management
What other backgrounds will qualify you for this job
7/31/2021 • 1 hour, 21 minutes, 22 seconds
Episode 15 (Part 2 of 2): Banks, fintech, cryptocurrency, capitalism, and other topics in Economics | Interview with Allen Cruz
About the guest: Allen Cruz is an Economics graduate from UP Diliman. He is currently working as a Foreign Exchange officer in Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and he has previous work experiences as a banker in UnionBank and as a management trainee for an oil company.
In the second part of this episode we talked about:
The role of banks in the economy
The different services that banks offer and that we should know about
The thing you can now do with online banking
Digital banks vs traditional banks
What cryptocurrency is, and what we are investing in when we invest in cryptocurrency
Why capitalism has a bad reputation
Alternatives to capitalism, and the spectrum between a purely government-controlled economy and a purely private-controlled economy
Why pursue Economics as a course in college
7/24/2021 • 43 minutes, 17 seconds
Episode 15 (Part 1 of 2): How to be an Economist, and the many things you will learn as a banker | Interview with Allen Cruz
About the guest: Allen Cruz is an Economics graduate from UP Diliman. He is currently working as a Foreign Exchange officer in Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and he has previous work experiences as a banker in UnionBank and as a management trainee for an oil company.
In this episode, we talked about:
Why he chose Economics as a course in college
What you will learn from a degree in Economics
Why UP's Economics curriculum allows so many free electives
Career opportunities for an Economics graduate
Why we need economists involved in deciding the prices of currencies
His experiences working as a banker
The many different skills you gain from working in the Loans function of a bank
How he conducts research, analysis, and reporting about their clients
The challenging aspects about working as a banker
7/24/2021 • 52 minutes, 7 seconds
Episode 14: How to be a Psychologist, and what happens in a therapy session | Interview with Lyssa Solomon
About the guest: Lyssa Solomon is working as a guidance counselor in Xavier School, while taking her MS degree in Counseling Psychology in Ateneo de Manila University. She has a bachelor's degree in Family Life and Child Development from UP Diliman, and she has worked as a clinical assistant in Ateneo Bulatao Center's psychological clinic, and as a community mobilizer for Save the Children Philippines.
In this episode we talked about:
What inspired her to pursue an MS in Counseling Psychology
How her background in Family Life and Child Development helps her in her Psychology studies
The topics covered in Ateneo's Counseling Psychology MS program
Her work as a guidance counselor for Xavier School
Her past experiences as a clinical assistant in Bulatao Center and as a community mobilizer for Save the Children Philippines
Career opportunities for someone with a background in Counseling Psychology
What happens in a psychotherapy session
How to know if it's time to talk to a therapist
What are the different kinds of therapies available
How the therapists can say that a client is recovered
How to help our friends who are experiencing depression, and what should we be careful not to do
How to remain grateful and positive without falling into toxic positivity
How to teach kids to accept their emotions, and be careful with the way they express their emotions
What we need to know about our identity and personality
What are the factors contributing to many children experiencing depression these days
Why we need more psychologists
7/16/2021 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 28 seconds
Episode 13 (Part 2 of 2): How to become an "uberman", and some of the major philosophical problems today | Interview with Jofer Asilum
This is the second part of my conversation with Philosophy Major Jofer Asilum. In this episode we talked about:
How studying Philosophy changed his views, ideas, and beliefs
His own philosophies in life
How to know if where you are is where you should be in life
How to become an ubermensch, according to Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche
Some of the major philosophical problems today
Why policy makers don't use the works of philosophers in answering societal problems
What we should be teaching in our Values Education classes
Why we need more philosophers, and the importance of Philosophy
How we are moving towards a world with no more singular degrees
7/9/2021 • 31 minutes, 14 seconds
Episode 13 (Part 1 of 2): How to be a Philosophy Major, and how to describe the Filipino philosophy | Interview with Jofer Asilum
About the guest: Jofer Asilum is a Philosophy graduate from UP Diliman. After graduating, he started the Philosophy department of OB Montessory Center Professional High School, and developed the Philosophy curriculum for that school. He also wrote for the textbooks in Philosophy and Filipino of Senior High school students. Now, he is working as an urban and regional planner for their municipality in Masbate, after earning his master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning also from UP Diliman.
In this episode we talked about:
Why he chose Philosophy in college, and how he began to fall in love with it
How the Philosophy department of a university dictates the heart of the whole university
The topics they learned in their four years of studying Philosophy
Why we need to study philosophers, but not be consumed by their ideas
What we need to know about the Filipino psychology
Typical format and requirements in Philosophy classes
How research is done in Philosophy, and how he conducted his own research on the topic of "tadhana"
Some of the most influential philosophers today
The different career paths a Philosophy graduate can take
Why he decided to study and work as an Urban and Regional planner
What qualities of a student will help him/her succeed in Philosophy
7/9/2021 • 56 minutes, 4 seconds
Episode 12: How to be a Filmmaker, and suggestions on how to analyze films | Interview with Josef Gacutan
About the guest: Josef Gacutan is a film graduate from UP Diliman. She is currently working as a freelance writer and producer for digital ads and short films. Her short animated film 'Wag mo 'kong kausapin' won as Best Short Film in the 2019 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, and was part of the 29th Singapore International Film Festival, FAMAS Awards, and Gawad Urian Awards.
In this episode we talked about:
How she got into films, and why she decided to shift to Film
How film is taught in school, the typical format of classes and the usual requirements
What makes film school very expensive, and how students are finding ways to pay for it
How they propose their film ideas, and the steps to making a film
Why she decided to do an animated short film for her thesis
Why students prefer to do narrative fiction, and why documentaries are challenging
What causes a lot of Film students to be delayed in graduating
The different career options for Film graduates
What it's like working as a freelance writer/producer
Her suggestions on how to analyze a film
How to get started learning how to make animations or documentaries
How to get started learning about Philippine and World cinema
What are the lesser known genres, and what are the new genres that are popping up these days
What might be the future of the film industry in the Philippines
What it takes to be a successful filmmaker
Her message to aspiring filmmakers and why we need more filmmakers in the country
7/2/2021 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 27 seconds
Episode 11: How to be a Communications Campaigner, and how Journalism can be applied to many careers | Interview with Maverick Flores
About the guest: Maverick Flores is a communications campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines, where he develops projects that will help increase awareness of their organization. Before this, he also worked as a communications officer for different private companies, government agencies, and NGOs. He has a degree in Journalism from UP Diliman.
In this episode we talked about:
How journalism and communications are similar and different
The outline of a Journalism course in college
The two career paths he considered after graduation
His short experience as an Editorial Production Assistant for the Philippine Daily Inquirer
His first experience in communications as a Program Coordinator for an NGO
Why the humanities and social sciences are just as difficult as the hard sciences, and how they can be applied to all sorts of jobs
His work as a communications officer for the Philippine Information Agency
His work in public relations (PR) for a private corporation
His work as an advocacy communications officer for the Greenpeace Philippines
The skills every communications officer should learn
The day-to-day work and long-term projects of a communications officer
How the work of a communications officer differs in a government agency, private corporation, and NGO
The unethical practices in communications that they should avoid
The different mediums used in communications, and how they determine which medium is most applicable for a particular campaign
How his experiences working as a communications officer have helped in his personal passion projects (blogs, podcasts, etc)
Some of the results they've encountered from evaluation their past communications campaigns
The challenges journalists are facing today, and the rewarding aspects of being a journalist
Why we need more journalists today, and the role of journalists in the society
Get to know more about Greenpeace Philippines by following @gpph on Twitter and @greenpeaceph on Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok.
6/18/2021 • 1 hour, 16 minutes, 4 seconds
Episode 10: How to be a Materials Engineer, and the future of materials | Interview with Arlene Mia Ruguian
About the guest: Arlene Mia Ruguian is a Materials Engineer, specializing in thin films and nanomaterials. After finishing her BS degree in UP Diliman, she worked for three years in Beta Nanocoating, a start-up nanocoating company in Bulacan. She then pursued her Master's degree in Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), where she did research for the Flexible Devices and Metamaterials Lab, such as in the development of advanced catalysts for hydrogen fuels.
In this episode we talked about:
Why she chose Materials Engineering as her course in college, and why this profession is relatively unknown to us
How Materials Engineering overlaps with all the other engineering fields and sciences
The curriculum of a Materials Engineering program, and why Materials Engineering subjects start very late in the curriculum
What they learn about a particular material, and what are the common materials they study, as well as the more advanced materials
Her experience as a summer intern in Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan
The career options for Materials Engineering graduates, and why they still don't have a board exam in the Philippines
Her experiences working in Beta Nanocoating, and why she stayed there for three years
The applications of nanocoating, and how they evaluate if this process applies to a particular tool
Why she decided to study further in KAIST
Her study experience in KAIST, the subjects she chose, and the struggle she had recalling their subjects in undergrad
The different labs in KAIST, and why she chose the Flexible Devices and Metamaterials Lab
Her career pursuits now in the academe, sharing the research methodologies she learned from KAIST, as well as potentially starting her own lab for advanced materials research in the Philippines
The typical process of product development
How a property of a material can be changed
How they make sure new materials don't have harmful effects to humans and the environment
The recent advances in materials: composites, nanomaterials, flexible electronics, biomaterials
The skills that will help a Materials Engineer succeed
How Materials Engineers can help solve global problems such as global warming, waste control, water shortage
Why aspiring Materials Engineers need not worry too much about Math, Physics, and Chemistry
6/11/2021 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 34 seconds
Episode 9: How to be a Molecular Biologist, and comparing science research and medicine practice | Interview with Daniel Paul Uy
About this episode's guest: Daniel Paul Uy is a fifth year Med student in UP Manila. He has a bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (MBB) from UP Diliman, where he did research for the Disease Molecular Biology and Epigenetics Laboratory (DMBEL).
In this episode we talked about:
Why Daniel chose MBB as his course in college
The different topics and laboratories in MBB
The RNA research being worked inside DMBEL
The three hallmarks of cancer
The tools you need to be a successful MBB student/researcher
The different career paths for an MBB graduate
How UP Med creates five-star physicians
How Daniel's background in MBB helps him in Med school
The differences between working as a researcher and a clinician
Why doing undergrad before going into Med school is a good idea
Why high school and college is the time to pursue what you're passionate about
Why we need more MBB researchers in the Philippines
6/4/2021 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 31 seconds
Episode 8 (Part 2 of 2): How our favorite TV shows are made, and the future of the TV landscape | Interview with Maku Mei Chan
About this episode's guest: Maku Mei Chan is a Broadcast Communications graduate from UP Diliman. She is working now as a Production Assistant for various shows in GMA network such as Stepdaughters, Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit, and Heartful Cafe. She is also volunteering as an anchor and correspondent for shows like CFO Today and CBI Live in INCTV and INC Radio.
In this episode we talked about:
The processes involved in producing a drama series on TV
How a TV network influences the content of its shows, including news shows
How digital media (Internet, social media, podcast, vlogs) has affected the TV landscape
Comparisons between working in front of the camera and behind the camera
How the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the Philippine TV industry
How Maku plans to become a Program Manager on GMA
5/28/2021 • 33 minutes, 15 seconds
Episode 8 (Part 1 of 2): How to be a Broadcaster and TV Production Assistant | Interview with Maku Mei Chan
About this episode's guest: Maku Mei Chan is a Broadcast Communications graduate from UP Diliman. She is working now as a Production Assistant for various shows in GMA network such as Stepdaughters, Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit, and Heartful Cafe. She is also volunteering as an anchor and correspondent for shows like CFO Today and CBI Live in INCTV and INC Radio.
In this episode we talked about:
Why she chose Broadcast Communications as her course in college
How they were taught and trained in Broadcast Communications
The different tracks you can take in Broadcast Communications
The different career paths for Broadcast Communications graduates
Why she chose to work for GMA Network
How she ended up in her role as a Production Assistant
The day-to-day job of a TV Production Assistant
The different kinds of a TV Production Assistant
The struggles and rewarding aspects of being a TV Production Assistant
Her roles as an anchor and correspondent for INCTV and INC Radio
5/28/2021 • 44 minutes, 21 seconds
Episode 7: How to be an Environmental Scientist, and why we need research to graduate | Interview with Engr. Mark Edward Jolejole
About this episode's guest: Mark Edward Jolejole is an researcher working for the IM4 Manila Bay project of DOST. He has a master's degree in Environmental Science from UP Diliman and a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from UP Los Banos. He is working to save our natural resources, especially the water quality of our rivers, lakes, and seas.
In this episode we talked about:
What inspired Kuya Ed to pursue graduate studies in Environmental Science
The topics you need to know to get a degree in Environmental Science
The typical background of Environmental Science students, and the career paths after getting their degrees
The types of research he did in undergrad, graduate school, and for DOST
The challenging aspects in studying Environmental Science
Why research is a requirement for students to graduate
How we can motivate students to do research
What are the interesting research topics in environmental science?
What skills and knowledge do you gain from being a full-time researcher?
Given freedom and resources, what topic does Kuya Ed want to research on?
How Kuya Ed motivates himself to study
How Kuya Ed reads papers for his research
How Kuya Ed organizes the insights he gets from these papers
Kuya Ed's Top 3 study tips
5/20/2021 • 1 hour, 21 seconds
Episode 6: How to be a Data Scientist, and how coding is becoming a more universal skill | Interview with Christine Balili
About this episode's guest: Christine Balili is a data scientist for the Wesfarmers Corporation in Australia, where she develops recommendation algorithms for the company's websites. She also worked previously in McKinsey & Company, also as a data scientist. She has a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from UP Diliman and a master's degree in Knowledge Service Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
In this episode we talked about:
Her experiences as a Google Ambassador in college
How she ended up taking Computer Science (CS) in college
The introductory courses in CS and why it can be overwhelming to some
The things you study and learn, and projects you get to do from a CS degree
How she overcame her struggles in learning how to code at first
Why she decided to study further in KAIST
Her work experiences after finishing her MS degree
Career options for CS graduates, other than data science
Upcoming trends in computer science and data science
Why coding is becoming a more fundamental skill for everyone
How coding can be taught to kids, even in the Philippines
Why everyone should learn how to code
5/14/2021 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 37 seconds
Episode 5: How to be a Sociologist, and why GE subjects matter | Interview with Axel Arenas
About this episode’s guest: Axel Arenas is a college instructor at Pangasinan State University - Urdaneta, where he teaches General Education (GE) subjects. He has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UP Los Banos and he is currently taking his master’s degree in Social and Development Studies in UP Baguio. He is working to make sure his students are not only good in their professions, but more importantly they are good members of the society.
In this episode we talked about:
Why he chose Sociology as a course in college
How sociologists think
The role of sociologists in society
What Social and Development Studies is
What aspects of learning sociology students struggle the most with
Why GE subjects matter
Why K-12 is not the solution we need
How GE subjects are taught in Senior High and in college
What he looks for from his students' papers
How to consume the mountain of readings required in social science classes
How the less outspoken students can join in the discourses in class
How one becomes a good member of the society
5/9/2021 • 33 minutes, 28 seconds
Episode 4: How to be a Financial Advisor, and the road to financial independence and early retirement | Interview with Emmalin Mesina
About this episode's guest: Emma is a licensed financial advisor (FA) at Sun Life Philippines, where she is now a unit manager. Before becoming a full-time FA, she worked first as a Materials Engineer at Samsung and Monde Nissin. As of this interview, she has already secured 150 lives, and she is already managing a team of 20 people. She is working hard to help Filipinos prepare for the financial aspect of their retirement, and to protect their finances in case of emergencies.
In this episode we talked about:
How she decided to work full-time as a financial advisor
What kinds of work she does as a financial advisor
How her job as a financial advisor compares to her job before in corporate
The regulations and mathematics every financial advisor should understand
The qualifications and application process to becoming a financial advisor
The perks of working as a financial advisor, as well as the challenges encountered
What it takes to be a successful financial advisor
How a friendly culture is cultivated amongst financial advisors
The steps she needs to take in case she wants to go back to her engineering job
The skills she gained from her corporate job that she still gets to apply to her job now as an FA
The things we need to consider and plan if we want to retire early (age 35~40)
How to find the right working conditions and career path for you
The 3 make-or-break questions in choosing a company to work for
How to secure's one's future (job prospects, financial freedom) in this fast changing economy
How does one become financially literate
How can someone start investing
Why we need a life insurance, and the three steps to financial freedom
5/6/2021 • 57 minutes, 32 seconds
Episode 3: How to be a Doctor of Law, and why the Law isn't taught in basic education | Interview with Atty. Dean Lozarie
About this episode's guest: Dean Lozarie is an associate lawyer at C&G Law Firm, where he usually handles litigation cases such as in civil, labor, and tax. He got both his bachelor's degree in Journalism and his Juris Doctor degree from University of the Philippines Diliman, and he passed the Bar exam in 2018. He is working now to help individuals and corporations achieve their goals and dreams in accordance to the Law.
In this episode we talked about:
Why he decided to study in Law school
The requirements for getting into Law school
Why Journalism is a good pre-Law course
The eight bar subjects, and how these subjects are taught
How they studied the Law in class
Typical requirements in class: recitation, exams, and papers
How lawyers keep up with changes in the Law
Which aspects of studying Law do students struggle most with
The rewarding aspects of studying Law
Different careers a lawyer can take after getting his or her license
Is it OK that we don't teach the Law very much in basic education
Is it OK that we don't require our government officials and lawmakers to have studied the Law
How do we demystify, de-stigmatize, and de-villify the profession of lawyers
How true are some of the stereotypes with lawyers
Top 3 advice for those who are planning to enter Law School
5/3/2021 • 1 hour, 50 minutes, 47 seconds
Episode 2: How to be a Doctor of Medicine, and how to make time for hobbies and sports | Interview with Dr. Cyra Kaye Mina
About this episode's guest: Cyra Kaye Mina is a general physician working at a private hospital in Rosales, Pangasinan where she mans the Emergency Room and Out-Patient Department. She also volunteers for the teleconsulting services of the OVP and NGO in their community. She took both of her bachelor's degree in Medical Technology and her M.D. from University of Sto. Tomas, and she did her internship at DOH where she was assigned to different hospitals including the Philippine Heart Center and Lung Center of the Philippines. She is a young doctor, a talented artist, and a modern-day hero, with real superpowers.
In this episode we talked about:
How she got into Med Tech, and why Med Tech is a great pre-med course
How she decided to pursue Medicine
Subjects taken in Med School: from first year to fourth year
The importance of having a support system in Med School
Mental, physical, emotional, and financial exhaustion during Med School
Why she chose to do her internship at DOH
Her first-hand experiences in the surgery room
How online internship is conducted, and its problems
Her experience now working at their local hospital
Her advice to someone worried about time and money before entering Med School
How she makes time for her hobbies and sports while in school
Her Top 3 recommended books, TV series, and music artists
5/3/2021 • 1 hour, 38 minutes, 50 seconds
Episode 1: How to be a Telecoms Engineer, and why ECE is so hard | Interview with Engr. Gab Dela Cruz
About this episode's guest: Gab Dela Cruz is a telecoms engineer working for an international company based in Japan. He has a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE), with a specialization on Wireless Communications Engineering. He is working to make sure we receive our mobile data (text, audio, video, etc) fast, securely, and with no errors.
In this episode we talked about:
What inspired us to take Computer Engineering in college, and later on shift to ECE
The topics we learned in ECE
Why we chose to specialize in Wireless Communications Engineering
How we decided to work for Anritsu in Japan, and what we do in our work now
What our working conditions are, and how true the overworking culture in Japan is
What high school students should be working on if they want to pursue ECE in college
Why so many students struggle in ECE
Why ECE graduates need to take the board exam
What hard/soft skills from our work we get to apply in our day-to-day lives
Is 5G really gonna make the world better
How Gab motivates himself to start studying
What Gab does to help him memorize things
How someone can start learning how to code
When can we say that we have become experts in our fields