I came to Canada with big dreams and high expectations.  I came here looking for a bright future for my family.  Hence, I intend to do the best I can to achieve that goal.

This semester has been one heck of a roller coaster ride for me.  Too many ups and downs that disoriented me which I have never felt in a long while, not since my flying days when I would get spatial disorientation at times.  Luckily, just like in an aircraft’s artificial horizon, I was able to recover my bearings during those times when there is “poor visibility” as we call it in aviation.

Durham College in particular, and Canada in general, is a paradise.  I can only borrow Francis Magalona’s words to describe my experience:  “So many faces, so many races / Different voices, different choices”.  (Magalona, 1995).  I made a lot of friends, most of them much younger than me.  But the age difference was not a hindrance in forging a friendship with them.  Different age, different race, different interest and ideologies, but similar in goal, that of getting a degree which could help us get that job we want in the future.

One of my downs during the semester was about group projects.  In my opinion, first year students should not be required to do group projects, or at least do not give too much weight in group projects.  Most courses allocate 25% to group projects.  This is a significant portion of the GPA which could make or break a student’s status in a particular course.  There are students who are just concerned with passing the course with total disregard to their groupmates.  While I was lucky to have the best groupmates in my COMM 3201 course, I cannot say the same for my other courses.  I messed up my first written report in my COMM class because I have to divert my attention to my DBAS 1201 class due to my groupmates not doing their assigned task.  I have to sacrifice a 10% mark in one course to salvage a 25% in another. 

One may argue that group collaboration is important in honing the interpersonal skills of a person.  I agree.  However, it is too early for novices to do collaborative work.  Take for example formation skydiving.  According to Voltige: “Formation Skydiving is the most widely practiced discipline of skydiving and it is performed in freefall. The skydiver must perform pre-planned formations with one or more other jumpers, while staying in the belly-to-earth orientation. The formations are completed when all grips are taken as planned.”  (Voltige, n.d.).  This extreme sport requires not just utmost teamwork in order to execute the maneuvers successfully, but also every member should be an expert in skydiving as well.  One wrong move by even just one member of the team could be fatal for the whole group. 

But, group projects are not as lethal as extreme sports like skydiving.  I beg to disagree.  The group project could be fatal to one’s academic grades.  Just imagine that 25% going down the drain because your groupmate simply doesn’t care as long as he gets a passing grade.  What if you yourself is on the brink of failure and you need that 25% to pass?  Or, what if you are trying to get a certain GPA because you plan to move on to university after college?  Reporting a groupmate’s attitude to the teacher doesn’t help that much.  The teacher would simply refer you to the Campus Conflict Resolution Services.  Unless the CCRS can give you back that lost grade, then I don’t see how they can help at all. 

This is exactly what happened to my DBAS project.  Every phase of the project, we have to revise the tasks assigned to the other members because they do not meet the requirements.  These members would always make excuses like they have not slept yet because they were up all night at work, or the project can still be submitted late.  And these are international students like me.  Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada gave us study permits to study, primarily.  While IRCC allows us to work, we can “work 20 hours per week off campus or full time during regular breaks if meeting criteria outlined in paragraph 186(v) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.” (IRCC, 2019).  My fellow international students, unfortunately, prioritize their work over their studies to the point they would rather skip class than give up their jobs.

I was trying to get a certain GPA not just because I plan to continue to university someday.  I was trying to get that GPA to be included in the Honours List so that when I return home, I could put that award on top of my father’s grave, my final salute to the man who gave his all to his children.  “All full-time students with a SGPA of 4.0 or greater will qualify.” (Durham College Academic Grading, 2017, p. 5).   Right now, I am not sure if I can still qualify for that.

On the brighter side of things, there were so many happy moments I have shared with my classmates.  The countless times we would all hang out at the Student’s Lounge at the Student Services Building to do group studies, the lunch outside the school campus where most of the time we were sharing each other’s food because we don’t have enough lunch money.  Sometimes we would do group chats late in the evening talking nothing but pure nonsense.  Other times, we would make fun of our own bloopers.  Like the time me and Puneet went out to apply for a job at Sobeys in the middle of a snow storm.  It was already late at night and we were walking in the middle of nowhere, at least for a couple of internationals like  us.  While shivering from the cold, we kept asking each other what the hell we were doing?  And we did tell the others of our ordeal the following Monday.  And we were the butt of joke for a week, with the others trying to figure out if we were brave to walk in a snow storm or just plain stupid.  We all have a good laugh whenever we recall that incident.  But the best part is when your friends would remind you of an assignment deadline and would not stop bugging you until you have completed the necessary.  True friends are there to help you along your journey.

All these things, plus the fact that we all have our differences makes me ponder on that song by my late friend, Francis Magalona, Kaleidoscope World.  The differences are what makes us bond as friends, even though we are into different programs.  Yesterday, the last official day of the Winter 2019 semester, the atmosphere was a bit gloomy.  Gloomy in a sense that most of us would go on our separate programs next semester.  But then, we all have the reason to look forward to our future.  After all, our friendship doesn’t end with this semester.

This is Rogel San Juan Corral, signing out for the Winter 2019 semester.  It has been both an honor and pleasure to have known all of you.

References:

Durham College Policy and Procedure.  (June 2017).  Academic Grading.  Retrieved from:  https://durhamcollege.ca/wp-content/uploads/112-academic-grading.pdf

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.  (2019, February 28).  Work off campus as an international student.  Retrieved from:  https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/work-off-campus.html

Magalona, F.  (2009, October 25).  Kaleidoscope World [Video File].  Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/ClNTn1wtq7E

Voltige School of Skydiving.  (n.d.).  Disciplines, Formation Skydiving.  Retrieved from:  https://www.parachutevoltige.com/en/certified-skydivers/skydiving-disciplines

For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name,
He writes – not that you won or lost – but how you played the Game.”

Grantland Rice, 1880-1954

Professionalism is defined by Merriam-Webster as:
professionalism noun
pro·​fes·​sion·​al·​ism | \ prə-ˈfesh-nə-ˌli-zəm , -ˈfe-shə-nə-ˌli-\
Definition of professionalism
1 : the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person
2 : the following of a profession (such as athletics) for gain or livelihood
(Merriam-Webster)

Professionalism is an important aspect in today’s corporate environment. But it is also the most misused and abused word. In corporate communication particularly, one needs to be aware of strict protocols, especially when addressing clients and your colleagues regardless of their position or rank. We have to be aware of our tone, as well as biases, always remembering to be politically correct at all times. Because in the business environment, every correspondence could be a potential lawsuit. And any lawsuit is not good for any business.

For me, professionalism can be described by the following three words: accountability, responsibility and commitment.

Accountability. For every correspondence that we send, we are accountable to its content. For example, every word in the correspondence could have legal repercussions, every grammatical error could lead to voiding a contract. We cannot use as an excuse that MS Word failed its spelling or grammar check. As my professor in Communications said, MS Word isn’t just that reliable in terms of grammar check. We are accountable; therefore, it is then our responsibility to make sure that the correspondences we send be as neutral and as formal as possible. As long as we are committed to delivering the best possible service to the company we work for, it isn’t that hard to accept accountability and responsibility in all our actions. With the right ethics, one can achieve professionalism that a corporate environment requires.

In my previous work experience, it is highly recommended that all communications be reviewed by a colleague. I used to ask my HR manager or even my regional director to read my email drafts first before I send them out. Most of the time, I am guilty of some grammatical errors. This has been my perennial problem, coming from a country whose official language is not english. But I am confident that with every practice, I will come closer to that perfection in professionalism. I alone am accountable for my actions. I take full responsibility for every word that comes out of my pen or mouth. And I am committed to achieving that perfection. That is my ethics.

References:

Image retreived from: https://www.finsia.com/images/default-source/infinance-images/20171103-infinance/the-key-to-quality-and-efficiency-is-professionalism—infinance—members-corner—finsia.png?sfvrsn=36329993_4

Grantland Rice. (n.d.). In New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Grantland_Rice

Professionalism. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Retrieved from:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professionalism

“The strength of the chain is determined by that of the weakest links”

Thomas Reid, 1786

                Most people think of sports when they hear the word teamwork.  I do.  However, the word teamwork has a deeper meaning than what sports illustrates it to be.  Sports usually define teamwork as members working together as one to achieve a common goal, that of winning the game.  But, life in general, is more than just winning the game.

                Ideally, people think of strength in numbers.  As long as a team is solid and unified, nothing can beat them.  As what Aesop, in one of his fable, stated:  “Union gives strength.” (Aesop, d. 564 B.C.).  Inspirational speakers often use this phrase in their motivational speeches.  And I can think of mob riots to know that this is true, to some extent.

                In sports, if a team lose, there will always be another day to play the game.  In life, sometimes the cohesion of a team is a matter of life and death.  And even the bravest of warriors can be foolish at times.  Take for example Roland, the protagonist in the French epic poem (Chanson de geste) Song of Roland.  He was too proud to call for help, deeming it an act of cowardice to blow his horn in the middle of the battle.  That arrogance cost him and his knights their lives.  When he finally blew his olifant-horn, it was already too late for the king, Charlemagne, to save them.  (The Song of Roland, Wikipedia).  Roland was only thinking about himself, of his image as a soldier. 

                While we may never be in a situation involving life and death, our individual action could have adverse effect on others.  In a corporate environment, for example, one team member’s conduct could cause the team to miss a deadline.  This could lead to the company losing a long-time client.  Which could lead to loss of profit.  And I guess you know to where this is leading into.

                In today’s software/application/web development, big companies such as Amazon, Google, Facebook, etc., are using what is called the Agile methodology.  Basically, it is a methodology that amplifies the group strength by making each member of the team feel their importance.  The agile method differs from the traditional waterfall methodology as popularized by Henry Ford in his assembly line in a sense that in agile, there is no “structured organization”.  It’s like a free-for-all ball game.  The development team is a stand-alone unit which cannot be controlled by anybody.  You might wonder how such a setup can work, considering that nobody controls the team.  The agile manifesto sums up how this new paradigm is shaping modern development:

                “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
                Working software over comprehensive documentation
                Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
                Responding to change over following a plan

                That is, while there is value in the items on
                the right, we value the items on the left more.“
                (Agile Manifesto, 2001)

                Make no mistake about it.  While the agile team have an informal structure, it has the power to remove from the team anybody who will compromise the team.  In its self-organizing structure, it literally is governing itself quasi-autonomously from the company management.  And this is why this new method is gaining ground in modern organizations.  Its true that there is strength in numbers.  But that strength is not absolute and can be compromised by the weakest member.  In fine, teamwork is also a double-edged sword.  An individual should not be too confident that just because one belongs in a team it means that that individual is already safe.  In today’s corporate world, survival of the fittest is still the name of the game. 

Reference:

Broken_link, (jpeg).  Retrieved from: https://cdn.app.compendium.com/uploads/user/e7c690e8-6ff9-102a-ac6d-e4aebca50425/e475f86d-5568-441a-99ce-4f2af15c3623/File/952871bb7e388987634c8053db9b5588/broken_link.jpg

Reid, Thomas (1786).  Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man.  Edited and abridged by A. D. Woozeley, M . A.  Fellow of the Queen’s College, Oxford.  Macmillan and Co., Limited 1941.  Retrieved from:  https://archive.org/stream/essaysontheintel007938mbp/essaysontheintel007938mbp_djvu.txt

Aesop (d. 564 BC).  Bundle of Stick.  Retrieved from: https://www.umass.edu/aesop/content.php?n=4&i=1

The Song of Roland.  (n.d.).  Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Song_of_Roland

Agile Manifesto.  (2001).  Retrieved from: https://agilemanifesto.org/

The more I know, the more I realize I know nothing.

Socrates, d. 399 BC

Back in primary school, I used to have bad study habits. Just like life, I never took my studies seriously. As expected, I never got good grades. I did not see the importance of studying.

I was the least favorite child in the family. The middle child who never did anything right. Never got the accolades that my siblings often get from our parents. That drove me to isolate myself from those around me, preferring to seek out knowledge that truly interests me, which, unfortunately, were not the subjects in the syllabus they taught us at school. I wanted to learn. But I didn’t want to do it because I wanted to please my family. I rebelled against the norms. I cannot focus on my subjects. Simply put, I lost interest in my studies.

Too bad, I only realized the importance of good study habits when I entered college. I failed a lot of subjects. And it took me longer to finish my previous degree. When I entered the professional world, only then did I realized that good study skills are actually the disciplines one needs in order to be successful in his career.

If one wishes to be successful professionally, one needs to be successful academically. And one can only be successful academically with the right study skills.

Now that I am back in college, I would like to rectify that mistake in my life. I intend to finish my program with good grades. Something that my family, particularly my son, would be proud of. And I can only accomplish that with the right attitude, with the right study skills.

According to Wikipedia, study skills “are approaches applied to learning. They are generally critical to success in school,^[1] considered essential for acquiring good grades, and useful for learning throughout one’s life.” (Study Skills, Wikipedia). And I couldn’t agree more. By staying focused and staying interested, a good study habit can be formed, thus leading to a successful academic program. Most of the time, I have observed that when students lost interest in their studies, they loose their focus. When they loose their focus, they begin to procrastinate. When they procrastinate, they start to miss important deadlines. And we all know what happens when students miss important deadlines.

Every course is relevant. Every course is interesting, if only students would look at the rationale why it was included in the curriculum. Every course is a chance at learning something new, something that may be of use later on not just in our professional life but life itself in general. I know it’s not too late for me to start over.

Reference:

Image taken from the web: https://i0.wp.com/www.customizableprofessionaldevelopment.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Hypnosis-learning-study-skills-training-Cork-Ireland-08.jpg?fit=720%2C600

Socrates, d. 399 BC, classical Greek philosopher
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/5930740-the-more-i-know-the-more-i-realize-i-know

Study Skills, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Study_skills

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton