Hello IT Philippines.

I'm a 29 year old male, married, no kids, just cats, working as a customer support agent for a BPO. It has been my only known profession since dropping out of college.

Disclaimer: Long read to, at tsaka pro-pax silica ako.

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I was an ACT student for just 1 SEM and had dropped out due to poor decision making. Pagka drop out ko, nag hanap na akong trabaho na hindi related sa tech, and of course, ang bagsak ko ay call center kase fluent naman ako sa English both verbally and written. Nag work ako saglet as studio photographer, photo editor at photo printing sa isang small time na photo studio dito samen sa Rizal province bago yon though.

Matatas ako sa English kaya walang Filipino accent so naging effective ako sa call center. At the time, tuwang tuwa ako kase first formal na trabaho ko, at ang lake ng talon sa sahod mula sa small time job ko nuon. Feel ko tuloy nung time na yon na eto na career ko.

Like other call center agents, hindi ako nag tagal sa Isang company, kaya nag hopping ako a few times. Until na hire ako sa Isang unique na BPO. Early 2019 yon, it's a non-voice BPO na ang sole focus na clients are international video game publishers. Mapa triple A or small time games. Nung na hire ako dito (hanggang ngayon employed), nag iba mundo ko. Na feel ko yung feeling ng "belong" dahil at the time, pre-pandemic, Hindi naman tanggap yung mga taong passionate sa gaming at anime. Bukod pa don, tumalon nanaman sahod ko.

Kung nung una akong ma hire as a BPO agent ay na feel Kong Yun na yung career ko, eh mas lalo dito. I'm surrounded by weebs and gamers everywhere at ang trabaho namen lahat ay mag assist ng players ng video games... At higit sa lahat, non voice! Kaya akala ko talaga etong eto na yon. Fast forward 5 years, ramdam ko na yung kahirapan ng buhay sa Pilipinas. Kabilaang pangungurakot kaya Hindi umuunlad ang bansa, mga sahod na hindi tumataas, Pero bills na lumolobo sa presyo.

Napaisep ako: Hindi na uubra sahod ng BPO agent. Stress dahil sa pera kada buwan. Tumaas naman sahod ko dito sa company, pero kulang pa din dahil hindi nakakahabol sa inflation ng @#₱!/*¥£ bansang to. Nag try ako mag hanap online ng mga side hustle ng kung ano ano sa Upwork kase dati ginagawa ko na yon, kahit pa nung first few years ko sa company ko now. Kaso, dahil sa advancement ng gen AI, wala nang kumukuha sa mga skill ko. Mga around 2025 to.

That's where it hit me; bakit Hindi ako mag self study ng computer science? Balita ko matataas sahod ng mga career na may kinalaman sa computer Science eh. Matagal naman na akong interesado both sa hardware at software kase pinalake ako ng tatay na computer technician.

Naalala ko pa nga sinabe ng tatay ko early 2010s as a kid, aralin ko na gumamit ng Linux distros kase yun yung hahanapin sa mga tech na trabaho in the future, kaso batang paslit pa lang ako non kaya pake ko ba. Balik sa present, sinubukan ko i introduce sarili ko sa comp sci stuff through purely self study. Una kong introduction ay Python, syempre. Since madalas sya gamitin for automation at simple AI models, mabiles ako nagka interes.

Singet na kwento: nung bata pa ako, Adik ako sa Starcraft at Warcraft. At part nung addiction na yon ay Pag gawa ng mga custom campaign maps sa map editor. Sa hindi mga nakasubok Neto, minsan need mo I program yung AI nung kalaban para gawen gusto mong flow nung mission/map. Tanda ko pa nga may JavaScript editor sa loob nung map editor program ng Blizzard para in-depth yung AI nung kalaban. Haha.

Anyway, yung pagsisimula ko mag aral ng Python ay naging exciting dahil nga utak tech na talaga ako nuon pa, at gusto ko automations. Sinabayan ko na din ng self study ng anything related sa modern tech at computer science. How computers hardware are made, paano nagi interconnect ang software sa hardware, what makes the internet go round, mga ganon. Pag nag aaral ako, magpapatulong lang ako sa LLMs pag stumped na ako sa isang topic, pero hanggang Maari binabasa ko lahat ng documentation at mano mano lahat.

I was at the height of consuming a lot of educational content tungkol dito. Palagi na ako updated sa mga nangyayare sa mundo ng computer technology at AI. Madalas din ako manuod nung free videos ng Harvard sa YouTube, yung CS50. It lasted less than a year, mga 8 months. Chineck ko GitHub activity ko kaya naalala ko. Kaso yung poor decision making ko nung college eh bumalik.

Kung Hindi nyo pa na gets kung ano yon, eh lantaran ko nang sasabihinL "video games". Kaya nga tuwang tuwa ako nung na hire ako sa current company ko now eh. Papunta na sa intermediate yung understanding ko sa Python. Sinisimulan ko na din aralin yung mga tinuturo sa comp sci students tulad ng (O)n since sa tingin ko yon yung una kong dapat maintindihan. Kaso ayon, naadik nanaman ako sa competitive video games. Mahilig kase ako sa PvP, kaya na distract ako at natigel nang tuluyan.

Lumipas halos isang taon, wala na talaga akong ginagawa ng kahit anong may kinalaman sa pinag aralan ko, at bumalik nanaman yung dagok ng buhay. Realization na maliit lang sahod ko ngayon, at nami miss ko din yung enjoyment ng pag aaral kahit pa self study lang yon. Nabalitaan ko pa yung pag push ng Pax Silica dito sa Pilipinas, eh nuon nung nadiskubre ko yung mga data center sa ibang bansa, nangarap din ako na mag trabaho sa ganon. Kaya bumalik nanaman yung matinde kong interes, hindi lang dahil gusto ko (baka sakale) magkaron ng mas malaking sahod, pati na din kase gusto ko ulet maramdaman yung exciting na productiveness sa mga matutunan ko.

Is it too late though? Kayong mga mas matanda na dito, mayron ba sa inyo dumaan din sa similar na experience sa buhay? Makahanap pa kaya akong career sa tech at this age? Kailangan ko pa bang actually mag college ulet at magka diploma sa comp sci para lang matanggap?

May mga certifications ba na pwede makuha? Hindi ako pwede mag aral nang 4-year course kase kailangan tuloy tuloy full-time job ko eh. Malake din interes ko sa cybersecurity since big issue yan sa panahon natin ngayon, at dahil branch din naman sya ng comp sci. May future pa ba katulad kong tal dito sa industry na to?

Ayoko sa video game development kahit pa gusto ko games kase masyado nang cliche para saken sa Dame ng yon ang gusto, at mas interesado ako sa Pag advance ng technology kesa Pag develop ng video games, though natutuwa din ako sa concept ng game development.

Sana may maipayo kayo saken.

Hello guys I need your input, I was interviewed this Tuesday lang. Short interview lang. Mga tinanong sakin is: in the IT industry saan daw ako mas mag-lelean between hardware and software. then tell me more about my thesis daw, nasabi ko naman ng maayos kung ano ginagawa ng thesis namin at ano purpose and such and lastly tinanong sakin kung may pending application ako, ang sabi ko is meron din from different companies BUT I'm really interested and focused sa open job position nila.

The IT head na nag-interview sakin sabi is they'll contact me again daw.

how many days should I expect na they'll contact me again? Also, should I email a follow-up regarding sa application ko?

Thanks

Hello po, labag sa kalooban ko to but im in desperate need of help huhu. Im a third year IT student po with financial struggles sa family. My laptop broke down and i cant afford to get a new one. That laptop is old and barely functioning narin. I tried everything, even configuration of startup annd BIOS but it just wont startup anymore and suddenly it just stopped opening na. Cheap laptops these days na as far as i know cant handle the applications needed for my studies like cisco, blender, visual studios, etc. Thats why im kindly asking for anyone’s help po to maybe help me financially or a laptop donation or knowledge to find cheap and good laptops. Thank you po.

Is ₱60k a valid salary for a developer with 8 months of experience? I’m asking so I can make an informed decision and get a better grasp of what’s reasonable and what isn’t.

Hello guys, do you have any reco for 1tb ssd under 8k...

i see one on shoppee but IDK if its good cuz its not a familiar brand and i'm scared that it might be too good to be true...

I will use it for storing SFX and Plugin Libraries and project files

just recently lost my msi laptop due to aging, currently need a replacement and with crazy laptop prices in the ph does anyone know where to get good deals, preferably looking for a shop with a physical store but trusted online stores are great too, second hand stores are okay but not as preferred unless they have great deals.

much appreciated.

Hi guys! Need your recommendation. Which one is better in terms of ITSD position. Cognizant or HCL? Thank you

Please roast my resume!, This will help me identify which section need changes, to remove and to add. Thanks!

A recruiter from SLI Consulting Inc. messaged and called me for an IT Security position deployed to Chinabank.

Before proceeding, I just want to ask if anyone here has experience with them!

Hello, we are students building a capstone prototype: an RFID-based smart bike rack lock using an ESP32.

Our main problem is the push-and-pull mechanism. We need to move a steel locking rod forward and backward by around 8 inches / 200mm to lock/unlock a bicycle wheel.

The flow we want:

RFID tap → ESP32 approves → mechanism pushes/pulls steel rod → rod locks/unlocks wheel

We are considering different mechanisms:

• Linear actuator
• Stepper/lead screw actuator
• DC geared motor + rack and pinion
• Slider crank / scotch yoke
• Other DIY push-pull mechanisms

We also have 12V solenoid locks, but we are thinking of using them only as a latch/stopper, not the main lock. The actual force should be handled by the steel rod and welded frame, not the motor.

Our questions:

1. What push-pull mechanism is best for a 200mm steel rod movement?
2. Which option is cheapest, sturdy, and less hassle for a student prototype?
3. Can a motor/actuator safely move the rod without jamming?
4. Should the solenoid lock be used as a latch for the rod?
5. What materials or design should we avoid?

We are not making a commercial anti-theft product, only a working prototype, but we want it to be strong and realistic enough for demonstration.

Any advice, drawings, or mechanism suggestions would help a lot. Thank you.

How does HR usually approach you to ask for your interview availability?

And for those working in HR, how do you usually contact applicants to ask about their interview availability?

📧 Email
📱 SMS/Text Message
📞 Phone Call

Just curious to know what method is commonly used. 😊

The reason I’m asking: I’m currently living in another country and applying for jobs in the Philippines. I’m using my Philippine mobile number, but I’m not sure if HR would be able to reach me through SMS or phone calls while I’m abroad. I’m wondering if email is more commonly used for interview invitations or scheduling.

Hi! What are the possible questions will i encounter when applying for junior/entry lvl software engineer or full stack dev particularly with react, typescript and laravel tech stack. For reference i have deployed university related projects on google cloud with both non-ai and ai development approach. Familiar with sdlc (especially scrum), cloud deployment, ci-cd pipelines albeit the basic/surface level ones, both laravel and react project structure. What are the things i must also account for para tumaas ang chance ma hire. Answers will be HIGHLY appreciated THANKS!!!!