The emergence of online schools that aim to provide education for people looking to start a career in the digital field from scratch is addressing the shortage of qualified digital professionals in the Philippines.
Mc Gee Alda Acebedo, 41, who obtained his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Santo Tomas, used to work in a contacts center for nine years.
Acebedo also became a level three technical support agent who handled mostly network-related tasks and dealt with the contact center’s products and services.
However, the job compensation wasn’t enough for a person with a family and he also got bored in terms of doing the repetitive tasks.
“I felt that moving up was nowhere in sight, and the job was already starting to become routinary. Being a Cisco engineer was in my plan, but somehow, I always put it off for some reason,” he said.
When his contract ended two years ago, he couldn’t find a stable job. Acebedo tried different side hustles in various fields, but none of them resulted in something long-term.
That was when he saw the Refocus advertisement. The opportunity to become a data analyst fascinated him.
“It seemed to me that data analysis was exactly what I wanted to do. I like to sort things out, find solutions, and analyze in general. I became very interested in how this is done on raw data. But most importantly, it looked like a profession that could help me develop my career and provide for my family,” he shared.
An online course like this was the best choice for him. It is designed for adults who have full-time jobs, so only relevant skills are taught. He had tried studying something before on his own, but it wasn’t effective because he didn’t receive a feedback.
Another factor that Acebedo considered was the job guarantee that Refocus provided. If he couldn’t find a job after completing the coursework, he would still be compensated.
He didn’t risk anything; instead, he took on the responsibility of learning something pretty marketable and getting feedback from experienced data analysts for every task at the same time.
But payback definitely was not his case — it took him just three months to get hired as a data analyst.
Interestingly, he originally applied for another position but saw that the company was hiring a data analyst and asked if he could transfer to the position later on. He was advised to go straight for an interview for the position — fortunately, and he got it.
Acebedo now helps his son with his studies, works the night shift, and continues to self-study. Although he has enough skills to find a job, they still need to be honed, so he conveniently reviews the lessons even during his working hours. He said it helps him learn how to perform his tasks more effectively.
“I’m happy that I decided to take a risk and that I got this opportunity. It’s great that they create courses for adults to get educated for a particular profession without having to study alone or attend university once again,” he pointed out. “It’s not easy to combine proper education with work, but everyone can definitely do it if they find what really motivates them to grow — for me, it’s my family,” he stressed.
