In less than a last decade, the Philippine government has already refocused its employment priorities to the promising information and communications technology (ICT) industry. One of the key drivers in Philippine ICT industry is the fast growth and booming demand for business process outsourcing from other countries. Obviously, the Philippines can offer cost-effective and quality knowledge workers positioning it as one of the most preferred off-shoring locations. We can clearly see evidences of these in the rapid development of information technology parks located elsewhere in the country: UP North Science and Technology and Eastwood City in Quezon City, Bonifacio Global City’s E-Square in Taguig City, Northgate Cyberzone in Alabang, Muntinlupa, and all other PEZA identified IT zones and buildings.
Given all these developments, are Philippine IT professionals provided with competitive salaries and benefits? ZDNet surveyed 2,521 professionals from different organizations, sectors, industries, and job-types. Interestingly, findings show that several factors really affect the salary of an IT professional. Factors include the level of education, job function, industry, skills, company size, years of experience, professional certifications, and even employment status.
The level of education of an employee significantly affects one’s salary. On the management level, salary of PhD holders is more than twice than those managers and CIOs with only Bachelor’s degree.
Another interesting revelation in the study is that only 24.4 percent of surveyed IT professionals hold at least one professional certification. Seventy five percent do not have any IT certification. In the Philippines, the most common IT certification is the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) with 25.4 percent of those with certifications, followed by Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Computer Associates Certification with 19.2 and 8.5 percent respectively. Only 5.4 percent are certified Project Management Professionals.
In comparison with neighboring countries in the Asia Pacific region, the Philippines ranked seventh in the overall average annual salary. IT professionals in the country have an average of PhP 500,736 (USD 12,425) a year outranked by Australia (USD 76,851), Hong Kong (USD 57, 303), Singapore (USD 44,858), Thailand (USD 24,108), Malaysia (USD 22,582), and India (USD 13,864). Indonesia ranked last with only USD 7,709.
Source: IT Salary and Skills Report 2008 – Philippines
ActiveTechPros
“If we can reach beyond the boundaries, the world will become a brighter place, closer to peace, closer to human fraternity.” — Saint John Baptist De La Salle
WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY 2008
Theme: Tobacco-Free Youth
QuitAssist by Philip Morris USA -> Your gateway in quitting smoking
A pink fence, a pink bridge, a pink wall, a pink urinal, a pink line, a pink tshirt. What’s next? Metro Manila is turning pink. In time for 2010, the Philippines will soon flood pink.
Now, MMDA pink is brand of pink. @ Yehey, it’s roughly #efc3dc
Twitter Seems to be a Big Hit in 2008 - Twitter came a long way. Today, Twitter is no longer just a simple way of displaying a person’s status but also a way giving information and getting informed - latest news, short links, much shorter…
HP, EDS success depends on execution, experts say - After a successful bid in 2002 for Compaq, HP will again make its largest deal - this time, with EDS. HP and EDS’s integration will be a challenge for both management teams.
DICT bill passes House committee - Department of ICT, Philippines soon. From Inquirer.net
Sometimes, browsing the internet while in transit or mobile is already necessary. Thanks to our telecommunications company, there are widely available choices for mobile internet needs.
PLDT introduced its WeRoam several years back and remains to have high rates (1500, 1000, and 799 a month). Globe happened to have its Globe Visibility few years later for a high-priced PhP 2,000 a month. Smart Bro, then, had its “Just plug it, its internet!” for only Php 799 a month. Just lately, Smart Broadband introduced its newest baby tagging it, “Smart Bro, may prepaid na!” - the prepaid version of Smart Bro anywhere but for a one-time payment of PhP 4,500. Unfortunately, whether prepaid or postpaid, it remains to be an expensive choice, whether you’ll buy a kit or pay monthly subscriptions.
Students simply don’t need expensive internet from these companies. The best way to surf the internet is to use your 802.11 /wifi enabled gadget and hook in a free wifi in your school or elsewhere or use your mobile phone’s internet (EDGE, GPRS, 3G, HSDPA). When using your phone, all you need to do is use your phone as a modem through your phone’s software (PC Suite for Nokia). Good news is that it now even works without a data cable (using Bluetooth).
Below is a comparison between Smart and Globe’s mobile internet.
Globe
Smart
Tula ng Pag-ibig
ni Francis Vincent Co
Kapag ako’y umibig,
Galak aking naririnig,
Bumibilis ang pintig,
Gabi’y di na malamig.
(Nabaon na sa Draft Messages ko. Dated March 28, 2008 8:17pm. Lugar: nasa may Forbes Park, Makati)
Alcohol
ni Francis Vincent
Sino ba ang tunay na boss,
Germs sa kamay na mapulbos?
Ang sagot ay nasa Green cross,
Bacteria, tiyak mauubos!
(Habang nasa opisina at nakatitig sa aking alkohol)
What is brain-picking? Mirriam-Webster defines the word as an act of gathering information from another’s mind. Answers.com defines it as an act of exploring another’s ideas through questioning. Based on Random House Unabridged Dictionary, it is the act of obtaining information or ideas by questioning another person. A brainpicker is the person who brain-picks.
In industries, brain picking attempts to elicit “information, advice and guidance from the consultant for free” - without consultation fee. Is it illegal? Of course not, it is the best way of getting information, even private information. To brain pick is not easy but challenging. The art of creating questions, particularly “leading questions”, can facilitate getting a more accurate answer.
Web 2.0 used to harness knowledge of CIOs
[video]
From the creator of THESIS VICTIMS comes another masterpiece. :D
TSAKni Francis Vincent Co
Tuwing ika’y lumalapit,
Swatter aking binubuksan.
At sa’yong biglang pagdikit,
Katawa’y nagpuputukan.
(TSAK - ito ang tunog ng isang electric swatter kapag may dumidikit na lamok)