[Techno 2] Exercise 1 - Technopreneurship 1 Learnings/Reflections
Your reflection/learning's on Technopreneurship 1 (at least 2000 words)
Time sure has passed and now we’re done with the 1st semester of our third year school life. It felt like what I have experienced and learned from the latter semester had to be a 1-year event.
The subject Technopreneurship 1 had really turned my initial views of technology and entrepreneurship upside-down. At first I thought that we will learn business when we get finally graduate and have our lives on our own. But it turned out that the new curriculum got ahead of my line of thinking.
Really, at this time of writing, memories and learnings are overflowing; I don’t know where to start, honestly.
I will write all of the learnings, realizations and reflections here, as far as my memory can recover.
First, let’s start off with our first activity, the thinking-out-of-the-box activity. To tell the truth, I was really disappointed to myself that I didn’t think of drawing a line “outside” the box. It is really true, according to our facilitator, that our minds are really set firm of what we believed, and didn’t think of the many possibilities that might change our way of thinking.
In connection with the activity, it made me realize a big thing: even the most traditional thinking can be changed if we will only set our minds free from all the customs and traditions that the world is bound to. Like the thinking of our parents, the “Finish school, get employed, and go abroad” thinking. Oh well, going abroad has always been an issue to me since before, since I believe that I can do better when I am in my own land. But the “Be an Employer” thinking for me was crazy! I didn’t even think of that my whole entire life of being a student. But as we go along with our discussions, it came to me that, after all, it is possible.
I’ve also learned that our facilitator has a great vision: Make Davao City the center of technology and advancement in the region. Wow! I was encouraged by what our facilitator said, that outsiders think that Davao City is still in its suburbs stages, and technology is 10 years behind from them. Actually, I am one with our facilitator’s mission, and I am willing to be an advocate of this great goal. We’re going to show them what Davaeños are made of!
I’ve also learned from our first assignment which was we are going to choose a certain food chain or establishment and investigate their facilities (technological). From our observation, we should have at least three innovations that we would like to install or improve to their current system of services. As what I have observed, my classmates thought of almost the same ideas. I’ve learned that an important element of putting up a business is uniqueness. But it was ok, I think, because out from those the same ideas from my classmates, one thing was common: to eliminate the waiter/waitress. That is of course, the mission of technology: to give convenience to human beings by… eliminating man power, I suppose? But there are more applications of technology than that.
And the core of my learnings strengthened when our facilitator let us watch the movie “Pirates of the Silicon Valley”, a very inspiring true story starring Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. I have learned a lot from the movie. I have learned that the most important thing to do in your life is that “You’ve got to find what you love”. That, Steve Jobs taught me. It made me inspire on what nature of business I am going to delve in. Also, perseverance is one thing. From the movie I have seen both Jobs and Gates strive, even if their personal life is at stake and even taking up drastic measures just to get what they want: Success. I mean, it doesn’t mean that one must be rash and harsh just to get what they wanted, rather, there are many ways in gaining success, in your own way, in your own time. I’ve also learned that in making business, one must have many connections or friends, because with that, he or she can ask favor from them or contact people that will help him or her in the business. Also, the person should also be a good speaker. In putting up a business, one must be good in “sales talk”, of course. How will a businessman promote his or her product if he or she is not good with talking? Last but not the least; one must set bigger goals for him or her to strive for the betterment of the business. But together with those positive contributors for success come those negative factors. Steve Jobs, when it comes to his business, seemed to be abusive and close-minded. This rooted to many negative effects in his business, like having ineffective relationships between him and his employees and having an unhealthy competition inside the company. I’ve learned that if ever I’m going to start my own business, I must avoid these characteristics, so that I will not have big problems in regards to my business. I’ve learned a lot from this movie alone, and I wish I could have read through Steve Jobs and Bill Gates’ life so that I could learn more.
I’ve also learned from this subject the importance of discipline. Every meeting we have to come in on time and if we have requirements, we have to pass it on time too, or else, we will have to perform embarrassing talents or write n thousand words to compensate our negligence. This is of course, to give justice to ourselves, I think. Because if we do not straighten up this kind of attitude, we will eventually bring this with us until we grow much older. And of course, it will bring misfortune to us.
I also remembered that as part of the self-mastery criterion of the Technopreneurship program, we had to take self-evaluating tests, such as Personality Test (PT), Emotional Quotient (EQ) Test, Intelligence Quotient (IQ), and Adversity Quotient (AQ) Test.
With the PT, actually, I was really disappointed with my result, but I know that this is quite good, because from this I can challenge myself to improve what needs improvement in me. This test tells us how we get along with other people, especially when it comes to business related relationships.
In the EQ, IQ and IQ, I have got fair results, which evaluates myself as a well-balanced person, according to the evaluation of results. But I will still strive more so that I can be better.
I also remembered another activity that we had inside the classroom. We were asked to write anything that we love, what we do best, and what we hated the most. This had to be, no, it definitely has a connection to what Steve Jobs said once that we have to find what we love. That’s why our facilitator let us write what we love. With this thought in mind I was encouraged to do a business of what I Love, since before I keep on ignoring new ideas that came across my mind which are related to what I love and what I do best. I was afraid that if ever I am going to decide for my own, people would begin to ridicule my decision, especially when it comes to money matters. What I love is what I love, and until such time that I lose heart of it, I’ll never get tired of loving it. As what I have seen with Steve Jobs, he is most inspired when he goes to work, that is because he is in love with his work. But in the contrary, I have also learned that it is not only from what we love that we find new business ideas, but also from the things that we hated. Take for example the cockroach that I hate oh so much. We can create a pesticide as a business, right? This is also effective in making new ideas.
Also, we had an assignment where we had to make a new purpose in life for ourselves. This is because our facilitator asked us to write down our purpose in life and then we passed it to him. But he said to us that “Hahaha! I took your purpose in life. Now, you all are purposeless beings. What is your new purpose now?” That was kind of tricky, but we knew it was only a representation and he wanted us to push ourselves.
I also remembered the time when our facilitator kept on talking about serendipity walks. Personally, I didn’t think it was effective in some way or another. But nevertheless, I tried it one day. And, I was surprised! I did had many ideas not only for our business plans, but also for other things that are of my concern.
I have also learned to boost my confidence. Whenever there are class discussions, I casually interact and talk to the crowd so that I can express my feelings and ideas well.
I also remembered a key acronym of Tecnopreneurship: SEED. S for Self, E for Environment, another E for Enterprise, and D for Development of a Business Plan. Technopreneurship 1 was all about self-mastery, and all those activities that we’ve done in the first semester. We were supposed to tackle all the four categories, but we run out of time.
In the self-mastery criterion, I think we have known ourselves deeper because of all the activities that we have done. And also I have learned a lot from myself, surprisingly. I didn’t know before about how I interact in terms of business related matters. I think that makes a little but better.
In the second criterion however, although we haven’t touched the topic yet, I have got a little bit of a hint from it because of what happened in our business proposal presentation.
And as for the last two topics, we have yet to discuss those things as we go along with the discussions.
The last thing that I have learned from the subject was when we get to think and come up with a good business plan. I have learned that we must really have a good communication with our groupmates. As what happened in our group’s presentation, we haven’t really thought over as to what we are going to present, and if we are convinced of the ideas of each other. I have also learned that we must listen and “read between the lines”. At first, almost all of the business plans from the class were rejected, and the few ones that were approved instantly were the “bizarre” and weird ones. So that was it! Our facilitator wanted us to present a “unique” business plan or proposal. That’s what we forgot! We had it on our first activity. How come we forgot that.
I’ve also learned and applied what Steve Jobs said, be persistent and don’t ever give up. As we continued to come up with business plans that might be approved and still we were rejected over and over again, me and my groupmates never gave up. Although we were losing heart, we still fought and fought, until our business proposal was finally accepted! It was truly a rewarding feeling. The key factor there was to never give up.
To sum it all up, what I have experienced in my Technopreneurship 1 subject course was really irreplaceable. It really made a big impression on me because it really turned my important views in life in a 180 degrees turn. But I guess I am just one of those privileged students who are really blessed to be the pioneering first batch to take up this course. I know that these knowledge and learnings will be of great use in my future.
Because of all of these things, I’d like to thanks everybody, especially our facilitator, for the guidance and knowledge that he has given unto us until now. I will never forget everything that I have experienced and learned throughout this subject.
Kudos to you all!
Time sure has passed and now we’re done with the 1st semester of our third year school life. It felt like what I have experienced and learned from the latter semester had to be a 1-year event.
The subject Technopreneurship 1 had really turned my initial views of technology and entrepreneurship upside-down. At first I thought that we will learn business when we get finally graduate and have our lives on our own. But it turned out that the new curriculum got ahead of my line of thinking.
Really, at this time of writing, memories and learnings are overflowing; I don’t know where to start, honestly.
I will write all of the learnings, realizations and reflections here, as far as my memory can recover.
First, let’s start off with our first activity, the thinking-out-of-the-box activity. To tell the truth, I was really disappointed to myself that I didn’t think of drawing a line “outside” the box. It is really true, according to our facilitator, that our minds are really set firm of what we believed, and didn’t think of the many possibilities that might change our way of thinking.
In connection with the activity, it made me realize a big thing: even the most traditional thinking can be changed if we will only set our minds free from all the customs and traditions that the world is bound to. Like the thinking of our parents, the “Finish school, get employed, and go abroad” thinking. Oh well, going abroad has always been an issue to me since before, since I believe that I can do better when I am in my own land. But the “Be an Employer” thinking for me was crazy! I didn’t even think of that my whole entire life of being a student. But as we go along with our discussions, it came to me that, after all, it is possible.
I’ve also learned that our facilitator has a great vision: Make Davao City the center of technology and advancement in the region. Wow! I was encouraged by what our facilitator said, that outsiders think that Davao City is still in its suburbs stages, and technology is 10 years behind from them. Actually, I am one with our facilitator’s mission, and I am willing to be an advocate of this great goal. We’re going to show them what Davaeños are made of!
I’ve also learned from our first assignment which was we are going to choose a certain food chain or establishment and investigate their facilities (technological). From our observation, we should have at least three innovations that we would like to install or improve to their current system of services. As what I have observed, my classmates thought of almost the same ideas. I’ve learned that an important element of putting up a business is uniqueness. But it was ok, I think, because out from those the same ideas from my classmates, one thing was common: to eliminate the waiter/waitress. That is of course, the mission of technology: to give convenience to human beings by… eliminating man power, I suppose? But there are more applications of technology than that.
And the core of my learnings strengthened when our facilitator let us watch the movie “Pirates of the Silicon Valley”, a very inspiring true story starring Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. I have learned a lot from the movie. I have learned that the most important thing to do in your life is that “You’ve got to find what you love”. That, Steve Jobs taught me. It made me inspire on what nature of business I am going to delve in. Also, perseverance is one thing. From the movie I have seen both Jobs and Gates strive, even if their personal life is at stake and even taking up drastic measures just to get what they want: Success. I mean, it doesn’t mean that one must be rash and harsh just to get what they wanted, rather, there are many ways in gaining success, in your own way, in your own time. I’ve also learned that in making business, one must have many connections or friends, because with that, he or she can ask favor from them or contact people that will help him or her in the business. Also, the person should also be a good speaker. In putting up a business, one must be good in “sales talk”, of course. How will a businessman promote his or her product if he or she is not good with talking? Last but not the least; one must set bigger goals for him or her to strive for the betterment of the business. But together with those positive contributors for success come those negative factors. Steve Jobs, when it comes to his business, seemed to be abusive and close-minded. This rooted to many negative effects in his business, like having ineffective relationships between him and his employees and having an unhealthy competition inside the company. I’ve learned that if ever I’m going to start my own business, I must avoid these characteristics, so that I will not have big problems in regards to my business. I’ve learned a lot from this movie alone, and I wish I could have read through Steve Jobs and Bill Gates’ life so that I could learn more.
I’ve also learned from this subject the importance of discipline. Every meeting we have to come in on time and if we have requirements, we have to pass it on time too, or else, we will have to perform embarrassing talents or write n thousand words to compensate our negligence. This is of course, to give justice to ourselves, I think. Because if we do not straighten up this kind of attitude, we will eventually bring this with us until we grow much older. And of course, it will bring misfortune to us.
I also remembered that as part of the self-mastery criterion of the Technopreneurship program, we had to take self-evaluating tests, such as Personality Test (PT), Emotional Quotient (EQ) Test, Intelligence Quotient (IQ), and Adversity Quotient (AQ) Test.
With the PT, actually, I was really disappointed with my result, but I know that this is quite good, because from this I can challenge myself to improve what needs improvement in me. This test tells us how we get along with other people, especially when it comes to business related relationships.
In the EQ, IQ and IQ, I have got fair results, which evaluates myself as a well-balanced person, according to the evaluation of results. But I will still strive more so that I can be better.
I also remembered another activity that we had inside the classroom. We were asked to write anything that we love, what we do best, and what we hated the most. This had to be, no, it definitely has a connection to what Steve Jobs said once that we have to find what we love. That’s why our facilitator let us write what we love. With this thought in mind I was encouraged to do a business of what I Love, since before I keep on ignoring new ideas that came across my mind which are related to what I love and what I do best. I was afraid that if ever I am going to decide for my own, people would begin to ridicule my decision, especially when it comes to money matters. What I love is what I love, and until such time that I lose heart of it, I’ll never get tired of loving it. As what I have seen with Steve Jobs, he is most inspired when he goes to work, that is because he is in love with his work. But in the contrary, I have also learned that it is not only from what we love that we find new business ideas, but also from the things that we hated. Take for example the cockroach that I hate oh so much. We can create a pesticide as a business, right? This is also effective in making new ideas.
Also, we had an assignment where we had to make a new purpose in life for ourselves. This is because our facilitator asked us to write down our purpose in life and then we passed it to him. But he said to us that “Hahaha! I took your purpose in life. Now, you all are purposeless beings. What is your new purpose now?” That was kind of tricky, but we knew it was only a representation and he wanted us to push ourselves.
I also remembered the time when our facilitator kept on talking about serendipity walks. Personally, I didn’t think it was effective in some way or another. But nevertheless, I tried it one day. And, I was surprised! I did had many ideas not only for our business plans, but also for other things that are of my concern.
I have also learned to boost my confidence. Whenever there are class discussions, I casually interact and talk to the crowd so that I can express my feelings and ideas well.
I also remembered a key acronym of Tecnopreneurship: SEED. S for Self, E for Environment, another E for Enterprise, and D for Development of a Business Plan. Technopreneurship 1 was all about self-mastery, and all those activities that we’ve done in the first semester. We were supposed to tackle all the four categories, but we run out of time.
In the self-mastery criterion, I think we have known ourselves deeper because of all the activities that we have done. And also I have learned a lot from myself, surprisingly. I didn’t know before about how I interact in terms of business related matters. I think that makes a little but better.
In the second criterion however, although we haven’t touched the topic yet, I have got a little bit of a hint from it because of what happened in our business proposal presentation.
And as for the last two topics, we have yet to discuss those things as we go along with the discussions.
The last thing that I have learned from the subject was when we get to think and come up with a good business plan. I have learned that we must really have a good communication with our groupmates. As what happened in our group’s presentation, we haven’t really thought over as to what we are going to present, and if we are convinced of the ideas of each other. I have also learned that we must listen and “read between the lines”. At first, almost all of the business plans from the class were rejected, and the few ones that were approved instantly were the “bizarre” and weird ones. So that was it! Our facilitator wanted us to present a “unique” business plan or proposal. That’s what we forgot! We had it on our first activity. How come we forgot that.
I’ve also learned and applied what Steve Jobs said, be persistent and don’t ever give up. As we continued to come up with business plans that might be approved and still we were rejected over and over again, me and my groupmates never gave up. Although we were losing heart, we still fought and fought, until our business proposal was finally accepted! It was truly a rewarding feeling. The key factor there was to never give up.
To sum it all up, what I have experienced in my Technopreneurship 1 subject course was really irreplaceable. It really made a big impression on me because it really turned my important views in life in a 180 degrees turn. But I guess I am just one of those privileged students who are really blessed to be the pioneering first batch to take up this course. I know that these knowledge and learnings will be of great use in my future.
Because of all of these things, I’d like to thanks everybody, especially our facilitator, for the guidance and knowledge that he has given unto us until now. I will never forget everything that I have experienced and learned throughout this subject.
Kudos to you all!