Life Learned From Experience: The Struggle to Survive

By: Dr. Ronaldo A. Tan Like everyone else one has his own story to tell showing how one grew from nothing to what they are now successful or otherwise. Mine is no different. During the early years of my life I was not as healthy as others since I encountered an accident where my right eye was hit by a shrimp needle like antenna. The incident cause the black anterior chamber to turn white causing temporary blindness to my right eye. Since then surgery operations and some complications cause damage to my health. I was not able to join other children in playing outside since this might cause infection to my eye. I had to drink at least 50 medicines at a given time making my body react and cause some discomforts. I had to bear the process for three years before I started to get better and become a normal child. My father died when I was very young just as my mother told me and was not with me anymore when the accident happened to me. I was with the care of my grandfather who would always support and spoiled me being the son of her favourite daughter my mother. During the time I was sick my mother asked my grandfather to take of me and I was brought to the province, my mothers home province in Batangas, where my grandfather was well known being the only Healer or as they call it manghihilot in the barrio. He would bring me along and introduce to his friends and clients making me as famous as my grandfather. Yes, I spent three years in the barrio together with my grandfather and was only sent to the city when I was seven years old for me to start my schooling in grade school. I was able to join some of my fathers relatives when I was told to study in a Chinese school, St. Stephen along downtown area of Manila. Here I learned the virtue of doing things together and helping each other especially during the answering of school assignments and preparing needed materials for the next day in school. I was with my other grandparents from my father side for a few years until I asked my mother to get me and move me to another school near her house where we can stay together. She was hesitant at first since she has a work to take care and might not be able to take care of me especially in my studies being too busy with her work. She later agreed and I moved to another school in Malate where I was able to finish my grade school and high school together with my mother. I was not as good as the other students in school during my grade school and high school days I might be considered as an average student just trying to get along with others and letting time pass by and God knows what happens. Being the only child and no father to tell my problems and sometimes frustrations I started to leave on my one. My mother is too busy working and Im just alone at home sometimes with a nanny taking care of our necessities I started to learn how to leave alone and ask myself why I am not like the other children. I started to learn how to do things on my own with limited guidance from our nanny or helper like cleaning my room, washing my cloths and doing my schools assignments knowing it is right and nothing can go wrong.

My mother together with her sisters family lived in an apartment in Malate for almost 35 years until my auntie decided to move to Paranaque. I just started with my college education when my aunt and her family moved to another place. Face with the difficult problem of paying for the rent and other basic necessities once shared by two families including supporting my education my mother could barely keep up and provide the financial needs we needed. I had to do something to help her and myself. There was a time my mother from nowhere asked me if I could just stop studying and just start working for the two of us. I was shocked that time. How could she tell me this is what I said to myself? I did not buy the idea but opted to find a solution. I started putting up a small store coming from the little savings I had. The store was initially a hit to the people in the area. I was able to earn a little amount to help in the everyday expenses but that was not enough. I could not keep up handling the store while studying since the store would require a lot of time and effort which my mother could not also afford. Slowly the store began to lose its clients with the opening of other stores in the area. I had to do something else. I started teaching other students for a fee or provide tutoring services to high school students. I was able to travel from Manila to Quezon City just to tutor students who are sometimes better than I am especially when it comes to mathematics subjects since most of them are studying in a Chinese School whom we accept teaches better math subjects. It was in my third year college when I was invited by our Department Chairman in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila to teach part time computer and trigonometry subjects in San Lorenzo Ruiz Academy in Binondo, Manila. I was able to experience being a teacher to very bright students sometimes I consider better than myself. Here I learned how to prepare lesson plans and be with students just like myself trying to discover why they are studying and not just enjoying life. I stopped teaching after one year due to my schedule. Entering the fourth year and final year of my studies in the BS Computer Science program I realize that even if Im already earning for myself at the end I would still need a college degree to be competitive. I would not like to be at a position that I will not have room for development of improvement and I know that proper education and a degree would only be the solution to reach that goal. It was during this time that I was able to join the service crew of one of the fast food chain along Libertad, Pasay City. First I was hired as a regular crew doing the mopping and cleaning of the store. Initially I was not sold to the idea of doing all those chores assigned to me. I was asking myself Im better than this. I should be the one on the counter instructing others what to do and how to do it better. Luckily I came to my senses and told myself hey you are just starting and needed to learn more before you dream of doing other things. Yes I convinced myself you are right I did convinced myself that I needed more knowledge and skills to learn everything I need to pursue my dreams. After spending two weeks cleaning the store I could not forget the manager asking me do you want to handle the cashiering of the store. I said yes mam. She asked me if I can do the job better than the other

crew. Again I said yes mam. Immediately I was doing the cashiering getting instruction from one of the irritated crew who was with the store for quite some time. He was actually expecting another crew coming from those who came in earlier than me to handle the job following the seniority rule which they are doing before. Slowly I needed to learn the task assigned to me most of the time encountering problems since the one that should be guiding me is giving me a hard time. Well thats how life works. Either you fall out or you shine and I choose to shine. Three months after I was again promoted to become the trainer of new hires and was given the privileged to handle the payroll of the store after they learned that I was a graduating student of the computer science course. The manager asked me if I could develop a program that will process the payroll of the store employees which I readily said yes. The crew who once doubted my capability to handle the cashiering was now my friend. I was able to befriend him by telling him that without him I could have not made it to where I am at that moment. He was so flattered and said sorry to me for being unfriendly and often times arrogant during the early days when he was still coaching me. I said if you have not done that I would not have strived to be better which Im very much thankful I said. I stayed with the store less than a year. It was not a pleasant goodbye since I have to file my resignation due to an argument with my immediate supervisor. I was coaching a new hire when the supervisor would always shout at the top of her voice whenever the new hire would commit mistake. I told her not to it since it lowers the moral of the new hire and this is not good especially in front of the customers. I did this maybe three times telling her not to do it and it came to a point that I was the one she is trying to scold. I was reported to the manager and was given a suspension for a number of days I could not remember what she told me. Before she could even hand me the suspension I told her that I was resigning and need not bother giving me the suspension. The store manager heard about the incident and called for me where I explained what happened. She told me that since I am also graduating from college I might want to join the management of the store after graduation. I just said, mam you are good and kind to me but I think this is what God would like me to do. I also have a dream and my dream is also to succeed in life. I left the store and focus myself to my studies. Year 1988, the year I graduated from college having high hopes and a better future. God was so good that even before graduation the department head of the college is asking me to join the faculty of the department. At first I was hesitant since I said to myself what can I contribute to the college if Im only a fresh graduate. I did not immediately join the faculty but instead tried my luck joining the industry. I was lucky to be accepted in Far East Bank one of the biggest banks during those years. It was a short stint having stayed there for less than a year. While with Far East Bank I opted to work part time with my alma mater but as mentioned needed to leave the industry because I was asked to work full time with the college. After one semester I was already handling the assistant chairmanship position and only after a year when the chair of the department opted to resign I was appointed to head the department. God is so good to me.

It was during this time while working with the college that I was able to join SGV Corporation which was promoting then the Industry Academe internship program. I was one of the beneficiaries of the program given the opportunity to work with SGV developing actual computer programs for clients and deploying the same using the state of the art computer system during that time. I had the experience of working with the company for a year working a junior programmer and later programmer handling the account of Far East Bank. Yes, really God is good since I worked with Far East Bank before I already had first-hand knowledge of their operations so it came easy for me to do a computer program for the bank. I had to go back to the college even if SGV is asking me to join them full time. I said I think I want to be in the school teaching others and letting them learn from me. I stayed with my alma mater for three years completing my tour of duty in time for my graduation from my post graduate studies. I graduated with a degree in systems management majoring in computer management in 1991. I was invited by a big university to join them and handle the chairmanship of the department of computer science. The course is already running for a year but could not get government recognition to operate the program because of the lack of qualified head to handle the program. Same as the trials and difficulties I had experience before joining the new organization was not a walk in a park but a battle to win the hearts and respect of the other faculty members who are also aiming for the position but was not considered due to their qualifications. There were ups and downs having to manage a huge enrolment I have not experience from the school I came from. Managing the students paying for their education compared to the local university subsidizing the education of the youth who cannot afford but have the intellect to finish a college degree. It was a nightmare at first but again and again God is Good he lead me and showed me the right way to handle the situation. I am not perfect and I will not say I have not done wrong things during the process. Maybe I might have hurt other people and created a monster out of others. I handled the department for almost ten years. Manage the faculty and guided them often times arguing what should have been done and those that could have been avoided for the sake of the students and their parents. I know I have done what is right and for now that is what all that matters. Graduating from post graduate Doctoral Degree not one but two Ph. Ds. was the culminating stage of my educational dream. Not every time you would see somebody finishing double doctorate degrees and for me I could not ask for anything more and indeed God is Good. He would reward you with everything you would need. He will not leave you when you needed him most. He will be there guiding and directing you to what is best for you. He will challenge you knowing at the end you will succeed because you trust the Lord. And if everything fails and did not conform to what was expected Our Lord God will never forsake you. In Acts 16:31 - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

After graduating from my post graduate studies my life was never the same. It opened a new horizon for me to develop and explore new things. It gave me strength to travel the unknown and test what was reserve only for those in the know. I occupied a higher position after my term as department head going from on office to another. Learning new things and meeting other people with varieties of missions and goals in life. This is either with those who are just starting to those who are in the prime of their career. Yes, the struggling never ended and survival was still the name of the game. Good or Bad. Better or Worse. Whatever was the objective or goal one has to survive. I survived this is what I think happened. God gave me a new challenge in life and I accepted it. I trusted the Lord and he rewarded me for trusting Him. Life begins at 40 as others would normally say and if this is true God Im now five years old and still struggling to survive. No worries God is Good and God is Great!