Perhaps it’s a projection of the old saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” but have recently reflected on some of the physical challenges encountered on the job and the possible value it could bring to future endeavors. In particular, (both issues have been discussed in prior columns) inconsistent electricity and unreliable internet service. If there is anything that has proven to be a challenge with working, it’s electrical service that can cut out at any moment and internet that cannot always be relied upon – two things all-too-often taken for granted in an earlier life.
On too many occasions, have been in the middle of writing or editing and the power switches off; many times, losing everything that had been worked on prior to that moment. If only the local and national government had any regard for developing better systems in delivering electricity throughout the country, instead, amid electrical power being cut-off, press releases flow in of government officials bragging about token events or superficial projects put forward, yet they allow something as critical as consistent electricity to remain an afterthought.
In the same light, internet, beyond it being immensely slower than other countries around the world – for years touted as the slowest in the region, have run into a number of problems when it comes with the service itself. Have experienced a defective antenna, which resulted in months of multiple technician visits looking at the antenna, restoring service, and it shutting down a few days later; then another month of just getting a technician to come to replace the unit altogether. Today, service is unavailable during the day – literally, service shuts down at 10:00 a.m.fairly consistently and returns anytime between 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.; and, for just over two weeks (it started before Christmas) the service provider keeps saying they are “working on it.”
Maybe one can classify this as mere “first world problems,” but in today’s world, while electricity is clearly a necessity, internet has become essential in connectivity, acquiring information, and (personally) getting a job done.
Beyond it resulting in a complex – such as, every time the internet seems to stall, constantly checking the router and connectivity indicator for fear service shut down again – working in such conditions could also be good preparation after experiencing, what could be considered, some of the worst circumstances for this particular industry. For any job, electricity is necessary to operate and, in the media specifically, the internet is needed to research for background and, often times, to get in contact with others for stories. Having been left with mere resourcefulness when encountering such issues likely also offers some sort experience when seeking opportunities in locales where their respective officials actually care about such infrastructure and development – not just focused on presenting a façade of “progress.”
Even considering the previous profession before re-entering the media field, working in higher education finance, a lack of electricity and internet in that field would also have left one helpless. Clearly, electricity is needed to keep things like computers running and the lights on, but internet is also necessity in order to navigate the workplace server, communicate with students and parents, and accessing important records from various other sources.
When first returning to Bacolod City, sought jobs in higher education, however, found a completely different set-up when it came to job hunting. In the United States, every single college and university had a comprehensive website with a careers section for both students and professionals seeking jobs with the school. In the Philippines, browsing the websites of schools in Bacolod City, Cebu City, and throughout Metro Manila, just finding a jobs page was a rarity – even more, just being able to find contact information was just as uncommon. Not sure if that is just the nature of the industry locally, a difficult task for those outside the industry to enter the field; or if it is a result of lacking reliable electrical and internet service that having a functioning website is deemed useless and everything operates as if it were still the early 1990s.
If anything has been learned over the past five years, it is to not take things for granted. In the nearly 30 years living in the United States, have only experienced power interruptions a couple times, as result of catastrophic incidents and not poor connectivity or “maintenance;” and whenever the internet went out, it was either restored following a quick restart of the router or technical support accomplished over the phone, nothing like the experience in Bacolod City, where connectivity issues drag on for weeks or months.
At least, as a means of dealing with such old-fashioned circumstances, can say the experience has taught to appreciate things more and, if an opportunity opens up elsewhere, after learning what it was like to operate in such archaic conditions, it will make the future experience all the more rewarding./WDJ