A 500 word essay for my UPOU application that I did not pursue

Honestly, I really don’t know how should I start. This 500 word essay makes me feel like the old grade school days wherein I used to arrange my disorganize thoughts for a formal theme paper. Now, it feels like more of blogging my head out than writing a formal theme as a pre-requisite. Though my radical mind believes that nothing is really fair in this world, I still consider that the informality of my paper will not hinder me from achieving my goal... to study in the country’s top university and earn a diploma in my chosen field which is Computer Science.

Well, you probably know my name right before you came reading this paragraph. But as a sign of courtesy let me introduce myself once again. My full name is Jaylon Miranda and you can call me JayM. I am currently 26 years old and turning 27 this 29th of February of the present year. I earned a diploma in Hair and Make-Up Design at Ricky Reyes Fashion School last May 2000. I have been working in the Information Technology industry for almost 6 years shifting from different job roles, industries and designations as well. Right now, I am currently working as a System and Network Administrator for a medium scale call center firm that caters outbound and inbound calls from the United States. At the same time, I am also working as an IT Consultant in a Filipino owned semiconductor firm exporting power packages abroad. Some topics that cover my interests are Server Management, Unix Operating System and IT Security. I believe God has been really good all the time in sharing His blessings to me in terms of career advancement.

My years of experience and constant practice in my field have covered the deficiency of my educational attainment. I am a graduate of an associate degree. And though being a two-year course graduate doesn’t make me feel less in the previous career battles I have encountered, I believe that the competition in climbing the corporate ladder would be hard for me who doesn’t have a firm educational foundation at all. Since I am already a self supporting individual, I regret that I won’t be able to leave my job for a full-time schedule in school. Thank God! A colleague of mine told me that the University of the Philippines is offering a Distance Education Program for professionals who want to pursue a university study without the need to leave their existing jobs. This encouragement and equal opportunity gave me the passion to think and persevere.

I firmly believe that the Distance Education Program which is being conducted by the UP Open University is really a big help for our people, especially for those individuals who wants to strengthen their foundation aiming for a quality education from an institution with a high standard of credibility with the help and advancement of modern day technology. Today that the Philippines is branded as a 3rd world country, each Filipinos must have a strong conviction that the realism for a strong republic starts through quality education. Our country is rich in human resource that doesn’t only know how it is done but also knows how to deliver locally and globally competitive skills. Since life is all about choices, I choose to pursue excellence in continuous education through the DE program. I always believe that each of us has something unique to contribute in changing for a better world. As for me, everything with regards to my plans will start soon as this essay ends. Now is the time.