is-webinars-experience

[is-webinars-experience]

IS Webinars: Moments That Basically Sum Up My Webinars Experience

BS Information Systems Freshies during the UST Welcome Walk 2018

Moments away from wrapping up my last semester in college, I have mixed feelings of excitement and fear. Excitement because finally, for the first time in two years, we will be having a face-to-face graduation ceremony this 2022. I can't wait to march and celebrate this huge milestone with my batchmates in person. On the other hand, I fear that I will be moving to another phase of my life - the adulting stage which I know I have to prepare and train myself for more challenges and problems. College graduation is not the end of the road for me. It is just the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Okay, enough of the drama. Let's get it straight up into the topic.

When I started the semester, I only had a few courses left, one of which was the seminars and field trip class. This course is one of the courses that excite me because of the word "Fieldtrip." But then, because of the pandemic, we can't travel due to travel restrictions from different parts of the world. So instead of traveling, we were tasked to attend and organize a webinar. Honestly, at first, I was not a fan of webinars because I found them boring. But then, when we were to organize one, I challenged myself to do something different. To break and make that "boring" remark into "buzz-worthy."

Aside from organizing one webinar, I've also attended several webinars, organized mainly by UST Information Systems students. They vary on topics and goals. The topics range from Sustainable Development Goals to topics about Women and Men Empowerment, Information Security, Security Principles, and more. But among those numerous webinars I've attended, here are my top 3 picks.

A Fresh Graduate's Dilemma: A Webinar for Developing a Global Youth Employment Strategy

The first on the list is the webinar entitled: A Fresh Graduate's Dilemma: A Webinar for Developing a Global Youth Employment Strategy organized by a group of 4th-year Information Systems students from the Department of Information Systems Service Management Track. The event happened last April 21, 2022, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 NN. The speakers, namely; Ms. Krizel Anne Manalo and Mr. Dan Andrew Cura, were commendable and inspiring. They delivered their discussions very well and answered the questions appropriately. Ms. Manalo talked about practical tips on how to land a job as a fresh graduate, which is very timely and relevant. On the other hand, Mr. Cura's discussion was about best practices on how we can ace and pass our interview and different assessments when applying for a job as a fresh graduate. This webinar helped me to prepare for my upcoming interviews in the future. I knew more about things I should do before, during, and after the interview process. 

Mr. Dan Andrew Cura discussing the Job Interview Process and Best Practices

Security by Design

The second on my top 3 list is the webinar entitled: Security by Design organized by a group of 4th-year Information Systems students from the Department of Information Systems Business Analytics track. It was held last April 30, 2022, from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM. The webinar was also very informative because it tackles how we can protect our personal information either in cyberspace or on-premise. Mr. Abet Dela Cruz was the speaker at this event, and his sense of humor was admirable, which made the webinar more fun and engaging. He is an expert in this field as he delivered the topic flawlessly to the participants. I learned a lot about the importance of security, not just in protecting our personal information but also in its benefit in applying to our capstone projects. One of my key takeaways from his presentation was "Security should not be an afterthought" it should always be thoroughly and immediately implemented before the project starts. Be more proactive and not reactive when security comes into play. 

Mr. Abet Dela Cruz explaining the concept of Security by Design through a comic strip

Here to Hear: A Webinar-Workshop on Peer Facilitation

The last and not the least on my list is the webinar entitled: Here to Hear: A Webinar-Workshop on Peer Facilitation. Our team organized this event, and we are also from the Department of Information Systems Service Management Track. This webinar workshop was a 2-hour event held last April 30, 2022, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The main goal of our event is to break the stigma of coaching and counseling by understanding the concept of peer facilitation. The first hour of the session was purely a discussion and introduction about Peer Facilitation by the resource speaker Mr. John Martin Centeno. The speaker communicated the benefits of peer facilitation and the qualities of being a good peer facilitator. After the talk, we had a breakout session in which we, the organizers, served as peer facilitators to the participants in the room. It was a casual and informal sharing session. The entire sharing session was fun because I could get to know the participants through their stories and relate to them. In this event, I learned that asking for help should not be seen as a weakness. Asking for help should be normalized, and our feelings are valid and normal.

Mr. Centeno talking about the Basic Peer Facilitating Concepts

Quick Kumustahan Session in the Breakout Room with the Peer Facilitators and Participants

Participants and Peer Facilitators answering prompt questions during the Sharing is Caring activity in the breakout room

So that wraps up my top 3 webinars. I am proud and happy to be part of these events because many people don't care about attending webinars anymore due to a lack of interest in the topics. Still, ever since I experienced it myself, I would say that attending webinars can change your perspective not just in life but also in preparing for the challenges that may arise when you work in the corporate world. Aside from the certificates, one of the best tokens I got from these events is the learning experience, stories, tips, and best practices that I've heard from professionals and experts in the IT industry. With all that stuff, I highly encourage everyone to practice and develop a mindset of continuous learning as we go through our career paths by attending and participating in various webinars.

Grateful to all the organizers, professors, speakers, and participants for making these events possible. I hope that this story has inspired you to join and be part of the UST Information Systems community. AJA!