I recently applied for a grant. Considering
how long it has been since I posted anything I thought it would be nice share
how I am moving forward.
I am an intrepid
entrepreneur who is a geek at heart. I have always been fascinated with applied
technology and how it can make things easier for everyone. A funny thing about
me is I sometimes I find it easier to talk with computers. Computers can't lie;
they don't brag or try to flatter the user. They do exactly what they are
commanded when they are commanded. Although I find it frustrating at times to
correctly use its syntax, computers do what they were correctly programmed to
do. My fascination with these machines started when I was in High school back
in 1992. I was a member of our school's computer club. Back in the day D.O.S.,
logo programming, BASICA, WordStar, Lotus 123 were state of the art. I got my
first computer as my high school graduation gift. It was an IBM compatible 386
dx machine running at 33 MHz with 2 megabytes of EDO ram. It didn't have
a hard drive nor a dial-up modem, but the word processor running of the 1.2 MB
5.25" floppy drive helped me write my term papers. Nowadays with
multi-core and touch screen smart phones everywhere, it's easy to conclude how
accurate Moor's law remains true to this day. Immaterial of how fast the
technology evolved over the years, one thing has remained constant. That
constant is my fascination and interest in technology. I have two
bachelor degrees under my belt and I've had the distinct pleasure of learning
from and working for some telecom giants here in the US through their
outsourced off-shore providers. The irony however is that my academic
degrees fail to reflect on my own personal interests.
By participating in the
program I hope to acquire the necessary technical expertise and
certifications necessary to secure gainful and meaningful employment.
It is my hope and desire to become an authority in my field of interest.
In five years’ time, I hope
to become an organization's I.T. director. Should I fail to break through the
glass ceiling however I would like my own business aspirations as outlined in
my website (see: http://jakecastle.wix.com/solutions) become a reality. It goes
without saying that I would like to gain financial independence and attain a
certain degree of comfort and security. I would like to have my own slice
of the American dream: my own house, the means to start my own family and
become a productive and responsible member of society.
One of the most
inspirational moments in recent memory was when a kid around my neighborhood
handed me some noodles. He said that it came from their clique to show their
appreciation for putting up my humble gaming and internet shop.
I am a recent immigrant
from Philippines from the city of Manila. It is a poverty stricken third world
country where personal computers and broadband internet access are luxuries
beyond the reach of a vast majority of the inner city kids. With minimal
capitalization I managed to convert a portion of my residence into an internet
cafe. Without formal academic training and without hiring external
professionals I built and refurbished computers, installed the software,
crimped the cables, installed the local area networked and opened shop.
It was in that first week when I opened shop
that the kid gave me that snack. Those noodles were food for the soul. It
was a token of their appreciation for my efforts. It was a symbol of what I had
achieved and the amount of appreciation the public which I served had for my
undertaking. Whoever said you can't have your noodles and eat it
too eh?
