About the guest: Joseph Daniel Dantes is currently working for Blaize, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology company, where he is mostly in charge of developing software tools that are used in communicating with their AI accelerator hardware. Before this, he also worked for another AI technology company called Wave Computing. He is a Computer Engineering graduate from UP Diliman, and he was a member of the Ubiquitous Computing Laboratory in their institute. In this episode we talked about: What inspired him to pursue a career in AI engineering His experience during their bootcamp training at Wave Computing What he loves about working for a startup company His role at Blaize, and some of the projects he has worked on so far What edge computing is, and what it was like before edge computing The day-to-day activities of an AI engineer, and the typical timeline of AI project

About the guest: Erwin San Pedro is currently working as a Network Operations Engineer for NetOne Systems Japan, where he is tasked to help their customers resolve network issues, find downtime threats, and report outdated systems. Before this, he had three years of experience as an Electrical Project engineer for Hexel Works Japan. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE from UP Diliman, and he was a member of UP EEEI's Ubiquitous Computing Laboratory. In this episode we talked about: What urged him to make a career shift from electrical project engineering to network operations engineering His first months of training at NetOne Systems Japan, and his role for the Operations team The Plan-Build-Operate-Optimize (PBOO) framework, and different roles in each department The day to day activities of a network operations engineer The types of customers they have, and the kinds of concerns that th

About the guest: Carlos Luigi Ramos is an FPGA Engineer for Anritsu Japan. He has 4 years of experience in developing digital circuit modules for the signal modulation/demodulation and MIMO applications for 5G Testers. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE from UP Diliman, and he was a part of the Digital Signals Processing Laboratory. In this episode we talked about: How he ended up working for an FPGA team, and the kind of training he got in the beginning The languages used in FPGA coding, and how its parallel processing is different from other codes The projects he got involved in, and the work he has done for the Demodulation and Modulation groups of Anritsu's 5G Tester What are detailed in the 3GPP specifications The process of FPGA development: design (spec review, circuit design, timing charts), coding (circuit, input data, output data), simulation (in PC), verification, hardware dep

About the guest: Mikhail Eñano is a Product Design and Development engineer for Toshiba Japan, where he is part of the Telecommunication Systems Equipment Design group. He has 5 years of experience in product design, evaluation, and troubleshooting of RF products, mainly equipments for Satellite Communications. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE from UP Diliman, and he was a part of the Wireless Communications Engineering Laboratory (WCEL). In this episode we talked about: How he first got interested about wireless communications engineering His undergraduate thesis project for WCEL The antenna development process Comparisons between software engineering and hardware engineering What he needs for him to start developing his own products Why a master's degree is almost crucial to an RF engineer The next steps in the career of an RF engineer Qualities that will make a suc

About the guest: Mikhail Eñano is a Product Design and Development engineer for Toshiba Japan, where he is part of the Telecommunication Systems Equipment Design group. He has 5 years of experience in product design, evaluation, and troubleshooting of RF products, mainly equipments for Satellite Communications. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE from UP Diliman, and he was a part of the Wireless Communications Engineering Laboratory (WCEL). In this episode we talked about: The products being developed in the Telecommunications Systems Equipment Group of Toshiba Japan What are RF products, and what do RF engineers do? The different kinds of RF engineers The products/projects he has been involved in so far Some of his patent applications, and the patent application process in Japan The different teams and different kinds of engineers involved in the development of a product The stages

About the Guest: Marc Patrick Celon is a software engineer for Samsung Research Philippines where he is currently developing the AdBlocking technology of the Samsung Internet browser. He is a Computer Engineering graduate from UP Diliman and he was a member of the Ubiquitous Computing Laboratory (UCL). In this episode we talked about: The different kinds of apps they develop in UCL Why he chose Samsung Research PH as the place to start his career in app dev His early projects for Samsung, and how software dev is different in the industry compared to in college How they monitor and find issues in the web apps they deploy How he got involved in mobile app development, and why Samsung Internet is capitalizing on its AdBlocking technology Where the ads are in a browser, and why AdBlockers need to be constantly updated The day-to-day activities of a mobile app developer

About the guest: Rodrigo Celso II is currently working as a software engineer for Metro East Technology Resources Inc, where he helps develop internal web applications for Telecom companies. He has a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering specialized in Digital Signal Processing from UP Diliman, and he is currently pursuing his MBA degree. In the first half of this episode we talked about: Why he entered a career in Web development, and why he chose Metro East Technology What web development is, and how UI/UX has become a separate area of work How his career has progressed in the past four years, and the kinds of projects he has worked on Differences between a web developer and mobile app developer The day-to-day activities of a web developer The lifecycle of software development, and the difference between Waterfall and Agile methods How he learned the many programming languages

About the guest: Ivan Nepomuceno is currently working as a DevOps Engineer for Samsung Research Philippines. He also has previous experience as a release manager in Asurion, and as a system engineer in Azeus. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE from UP Diliman, where he specialized in wireless communications engineering. In the first half of this episode we talked about: Why he entered the IT industry after graduating from college What products/services he was involved in at Azeus How he taught himself DevOps engineering His work as a release manager in Asurion The day-to-day activities of a DevOps engineer Why we would want to put codes into containers How they automate the deployment of applications Differences between developers, operations, and DevOps The challenging and rewarding aspects about the work of a DevOps engineer How someone can advance to DevOps position In the second half of this episode we talked about: How DevOps developed, and why it's crucial for

About the guest: Izrael Bautista is currently finishing his PhD in Space Systems Engineering at Kyushu University. He is also the project manager for BIRDS-4, a cubesatellite project involving different engineers from the Philippines, Paraguay, Nepal, Turkey, and Japan. His involvement in the Philippine Microsatellite Project started from 2015, and since then he has contributed in the development of the power system of Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 satellites. He has a bachelor's degree in ECE and a master's degree in Energy Engineering both from UP Diliman. In the first half of the episode we talked about: How he first got involved with the Philippine Microsatellite Project His contributions for the Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 projects What is an amateur radio The data that we can get from our satellites Why he decided to pursue PhD in Space Systems Engineering The subjects he took for this degree, and the format of their

About the guest: Jenvia Domingo is a Senior Technical Recruiter for Pointwest, an IT & Services company in the Philippines. Counting her 1 year experience as a recruitment assistant in Action Labs IT Services Philippines, she now has 5 years of experience in the end to end recruitment of IT, Software, and Operations professionals. She finished her bachelor's degree in Human Resource Development Management (HRDM) from New Era University. In the first half of this episode we talked about: What inspired her to take the HRDM program of New Era University The five different facets of Human Resource Management The curriculum of the HRDM program in New Era University, and how the subjects are taught Her job searching experience after graduating from college Why she chose to find work in the IT industry Freelancing, outsourcing, staff augmentation, and direct hiring Th

About the guest: Allen Cruz is an Economics graduate from UP Diliman. He is currently working as a Foreign Exchange officer in Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and he has previous work experiences as a banker in UnionBank and as a management trainee for an oil company. In the second part of this episode we talked about: The role of banks in the economy The different services that banks offer and that we should know about The thing you can now do with online banking Digital banks vs traditional banks What cryptocurrency is, and what we are investing in when we invest in cryptocurrency Why capitalism has a bad reputation Alternatives to capitalism, and the spectrum between a purely government-controlled economy and a purely private-controlled economy Why pursue Economics as a course in college

About the guest: Allen Cruz is an Economics graduate from UP Diliman. He is currently working as a Foreign Exchange officer in Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and he has previous work experiences as a banker in UnionBank and as a management trainee for an oil company. In this episode, we talked about: Why he chose Economics as a course in college What you will learn from a degree in Economics Why UP's Economics curriculum allows so many free electives Career opportunities for an Economics graduate Why we need economists involved in deciding the prices of currencies His experiences working as a banker  The many different skills you gain from working in the Loans function of a bank How he conducts research, analysis, and reporting about their clients The challenging aspects about working as a banker

About the guest: Lyssa Solomon is working as a guidance counselor in Xavier School, while taking her MS degree in Counseling Psychology in Ateneo de Manila University. She has a bachelor's degree in Family Life and Child Development from UP Diliman, and she has worked as a clinical assistant in Ateneo Bulatao Center's psychological clinic, and as a community mobilizer for Save the Children Philippines. In this episode we talked about: What inspired her to pursue an MS in Counseling Psychology How her background in Family Life and Child Development helps her in her Psychology studies The topics covered in Ateneo's Counseling Psychology MS program Her work as a guidance counselor for Xavier School Her past experiences as a clinical assistant in Bulatao Center and as a community mobilizer for Save the Children Philippines Career opportunities for someone with a background in Cou

This is the second part of my conversation with Philosophy Major Jofer Asilum. In this episode we talked about: How studying Philosophy changed his views, ideas, and beliefs His own philosophies in life How to know if where you are is where you should be in life How to become an ubermensch, according to Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche Some of the major philosophical problems today Why policy makers don't use the works of philosophers in answering societal problems What we should be teaching in our Values Education classes Why we need more philosophers, and the importance of Philosophy How we are moving towards a world with no more singular degrees

About the guest: Jofer Asilum is a Philosophy graduate from UP Diliman. After graduating, he started the Philosophy department of OB Montessory Center Professional High School, and developed the Philosophy curriculum for that school. He also wrote for the textbooks in Philosophy and Filipino of Senior High school students. Now, he is working as an urban and regional planner for their municipality in Masbate, after earning his master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning also from UP Diliman. In this episode we talked about: Why he chose Philosophy in college, and how he began to fall in love with it How the Philosophy department of a university dictates the heart of the whole university The topics they learned in their four years of studying Philosophy Why we need to study philosophers, but not be consumed by their ideas What we need to know about the Filipino psychology Typical format and requirements in Philosophy classes How research is done in Philosophy, and how he co

About the guest: Josef Gacutan is a film graduate from UP Diliman. She is currently working as a freelance writer and producer for digital ads and short films. Her short animated film 'Wag mo 'kong kausapin' won as Best Short Film in the 2019 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, and was part of the 29th Singapore International Film Festival, FAMAS Awards, and Gawad Urian Awards. In this episode we talked about: How she got into films, and why she decided to shift to Film How film is taught in school, the typical format of classes and the usual requirements What makes film school very expensive, and how students are finding ways to pay for it How they propose their film ideas, and the steps to making a film Why she decided to do an animated short film for her thesis Why students prefer to do narrative fiction, and why documentaries are challenging What causes a lot

About the guest: Maverick Flores is a communications campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines, where he develops projects that will help increase awareness of their organization. Before this, he also worked as a communications officer for different private companies, government agencies, and NGOs. He has a degree in Journalism from UP Diliman. In this episode we talked about: How journalism and communications are similar and different The outline of a Journalism course in college The two career paths he considered after graduation His short experience as an Editorial Production Assistant for the Philippine Daily Inquirer His first experience in communications as a Program Coordinator for an NGO Why the humanities and social sciences are just as difficult as the hard sciences, and how they can be applied to all sorts of jobs His work as a communications officer for the Philippine Information Agency His work in public relations (PR) for a private corporation His work as an a

About the guest: Arlene Mia Ruguian is a Materials Engineer, specializing in thin films and nanomaterials. After finishing her BS degree in UP Diliman, she worked for three years in Beta Nanocoating, a start-up nanocoating company in Bulacan. She then pursued her Master's degree in Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), where she did research for the Flexible Devices and Metamaterials Lab, such as in the development of advanced catalysts for hydrogen fuels. In this episode we talked about: Why she chose Materials Engineering as her course in college, and why this profession is relatively unknown to us How Materials Engineering overlaps with all the other engineering fields and sciences The curriculum of a Materials Engineering program, and why Materials Engineering subjects start very late in the curriculum What they learn about a particular material, and what are the common materials they study, as well as the more advanced materials Her experience as a su

About this episode's guest: Daniel Paul Uy is a fifth year Med student in UP Manila. He has a bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (MBB) from UP Diliman, where he did research for the Disease Molecular Biology and Epigenetics Laboratory (DMBEL). In this episode we talked about: Why Daniel chose MBB as his course in college The different topics and laboratories in MBB The RNA research being worked inside DMBEL The three hallmarks of cancer The tools you need to be a successful MBB student/researcher The different career paths for an MBB graduate How UP Med creates five-star physicians How Daniel's background in MBB helps him in Med school The differences between working as a researcher and a clinician Why doing undergrad before going into Med school is a good idea Why high school and college is the time t

About this episode's guest: Maku Mei Chan is a Broadcast Communications graduate from UP Diliman. She is working now as a Production Assistant for various shows in GMA network such as Stepdaughters, Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit, and Heartful Cafe. She is also volunteering as an anchor and correspondent for shows like CFO Today and CBI Live in INCTV and INC Radio. In this episode we talked about: The processes involved in producing a drama series on TV How a TV network influences the content of its shows, including news shows How digital media (Internet, social media, podcast, vlogs) has affected the TV landscape Comparisons between working in front of the camera and behind the camera How the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the Philippine TV industry How Maku plans to become a Program Manager on GMA

About this episode's guest: Maku Mei Chan is a Broadcast Communications graduate from UP Diliman. She is working now as a Production Assistant for various shows in GMA network such as Stepdaughters, Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit, and Heartful Cafe. She is also volunteering as an anchor and correspondent for shows like CFO Today and CBI Live in INCTV and INC Radio. In this episode we talked about: Why she chose Broadcast Communications as her course in college How they were taught and trained in Broadcast Communications The different tracks you can take in Broadcast Communications The different career paths for Broadcast Communications graduates Why she chose to work for GMA Network How she ended up in her role as a Production Assistant The day-to-day job of a TV Production Assistant The different kinds of a TV Production Assistant The struggles

About this episode's guest: Mark Edward Jolejole is an researcher working for the IM4 Manila Bay project of DOST. He has a master's degree in Environmental Science from UP Diliman and a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from UP Los Banos. He is working to save our natural resources, especially the water quality of our rivers, lakes, and seas. In this episode we talked about: What inspired Kuya Ed to pursue graduate studies in Environmental Science The topics you need to know to get a degree in Environmental Science The typical background of Environmental Science students, and the career paths after getting their degrees The types of research he did in undergrad, graduate school, and for DOST The challenging aspects in studying Environmental Science Why research is a requirement for students to graduate How we can motivate students to do research What are the interesting research

About this episode's guest: Christine Balili is a data scientist for the Wesfarmers Corporation in Australia, where she develops recommendation algorithms for the company's websites. She also worked previously in McKinsey & Company, also as a data scientist. She has a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from UP Diliman and a master's degree in Knowledge Service Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. In this episode we talked about: Her experiences as a Google Ambassador in college How she ended up taking Computer Science (CS) in college The introductory courses in CS and why it can be overwhelming to some The things you study and learn, and projects you get to do from a CS degree How she overcame her struggles in learning how to code at first Why she decided to study further in KAIST Her work experiences after finishing her MS degree Career options for CS gr

About this episode’s guest: Axel Arenas is a college instructor at Pangasinan State University - Urdaneta, where he teaches General Education (GE) subjects. He has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UP Los Banos and he is currently taking his master’s degree in Social and Development Studies in UP Baguio. He is working to make sure his students are not only good in their professions, but more importantly they are good members of the society. In this episode we talked about: Why he chose Sociology as a course in college How sociologists think The role of sociologists in society What Social and Development Studies is What aspects of learning sociology students struggle the most with Why GE subjects matter Why K-12 is not the solution we need How GE subjects are taught in Senior High and in college What he looks for from his students' papers How to consume the mount

About this episode's guest: Emma is a licensed financial advisor (FA) at Sun Life Philippines, where she is now a unit manager. Before becoming a full-time FA, she worked first as a Materials Engineer at Samsung and Monde Nissin. As of this interview, she has already secured 150 lives, and she is already managing a team of 20 people. She is working hard to help Filipinos prepare for the financial aspect of their retirement, and to protect their finances in case of emergencies. In this episode we talked about: How she decided to work full-time as a financial advisor What kinds of work she does as a financial advisor How her job as a financial advisor compares to her job before in corporate The regulations and mathematics every financial advisor should understand The qualifications and application process to becoming a financial advisor The perks of working as a financial advisor, as well as the challenges encountered What it takes to be a successful financial advisor How a frie

About this episode's guest: Dean Lozarie is an associate lawyer at C&G Law Firm, where he usually handles litigation cases such as in civil, labor, and tax. He got both his bachelor's degree in Journalism and his Juris Doctor degree from University of the Philippines Diliman, and he passed the Bar exam in 2018. He is working now to help individuals and corporations achieve their goals and dreams in accordance to the Law. In this episode we talked about: Why he decided to study in Law school The requirements for getting into Law school Why Journalism is a good pre-Law course The eight bar subjects, and how these subjects are taught How they studied the Law in class Typical requirements in class: recitation, exams, and papers How lawyers keep up with changes in the Law Which aspects of studying Law do students struggle most with The rewarding aspects of studyi

About this episode's guest: Cyra Kaye Mina is a general physician working at a private hospital in Rosales, Pangasinan where she mans the Emergency Room and Out-Patient Department. She also volunteers for the teleconsulting services of the OVP and NGO in their community. She took both of her bachelor's degree in Medical Technology and her M.D. from University of Sto. Tomas, and she did her internship at DOH where she was assigned to different hospitals including the Philippine Heart Center and Lung Center of the Philippines. She is a young doctor, a talented artist, and a modern-day hero, with real superpowers. In this episode we talked about: How she got into Med Tech, and why Med Tech is a great pre-med course How she decided to pursue Medicine Subjects taken in Med School: from first year to fourth year The importance of having a support system in Med School Mental, physical, emotional, and financial

About this episode's guest: Gab Dela Cruz is a telecoms engineer working for an international company based in Japan. He has a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE), with a specialization on Wireless Communications Engineering. He is working to make sure we receive our mobile data (text, audio, video, etc) fast, securely, and with no errors. In this episode we talked about:  What inspired us to take Computer Engineering in college, and later on shift to ECE The topics we learned in ECE Why we chose to specialize in Wireless Communications Engineering How we decided to work for Anritsu in Japan, and what we do in our work now What our working conditions are, and how true the overworking culture in Japan is What high school students should be working on if they want to pursue ECE in college Why so many students struggle in ECE Why ECE graduat