Me in USJ-R and CpE

June 1999, date of hiring.

I was just a fresh graduate, having received my diploma two months earlier.  The degree states, Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering.  Thus it allows me to add the title Engineer at the start of my name.

That date was the official start of my professional career.  To be more specific, the profession of teaching.  It was my first job, and still is the main profession I'm into presently.

The actual plan after graduation was mapped out into two options: first, do full time teaching for a year, then transfer to the industry, and continue teaching on part time basis; second, do a full time job with the industry and have part time for any academic institution.  As you can see, teaching was never left out in the plan.  Maybe it’s in the blood, the passion to serve others through teaching.  My grandma and my mother were educators, and were very proficient and highly regarded during their prime.  So probably their genes might have been transferred to me.

My hiring was timely.  The Computer Engineering program was about to be given its own department.  With only one faculty available having the degree of BS CpE in the teaching staff, the need to hire more became imminent so to address the creation of a department with staffs having the appropriate baccalaureate program.  The need for qualified personnel for the appropriate major subjects in the discipline was also among the many reasons.  More importantly, the increasing number of enrolling students in the program mean direct proportional increase of the teaching staff.  5 new full time and 5 new part time were hired.  I was among the full timers.  The department then was able to produce the first batch of graduates. That was the year 2000.

I was a probationary full time faculty when I was hired.  On university rules, one can only attain regular full time status after 3 years of teaching, and able to acquire a masters degree.  It took me four years though to become a regular full-time teaching staff. 

A year before I was about to finish the master's degree, I thought of not finishing it because of financial constraints.  Financing was the ultimate hurdle towards the completion of the program.  My dean at that time told to me to write a letter on request for financial assistance addressed to the University president through the office of the then-Research, Planning and Scholarship Center.  It was approved, on the condition that I shall be bonded to the university for the next 3 years.  With the will to serve the university, 3 years is nothing to me, so I agreed.

June 2003.  It was the date of a new school year.  It was also the date to which I was finally a regular full time teaching staff.  I am now able to enjoy the benefits and the privileges that the university gives to tenured employees.  It was also the year where the re-alignment of programs has taken full effect.  Our department, was taken from the engineering college to the new college for information technology, together with programs of BS Computer Science, BS Information Technology, BS Information Systems, and BS Office Administration.

It was a change of culture.  From the engineering philosophies to the IT ones, adjustment have to be made.  Significant re-structuring of the BS CpE program was made, but the foundations of an engineer where always there.  Personal feelings have to be adjusted also, to work in harmony with the new environment and people.  Two and a half years after, the college was relocated to another campus.  Adjustments have to be done again.  

We stayed with the college for six years.  The people we worked with were very remarkable people.  Aside from possessing the attitude to be dynamic, a necessary requirement for one in the technology field, each individual are fun-loving, energetic, and full of passion.  Not to mention each has high regard for the value of teamwork.  Yet as most say times do change, the clamor that our BS CpE program has to be re-aligned back to the engineering disciplines has been a recurring issue for several years.  Until such time change was inevitable, we were finally returned back to the College of Engineering, to which where we originally belonged.  Not all of us were brought back.  Those who remained left the college 2 years after in search for greener pastures.

June 2009.  The effective date of  BS CpE’s homecoming to the College of Engineering.  The phrase “This is where we truly belong” was the sound of excitement made spread to the rest of the Josenian engineering.  The homecoming was filled with positive effects highlighted at the end of the school year with the CpE graduating students continued dominance of the yearly Robofesta Ph, this time even bagging the top two spots.

The only downside to the homecoming was that the program belong to only one department, the EE/ECE/CpE department.  However, this was addressed a year later, as the program was given again a separate department.  This is needed as the accrediting body, PAASCU, has recognized a sole department for the program.

The school year 2011-12 showed much more visible existence of the BS CpE program in the college.  Several milestones have been achieved.  Design project approved proposal presentations and the Computer Engineering Design Project Presentations was held for the very first time.  The audience were not anymore limited to the panel of examiners and the senior students, but also the entire CpE population and other interested Engineering parties.  The department has purchased new equipment to bolster the software engineering track and networking systems track of the BS CpE program.  School year also marked the shout-out of the department, “Long Live CpE”   

So there it is.  School year 2011-12 is now about to end, and a new school year is about to come.  In the 17 years of BS CpE program in the university, I have 13 years of it.  And it is still counting.  It feels it was just like yesterday when I came to this university.  I witnessed very bright future of very promising and potential graduates.  I salute to the success achieved by our alumni. 

Through the years, I witnessed the evolution of the BS CpE program.  From the time it was still in its infancy, up to now in its still continuing change.  As the program changed to meet the needs of the ever changing times, I personally also evolved for the better, not only professionally, but also to my very personal life.  It is very much safe to say, I grew up and mature of my 13 years of the teaching profession, and I grew up together with USJ-R CpE.  For the length of time I'm here, I always look back at the past events that had transpired in my journey.

For as long as time and USJ-R allows me to serve for the CpE department, I unconditionally would be very much willing to lend a hand, continue teaching, hoping to lead young minds to a brighter future not only for themselves but also for the nation and the world.

Long Live CpE!!!!