A young man’s key to success

Eunice A. Borlasa

“I shifted from my original course which was electrical communication engineering (ECE). I never really thought of taking up geodetic engineering (GE),” said Kenneth G. Abarca, 20, who has managed to be successful in his unplanned degree.

“What I wanted then was to take Computer Science. But the Department of Computer Science was really strict about minimum grade requirements for shiftees, and sadly, my general weighted average (GWA) was not even close to the required grade, so I took GE as sort of a last resort,” he said.

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When Abarca graduated from high school, he was the class valedictorian in LIDE Learning Center Inc. in Isabel, Leyte, where he had spent his childhood. On April 2008, he finished college at the University of the Philippines Diliman. And in June that year, he took the licensure examination for geodetic engineering.

He placed second in the examination with an average of 85.20 percent. He is currently employed at the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority

He believes God gives what one’s heart desires. One only needs to put his heart and mind into his ambitions and have faith. He said that without the support of his family, friends and girlfriend, he would have never succeeded.

He chose to enjoy a balanced and normal life when in college and wants to share this with students.

“Too much studies and sacrificing friends for them is not good. And too much socializing without studying is just as bad. One thing which will help greatly is learning to prioritize things well. Know a balance between studies and other aspects of your life which include healthy relationships with friends, family and God,” he said.

He also advised students not to study when they’re sleepy.

“Don’t study when you know you can’t concentrate. Know your right time and the right place for studying. If you prefer to study alone, then do it. If you prefer studying in a quiet place do it. Don’t force yourself into studying at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and most importantly with the wrong people. Also love what you are doing. If you don’t, better decide early if what you’re taking is really what you want,” he said.