Saturday, May 03, 2008 Domantay: What drives you? By Randy Domantay Light That Transforms
THE requirements of today's global firms for better information and technology security, mobility, integrity, handling, and efficiency call for the need to employ people who are both skilled and good in the field of computer science (CS), information technology (IT), library science, information management (IM), statistics and mathematics.
Everything we see in movies is now mostly created by Filipino artists using digital animation technologies. Mobile phones and a host of applications that drive today's industries are being developed by skilled Java programmers. These are just some of the industries that pay above average salaries. So let me ask, what drives you to become part of this growing phenomenon?
As a prime choice for ICT education in northern Luzon, the College of Information and Computing Sciences (CICS) of Saint Louis University not only provides her students the requisite skills needed for driving the local and national economy, but also prepares them for emerging global opportunities such as in outsourcing and in digital arts.
The global demand for people with IT skills is still high and wide. Rich nations have turned to outsourcing to cut costs. In the IT career ladder, the last two rungs (where programming and math skills are located) form the base of the IT industry. India tops the list of favored countries that supplies this base but second place Philippines is slowly but surely catching up.
The recognition given by Ched to CICS as a Center of Development in IT Education from 2007 to 2010 as well as the new opportunity for a formal survey given by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities reveals much of how CICS has shown remarkable growth and resilience at a time when a majority of our young people have chosen to pursue other careers.
Creativity and innovation are the twin pillars of success. The adoption of the semi-online blended mode of course delivery by the Master of Science in Information Technology program was designed to be flexible to enable working professionals to pursue their graduate schooling. In the creative media industry, the demands of feature film productions and mega commercial projects include having a vast array of skilled and creative staff. The introduction of the Digital Arts program is designed to prepare artistically inclined people for this industry and opens them to future outsourcing of big media projects.
The current IT and CS curricula were designed to meet the needs and global standards of the industry such that a good number of CICS graduates and faculty were able to earn certifications in PhiNits (Philippine National IT Standards), Oracle, Microsoft, Cisco, and Java.
Meanwhile, Tesda has chosen CICS as the center for its 'ladderized' IT programs. In the field of research, CICS won first runner-up in Ched's Best in Higher Education Institutions Research Program.
At CICS, it does not matter whether you enroll in BS Information Technology, BS Computer Science, BS Math, BS Statistics, Bachelor of Library and Information Science, BS Information Management, MSIT, or earn your certificate in Digital Arts. The more important and noble thing is that your premium contributions to society would be adequate to promote economic and social progress. In the 'Light of the North', wisdom builds. Then computer language compilers do the rest.
By the way, be productive this summer! Various short courses in Digital Arts were lined up by CICS this April to run until June. Interested high school graduates, professionals, college students and other enthusiasts who want to learn techniques in desktop publication, digital video/audio fundamentals plus various Adobe applications are welcome to enlist.
Freshmen enrolment for ALL COURSES at Saint Louis University is still on going at the Burgos Gym. Slots for Bachelor of Science in Nursing are still available. For more inquiries, contact the Student Affairs Office at 442-3043 local 321.
For inquiries or feedback, you may visit, call or e-mail the Dean's Office, College of Information and Computing Sciences, 2/F Diego Silang building; tel. nos. (074) 444-8246 (to 48 and 53), 44-2793 or 442-3053, local nos. 281 and 335; or e-mail cicsdean@slu.edu.ph or cicssec@slu.edu.ph. Cecilia A. Mercado, MSIT, is the CICS Dean and Randy B. Domantay, MSIT, is the Graduate Program Coordinator. We also invite you to visit www.slu.edu.ph.
Until next Friday. God bless!
(May 3, 2008 issue) Write letter to the editor. Click here.
