Life at UIC Computer Center

Right after my graduation at UIC, I was in a hurry to get a job and put aside plans of going abroad. I knew experience was a great teacher, so I decided to stay put and look for employment within Davao City.

In my fourth year, I had my on-the-job training at Rhine Marketing, a local dealer of computers and accessories. Together with Raul Ramirez and Rizza Rizada, we fixed broken motherboards, assembled computer sets, and carried stocks from the warehouse to the showroom. It was a good learning experience, but it pulled me away from what I really wanted to do; I preferred to become a programmer rather than a technician.

Ironically, the day before our graduation, I had my first interview at PowerTech, a local dealer of Apple computers. Cecile Anghag, my classmate and childhood friend, was already working there, so that felt a bit reassuring. As a fresh graduate — officially the next day — not much was expected from me as a significant contributor. I had never used an iMac before. In our college projects, we relied on the 486s and Pentiums owned by Jose Punongbayan, Ronald Celestial, and Jonathan Ambong.

The role I applied for was after-sales support, which meant I would be involved in troubleshooting, software installation, and demos to clients and prospects. My experience at Rhine probably helped me get the interview, but honestly, I did not consider this application promising given my zero product knowledge.

After the graduation ceremony at Davao Convention and Trade Center, my classmates organized a celebratory party in Kidapawan, where hometown kids Bibiano Tee Jr, Vincent Guerra, and Elmer De Vera were our generous hosts. There were drinks, music, and plenty of stories. It was a great night that left me intoxicated. The plan was to extend the celebration the following day, but I soon got a call from the UIC Computer Center for a job interview. I had submitted my application for a programmer position during the last week of the school year. So the following morning, I took the bus back to Davao, hoping to do the interview as soon as I arrived.

The interviewer was Engr. Randy Gamboa, an engineer who used to teach at the Engineering department, though he never taught any of my subjects. With his straight-talking demeanor, a candidate caught off guard by his random philosophical questions could easily be left speechless and give up. But if you keep your cool, he lightens up and starts to reveal his distinct sense of humor. During my interview, I was tense but determined to finish the interrogation. He was later joined by Noel Laud, a systems administrator, and Jovy Cabrera, a senior programmer, whose approach to interviews was quite similar to Paula Abdul’s in American Idol.

A couple of weeks later, I received a job offer and prepared for my first-ever full-time position. My only prior credential was the half-semester stint at Rhine. I had never held any part-time jobs and had previously failed at all attempts to land summer work. I soon found out I was hired along with Michael Cagape, a family relative and batchmate at UIC; Edison Escala, another familiar face from uni; Brendon Rojas, a fellow UIC alumnus; and Cecilbeth “Pie” I., a Computer Science graduate from Ateneo de Davao. With our addition, the UIC Computer Center’s staff population doubled.

Other members of the team were Maricar Ramos, a presentations guru pursuing her master’s degree, and Tammy Rogers, a demure yet reliable über-programmer who occupied the corner desk.

I was then assigned to program the Teacher’s Behavioral Inventory, a landmark project I maintained until the time I left the Center. Since the users of this program were the staff of the Guidance Center, I occasionally spent time visiting their offices to explain the program’s progress, fix their printer, or engage in short chats. Along the way, I met new friends from the Cashier, Registrar, Grade School, Library, and the RVM sisters.

Although our tasks varied—from programmer to network administrator—we were also given a few teaching loads to help the understaffed Computer Science department. Enrollment time in May was the most stressful period as a Computer Center staff member because each of us had to wear a technician’s hat: connecting cables, carrying computer monitors, and setting up local area networks. On some days, we had to stay late to diagnose network problems and troubleshoot cranky computer units.

As for the teaching job, I handled Differential and Integral Calculus, Algebra, and computer subjects. In some semesters, I had to cross to the Bonifacio campus to teach EDP to Commerce students. While programming was relatively relaxed—except for deadlines and code review sessions—teaching was a tough task. Sometimes I skipped lunch to prepare test questions or check exam papers. Another challenging aspect was handling classes that were a mixed bag of brilliant and below-average students. In such cases, I needed to strike a balance in my approach and lesson outline. One way or another, someone was bound to fall into boredom or extreme frustration. The worst part of my teaching experience was when I had to recommend students to repeat the subject for not making the grade. I was once approached by a student’s mother who pleaded that I pass her son. I offered sympathy but remained firm in my earlier decision.

I spent three years at UIC before moving to Manila and eventually settling down in Hong Kong.

Among the most memorable times I had at UIC Computer Center are:

Brendon’s jokes.

This is the part of life at the Computer Center I miss the most. Whether his jokes were directed at Ate Jovy, Comp Sci teacher Liza Ruth Faune, or the laboratory folks like Albert Burgos and Jerry Tuston, we could never get enough of Brendon’s antics. Notable ones I remember include: a) “You killed my teacher!” — a standard kung fu movie plot where the protégé seeks revenge on gangsters over the death of his master; and b) Brendon’s father asking the family to close their eyes while saying grace before meals: “Lord, please open our eyes.”

Travels disguised as recollections.

Because I officially belonged to the UIC Computer Center, I was also part of the Non-teaching Personnel, even if I had a few teaching units. This meant I joined the rest of the UIC Comcen “peeps” in annual recollections often held far away—for maximum retreat experience. In my brief stay with the NTP, we traveled to Cebu and Guimaras/Boracay. Those trips might have triggered my passion for travel.

Meeting new friends.

As an all-around technician for the entire university, I was bound to gain new friends. The role also built my confidence in meeting people, which helped me fight the occasional stage fright I experienced during my Computer Science classes. With these friends at work, I rarely felt out of place during gatherings like acquaintance parties, Christmas parties, NTP meetings, and casual encounters in the corridor.

Teachers’ Day.

When Engr. Jun Jayme joined the Computer Center, the rest of us were bound to embarrass ourselves during events where we were expected to showcase our “talents.” As a talented dancer, he prodded us to join him onstage. One unforgettable experience was when Michael, Brendon, Jonathan Tuburan, and Jun danced to the tune of Time After Time by Inoj.

Company outings.

Not only did we go out as part of the non-teaching personnel, but Sir Randy — often known as Bossing — also organized team outings for a quick summer break. We usually spent a night at a beach resort, not necessarily to swim but to deliberate on things I thought were not even necessary. (To this day, I still fail to see the importance of being reminded about an organization’s mission and vision every year.) But other than that, it was great to be out of the office for a change.

StarCraft sessions.

When Richard Camelo Base and Jerry Flores joined Comcen a year after us to fill the void left by Edison and Pie, the atmosphere became even more casual and light-hearted. Jokes became a more prevalent topic during meetings. It was during their time that I got hooked on StarCraft for the first time. Daytime or nighttime, we conspired to play the game during lunch breaks, after office hours, and even stayed almost until midnight to finish a session. Brendon, Michael, Jonathan, and I eventually formed alliances and teamed up to play.

Learning experience.

My stay at UIC Computer Center was a great learning experience. It was like extending my five-year Computer Engineering journey by three more years. Although I did not get to focus on a single specialty nor finish the TBI program, I walked out more confident talking about my skills — at least until I later realized I still had a lot more to learn. Connecting BNC cables for enrollment, building my first website, running a Novell NetWare network, fixing and assembling computers for the laboratory, using Norton Commander and Windows 95 — these were among the things I learned in addition to my daily tasks.

After 38 months, I said goodbye to UIC Computer Center to find out what life outside had in store for me.

But no worries, we still found time to communicate and even meet in person once in a while.

P.S. 1 – Engr. Randy Gamboa later became one of our principal wedding sponsors.

P.S. 2 – My wife wanted to take Computer Science at UIC but instead enrolled at Ateneo. If she had studied at UIC, she might have become my student, and I do not know how destiny would have been rewritten. We only met after we both started working in Hong Kong.