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28 Mar, Thursday
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The library of essays of Proakatemia

SLOW IS FAST



Kirjoittanut: Vincent Bitana - tiimistä Kaaos.

Esseen tyyppi: Yksilöessee / 2 esseepistettä.
Esseen arvioitu lukuaika on 5 minuuttia.

“ You’ll be where you’re meant to be. Take your time.” – Hannah Bitana

 

The world has always been constantly changing. But as technology evolves and drastically hasten our lives, something about the changes we face is different compared to what we have experienced in the past. It is more extreme, more rapid, and more complex, and the challenges are becoming more difficult.

 

Interestingly, just before I left our home in the Philippines. My daughter, Hannah placed a handwritten quote on top of my laptop(see above photo), and with teary eyes, I was reminded of my life journey and of how God and my family have helped me in whatever goals and challenges that I faced in every season and step of the way.

 

So, as a backgrounder, let me tell you a little bit about myself and why I decided to pursue a degree study course in Finland. My name is Vincent J. Bitana, married with three wonderful daughters. Born and raised in the Philippines, I graduated junior high school at Arellano University in 1994. I enrolled and continued college at AMA Computer University but did not earn a bachelor’s degree in Business Management due to financial constraints.  Since then, I have worked hard to make a living not just for myself but also for my siblings, as I am the eldest.  Many years have passed, and my thought of going back to school still lingers; however, because of priorities with my family’s finances, I cannot pursue it.

 

I started working as early as ten years old. I woke up early to put newspapers in the doorpost of our neighbors who requested it, even selling rice cakes, helping our neighbors lift water containers, and calling out passengers to earn tips from the Jeepney drivers. I never lost hope in getting out of poverty and would always dream that someday I will build my enterprise.  Due to this passion driving my sheer diligence and hard work, I could land a job despite being an undergraduate. However, it is tough to climb the corporate success ladder because I did not earn a bachelor’s degree.

 

Employers would always tell me that I may have the talents and skills for the specific position they want me to hold, but because I am an undergraduate, they will give it to someone who has earned that degree but lacks the experience. That is why I am eager and very determined to pursue a degree in business even at my age.

 

Today, I am the president and founder of Act of Kindness Philippines, a non-profit organization that aims to help my fellow Filipinos. The organization intends to help poor communities get better health through nutrition programs and assist indigent but deserving students to get a decent education tailored to their skills and talents. It also creates holistic livelihood projects that will uplift the standard of living in the community. Through years of experience, I have gained exposure to leadership, management, and teamwork. However, I believe that there is room for growth in my career development.

 

I still need to upgrade my skills at the entrepreneurial level and grow in sales and marketing, corporate finances, and business models. Acquiring and enhancing these faculties will help me gain confidence in doing efficient and effective innovative ventures. With this said, I firmly believe that PROAKATEMIA is the perfect university for me. Firstly, studying Business Administration in Entrepreneurship and Team Leadership will surely help me become an influential businessman by welcoming people in my team to work with me, engaging and empowering them to be leaders in any circumstance, and raising the standards.  Second, PROAKATEMIA promotes a coaching model where a combination of theory and practice empowers me to decide what I need to learn and how I will learn it. Even in a student-learning approach, coaches are still there to guide and help me grow into the best version of myself. Finally, one of the best parts that I am excited to experience as I study at this university is that local successful business people visit the students for a talk. Through that, there are opportunities to be connected and learn from them directly.

 

After the completion of my degree in Finland, I will apply what I have learned with a greater passion, full of ideas and strategies to start a business to help fund the non-profit organization we started. Another option would be to add a social enterprise as a component of the said organization. Generating profit so that it can be converted into a sustainable development program fit for the communities we are helping. I know that education is expensive, but I take it as a challenge for a brighter future.

 

I choose to study in Finland because of the world-class education system. According to the National Center on Education and Economy (NCEE), Finland is on the list of top-performing countries. Their aim is not just to help the students get an “A” score in the classroom but also to prepare them to face the real world. They promote a well-balanced education by having a multi-disciplinary approach that combines self-study, problem-solving, and self-developing.

 

As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. Education is the first step for people to gain the knowledge, critical thinking, empowerment, and skills they need to make this world a better place. This quote reminds me of how much I have grown and how it inspires me to continue pursuing what I am passionate about through the opportunities TAMK and Finland will give.

 

Looking back after a year of learning with my old and new team. I can say that it has been a faith-filled encounter and can humbly say that I have grown and learned from my past mistakes and will continue to embrace learning. That is why I coined my essay as such because it reminded me to take all things into the right perspective and never rush into things that may be detrimental to me or to my team as we progress.

 

In summary, speeding up isn’t always the answer. We find that if top teams slow down, they eventually achieve their objectives more quickly and wisely. Because, often the initial idea can be fine-tuned as we start slow, taking the time to research as a team and letting the research take us into challenging new directions, not the same old same old. Answering important questions like What’s emerging? What’s exciting? Ask ourselves questions like these:

Where in your own life do you see a need for improvement in the world?

What makes you mad about the way some things are done?

What scares you? It must scare others. How would you fix or mitigate this issue?

In your own work life, what parts of that work are no longer done to the standards you want to see?

Where are labor shortages in your work life most acute?

Where in your own life do you see businesses and organizations cutting corners that negatively affect their operations?

What opportunities are you hearing about from other places that aren’t yet represented in your community?

What problems or issues are you passionate about and that you think others would benefit from having access to your information?

Was there an event in your life in which you volunteered for something that lit you up? Can you bring a different perspective to improving those issues?

 

I believe with all my heart that as I take my time and make use of it properly and wisely, I will be where I am meant to be and that is in FINLAND, TAMK PROAKATEMIA, TEAM KAAOS PROJECTS. SLOW IS FAST!

 

Terrien, R. (2020, March 19). Slow down! why starting slow is the right speed for business success. Entrepreneur. Read on March 4, 2023, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/starting-a-business/slow-down-why-starting-slow-is-the-right-speed-for/346440

 

 

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