Blog #1: “Way Of Life- IT beyond computers and gadgets”

 1:”We had to address information technology in the ways we had not before and give the agents the tools that they need to do their job more efficiently and more expeditiously.”- Robert Mueller

(Photo credits to the rightful owner of this image)

We cannot think life sans technology. The use of technology has made our lives comfortable, thus, technology is undeniably important.  IT plays a very important role in the modern society, as a driving force that builds economies, connects people, and establishes the modern society. Mankind among and above many other species has always sought to be informed whether it would be as simple as looking to the skies or be more sophisticated as to avail services of others and utilize complex means to gather, store, interpret and analyze data and information critical to decision-making which has always been crucial to our survival as a society. Modern technology has greatly improved how information is managed and has made it a lot more accessible to everybody.

As an individual growing up in the “information age”, I have seen a world that has greatly improved with the use of information technology.  Lifestyles have been changing rapidly in the past decades as various revolutionary devices and applications are being introduced. As a person who has evolved with such technology, I have also reaped the benefits of such. I know from personal experience what it is like to attend school without a computer, and it was never an easy time. I have to schedule my time around when libraries and computer labs are open so that I can get my work done, and it is not always assured that there will be a space open. And the locations where the computers are may not always be easy to get to.

  I remember during my undergraduate years in UPV wherein not all of us can afford to have a laptop. Laptops where very expensive during those times and your only way to have an access to the internet for your paper works is to run at the nearest internet cafe. It could get inconvenient and stressful at times to do all this. Nowadays, I can see a big difference on how IT benefits not only students but as well as working professionals by allowing organizations to operate more efficiently and maximize their productivity. Faster communication and storage of records are just few of IT’s advantages.

The world is becoming closer as staying connected with friends and loved ones are possible nowadays through social networking sites. You can browse long lost friends and relatives through their Facebook accounts or Instagram and reconnect with them. Sharing of ideas is a lot easier and barriers such as language and boundaries between countries are not a hindrance anymore. If you don’t understand what the heck they are talking about because of a language not familiar to you, Google translate and yeah! Somehow you get some sense out of it. Spending long hours sitting in the internet café just to access your Friendster was a real pain in the ass plus the cost and the very slow connection. Today, communication became a lot cheaper, faster and more efficient. I knew how beneficial IT is in this aspect because I’ve been working abroad and communication with your family back here in the Philippines means more. Somehow, homesickness can be lessened since face to face communication like Skype for example can be done through your mobile phone.

Almost all businesses around the globe are open 24/7 for inquiries or purchases, with this; online purchases in other countries through different payment methods are possible. Any product you want to buy as long as it is sold online can be ordered and after a few days, it will be delivered right at your doorstep. I am a fan of online purchases because aside from the fact that it saves you a lot of time, it also offers a lot of choices and options which are not available at the nearby physical stores. Cheaper prices and low delivery rates are also a bonus.

Our daily office work is also technology based. No longer do people use the pen and paper to complete their work. IT helped streamline businesses making them cost effective by increasing productivity which in turn raises profits and lessens strenuous working conditions.

I used to work with the country’s biggest banking institution wherein dealing with different systems and accounting applications were done in a daily basis.  We were trained how to run these applications accurately to avoid erroneous transactions. Banking operations are very dependent to these systems to the point that when systems are down, all transactions are impossible to process. Each teller can finish hundreds of transactions a day in a very fast pace as long as the connection is running good.

(Photo Credit to the rightful owner of this image) The Beautiful city of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

As a manager, whether you like it or not, you have to deal with IT related concerns. In my work abroad, as an HR manager, I am the one processing our employees’ payroll. Since Papua New Guinea is still left behind when we talk about technology and IT specifically, timecards are still very common. Aside from the fact that it could be very time consuming in my part by manually computing no. of hours for each employee, it causes a lot of stress.  We don’t have our own IT specialist and we still outsource services from other companies which is very expensive in Papua. Companies there are still hesitant to hire their own IT specialists because they still haven’t realized how it can be beneficial for the organization in the long run. IT specialist have higher salary rates compared to other trades, which is another reason why companies prefer to outsource IT services whenever the need comes. In this personal experience of mine, I strongly encourage investing with IT because I know how difficult it is to work in a working environment where IT is not yet considered a necessity.

Information Technology has a very big role in most aspects of our lives. In other words, it answers most of Mankind problems. The importance of technology is aiming for comfort of use in whichever form it is. It always directs for easiness in life.


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