OrgCom Practicum

We are the fisrt batch of OrgCom students in La Salle who will be having practicum. We had our practicum orientation last friday and I was very excited about it. I have been wanting to get myself exposed to the corporate world (like going to office and working like a professional). But i guess I would not experience that kind of practicum. Our practicum coordinator told us that our practicum should be something related to our thesis (which i think is a good idea) so that we can apply what we learn in practicum to our thesis. If you work in groups for your thesis, you will also do the practicum together. Our thesis is an awareness video for an organization which caters to the multiple handicapped kids. This means that we will have to do our practicum in a video production company, or the likes of it. I can imagine us working hands-on with the camera, and hopefully not making coffee for our boss. :D We want to see actual shooting of an organizational video, or even a commercial. When my thesis mates and I were talking about this, we were actually thinking of doing the practicum in ABS-CBN, because aside from seeing celebrities :D we also believe that ABS-CBN shows are really nice and we want to see how things are behind the camera.

One important tip I got from our practicum coordinator was that companies do not always look at the skills of the practicumer. Most of the time, they just want to see the attitude and working ethics of the person.

Pinay Power!

Perception of women in the Filipino context is usually based on culture. Pinays are often perceived as sensitive and emotional but I think Pinays also possess an inner strength because they are able to handle very well their feelings. Although Pinays find themselves in a male-dominated society, we are able to gradually achieve an equality in terms of opportunities. Before, women cannot go to school and are forced to stay home and perform house chores, because it was believed that women just exist to take care of the family. But later on, women were also granted the opportunity to go to formal schooling through the influence of the Americans. 

Women can now also go to work, and they can even perform tasks that are usually assigned to men such as being an engineer. Also, women can now vote and become involved in politics. A classic example is Cory Aquino who is the first woman president of the Philippines. This phenomenon commanded more respect for women. However, in the workplace, there still seems to be inequality. Usually, men can hold higher position in the organization while women are usually given secretarial position despite attaining equal education. Fortunately, there are companies who are now addressing this inequality through their human resource . Many women now hold managerial positions in companies. Another problem in the workplace is that more women are susceptible to sexual harassment, but there are republic acts that address this problem in order to protect both men and women.

It is good that men and women are given equal opportunities. Women can achieve their full potential and be actors for societal change. 

proud to be orgcomm student

during my first year i college, i was confused about my course. i did not know what it was all about. i was thinking whether this is the right course for me for it was only my second choice. i was okay with any course as long as it deals with communication. i thought orgcomm is artsy like commarts. when i start taking up my majors, i realized its difference with commarts. aside from comunication theories, writing, and research methods, we also do production stuff such as video and photography that is why it is enjoyable. 

i realized that people from our field contribute a lot in organization in taking its shape. it helps the organization to have an effective internal and external communication processes. communication is important in all organizations, but the challenge is how to manage these processes to achieve the goals of the organization. orgcomm also helps the organization in building up a good reputation to its external stakeholders through public relations. the field of orgcomm also comprises managing the changes that the organization goes through. orgcom practitioners may also serve as consultants for organization to conduct organizational development interventions when it aims to create change.

i believe that as of now, there are only few orgcomm practitioners in the country. i am proud to say that in the near future, i would finally become one of them, and be able to offer my skills to help organizations achieve their goals. i hope that as the years go by, the field will become recognized as a vital part of societal and even economical development. =)