Changing The Mindset

Changing the mindset doesn’t necessarily mean changing the culture. It is a way of re-engineering one’s tacit knowledge and steering his explicit knowledge with a specific purpose.

Wanting to change the world is easy to say but overwhelming to think. An urgent call to change the society challenges the people from different walks of life. Resistance to change is often the response.

It is simple to set goals in the years ahead but most of the time it’s ideal. Hence, it’s an obstacle to implement.

It is pleasant to hear about financial savings presentation. What if all your hard-earned savings are needed to an emergency call like when someone in your family gets sick, or you get a high profile disease? Will you blame it to the government of no healthcare and medical insurance systems for its citizens?

What about financial innovation? In business, technological innovation needs a financial management planning. A country backed by strong research and development activities promises a future to its people. Technology must be seen as an investment, not misquoted as an expense. Therefore, spending in these activities is investing for tomorrow’s anticipation.

I again disagree to whoever says that Filipinos can’t save money because they spend too much on gadgets. This is not true. Not every home has a game console. Not all individuals own smartphones. Very few buy apps from iTunes and I will tell you why today’s idea of funding startup groups is not enough. From a CNN article I’ve read, Filipinos care more about the basic needs and shelter, and that’s just fine to understand. But health and security are also equally important. Health maintenance and insurances are supposed to be tackled too. Utility bills soar like an eagle. Bad example, I paid Meralco P17,900.00++ for my electricity from April to May. As compared to my sister’s bill in the U.S. with centralized aircon at $80.00 max, do you think it is still fun?

For some reasons, I sometimes prefer to travel alone. It validates my theories and analysis on how I see things. I look at every chance in a different perspective. I listen to people who have changed from bad to good status in life. I congratulate those who succeed after migrating from their beloved countries.

My blogs are practical for both impractical and practical people. It is based on my experiences. I may discern what will happen next. I may personally envision what will motivate me today. I don’t put a period in the end right away. I corroborate.

Yet, it is easy for many to sermon, to correct, or to condemn someone without imagining themselves in the same state. It is also easy to quote God and use biblical passages to provoke a war with someone popular who thinks otherwise. One time I realized that if all the contestants in the Q&A portion quote God in their answers, they think they will win because the judges and people will look at them as holy, as if they’re offering a “conscience sheet”.

Mindset, as a set of attitudes, is connected to the culture. Culture begins at home, indoctrinated in church, and can be changed by an outside environment.

On my Twitter wall I said that “change the mindset of the youth from being complacent and contented to being action-oriented and hungry for more challenge” after having an intellectual discussion in Afghan House restaurant in Sunnyvale, California with my classmate and friend who is a good family man and a successful engineer at a company in Silicon Valley.

I began validating my theory by asking him the following questions:

1. How does a mobile apps development company make money?
2. Why Apple outsources the development of their products to Asia, particularly China? (Surprisingly, the answer I know   is different from his and I thought mine is just a common explanation.).
3. Where do the geeks hang out in Silicon Valley?

I’m managing a company that’s into web and mobile apps development. My business partners and I exchange opinions about sports, technology trends, and case studies. I infuse social science and my very own version of business analysis. Being the most traveled and more exposed on winter, spring, summer, and fall, I also breathe about the hip and crappy fashion swags and fads. One time, I also raised the question why Filipino food is not included in the Asian Fusion cuisine. It’s an observation from my tour in New York and in Toronto. Later on, my question was answered. Thanks to Anthony Bourdain.

How does a mobile apps development company make money?

In the U.S., the development companies continue to create and innovate their mobile apps to catch up to the demands of the consumers or users. Classic examples are Angry Birds and Temple Run. After passing the maximum level of the trial version, the serious gamers who look for more challenges buy the upgrades. The gamers have the tendency to find out the next stage ahead will begin to quest for difficulties. The challenge to the apps developers is how to continually excite these gamers and apps users. The pressure to the apps gamers leans on buying more upgrades, which I think a $0.99 or more is not a big issue to a typical American. On the other hand, the stress to the developers is that the gamers learn too fast and the developers have to constantly amuse them.

The same thing goes with the Air Hockey on iPhone, which my former classmate is playing. Once you get addicted, you will look for more challenge. Therefore, you buy the upgrade versions. Imagine the Air Hockey is played by 18 to 25 years-old Americans and at least 75 percent of that bracket buy the upgrade versions. To include the older Air Hockey addicts who have more money to buy, the mobile app developer makes money. A certain percentage goes to Apple as a profit share.

What about in a country where people are addicted only to trial versions of different game apps? They just jump from one hyped game to another and maximize the trial version. The gamers of the same age bracket of this country do not spend (or the worst, settled with the trial version) like these Americans or other Asian countries like Japan and South Korea do. Maybe there’s a fear of the dollar sign.

How can you promote startups and produce local web/technopreneurs if the support from consuming online as an example is weak? How many 18-25 y.o. people from the country use credit cards or buy prepaid iTunes cards? The way to build is available and may be close to reality. But the line to progress is indefinite unless the mindset is changed. It will help open up new opportunities, generate innovation tasks, and tag the country to a world of techno-innovation and entrepreneurialism.

Why Apple outsources the development of their products to Asia, particularly China?

I know what everyone will answer when I ask this question. It’s the default answer of “because China labor is cheap”. Again, the absence of steering and re-engineering the mindset differentiates you from smarter rationale.

On the record, Apple needs more than 230,000 workers in a city to work on the iPhone global demand and the U.S. cannot provide the number of workers including the engineers. So, the manufacturing and development are outsourced to Asia, particularly in China.

Off the record, yes the U.S. cannot provide more than the required number of workers because only few are qualified. Probably, there are more technically skilled professionals in Asia who are qualified for such opportunities. And since the quota for migrant workers has been reduced due the government immigration policy, outsourcing the jobs outside is a solution. You’ll see that the demand outside is more than the availability inside. Education is expensive in the U.S. and taking engineering and science courses also require more time and dedication.

Many times I say that some of the most in-demand jobs in the present did not exist ten or fifteen years ago. If we are aware of the society behavior, business and technology trends, we can help change the mindset of the youth today. They may be taking up courses that will possibly become obsolete in a decade. Whoever will hold responsible of the uncertain future despite the available opportunities, must change their mindset. Many talk too much. Some preach the impractical and unrealistic encouragement. Sugar-coated stories do not reveal breakthroughs. The society needs more action-oriented leaders who believe in raising the standard of lives. The timeline to change the mindset may begin when you move forward while looking from the outside.

And where do the geeks hang out in Silicon Valley?

Of course, not in basketball courts. They hangout in coffee shops, bars and movie houses.