After spending a few minutes reading the Bible this morning, I decided to peruse LinkedIn for updates. One particular article seized my attention.

My background

Before delving into that article, a bit about my background may offer context. Growing up in a small town in the Philippines, I held a steadfast belief since childhood that my future would unfold in the United States, although the precise path remained uncertain.

I was in the midst of completing my four-year degree in early June of 1984 and working full-time for a prestigious 5-star hotel. My co-employee, a certified public accountant (CPA) who was scheduled to depart for the U.S. in three weeks to assume an accounting position on a cruise ship in Miami had a change of heart. This is the door to my dreams, I thought silently.

Within days, he introduced me to the recruiting agency and recommended me as his replacement, despite my lack of the necessary academic credentials. The urgency to fill the position within two weeks led the agency to appoint me, overlooking the educational shortfall.

In less than three weeks, I found myself on a huge 747 airplane bound for Miami, Florida. Due to staffing shortages in Miami, I was assigned to work on a cruise ship, navigating the Atlantic Ocean and visiting various European countries for three months! This experience gave me a vast insight about different cultures and various worldviews.

After a year, my journey led me to Indiana, marking a pivotal turn in my life. God continued to work within me over the next two decades, culminating in the establishment of what is now known as Faith Hope and Love Community. The ministry’s various outreach initiatives provided me with valuable experience, eventually leading to the role of not only teaching but also mobilizing hundreds of churches in central Indiana and central America. During this time, I developed several successful programs.

My goal of finishing my college degree

I have been wanting to finish my Bachelor’s Degree since I left the Philippines so I enrolled in a virtual university earning my Theology degree in April 2023. In less than a year, the FHL Academy of Leadership and Transformation came into existence!

Employment and education

Now, to the main topic I mentioned above which has direct correlation about the trend in corporate hiring and impacting people’s lives.

Based on the Census Bureau’s last count, about 62% of Americans over the age of 25 do not have a college degree.

The image below was taken from a LinkedIn article:

Percentage of Bachelor’s Degree

Those individuals were shut out of many jobs but in the past decade, many employers have changed their requirements. This short article about employed individuals who do not have a college degree also points the importance of education to provide with critical thinking, understanding oneself and self-motivation.

The employment trend

The FHL Academy of Leadership and Transformation embodies an idea whose time has arrived. As the article above indicated, there is a demand for affordable college degrees that emphasize critical thinking and real-life application. Furthermore, our academy offers an internship program that greatly improves the career placement prospects for our graduates. In addition to providing internships within the FHL Administrative offices and collaborating ministries, the academy also partners with selected companies willing to accept interns from the FHL Academy.

To learn more about the the role of experience and education, contact [email protected]

No, this is not about how to trim vines growing on your brick wall.

First of all, it’s a lot of work to have vines growing on your walls. However, it is pretty. My wife always tells me that we have the most gorgeous house in our little community. So, I have a mantra that I recite when trimming the vines… “I love my wife, I love my wife, I love my wife…” This is about life’s application based on simple practical reflection. During Spring, our Boston Ivy grows like the vine at Jack and the Beanstalk. Throughout the years, I have had to trim it at least 4 times! Yesterday, I decided to trim it for the 2nd time this year. I was very meticulous. Then, after I finished the entire trimming, I noticed a small vine that I missed!!

You can be so particular in details and miss the big picture. This is similar in life, we can be so into the nitty-gritty, and in the end, our wasted exhausting emotion was not necessary.

Let’s not go too extreme on this notion. Details are very important in life.

My message is Balance. We are imperfect people living in an imperfect world. It’s ok to be imperfectly perfect. There’s always room for improvement, learning, and acknowledging our humanity. It is more exciting to know that there are always new things to learn as we go through life being imperfect than assuming we have arrived at perfection.