Here is something I wrote for the MSTW Newsletter Editorial (December Edition). Thanks to Moli for doing the final proof reading and editing for me! Enjoy the reading!

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在目前競爭激烈的社會中，面臨全球化的環境，我們到底該怎麼樣準備自己或是引導我們的下一代在這樣一個扁平化的世界中拔得頭籌。相信不管是XY年代的年輕人或是社會新鮮人士，走過的路差異度都不大；從幼稚園、小學到國中，接著為了升學而努力地考取高中與大學，不管是規規矩矩、跌跌撞撞、或快快樂樂地讀完了大學之後 ，又開始得為了所謂的 “競爭力”，繼續往研究所邁進，或是為找工作衝刺。但是，當大家都走在一條沒有太多差別的路時，我們卻活在一個需要差異化的競爭環境中，文憑這玩意兒，到底能讓你加分多少？

 

從企業的角度來看，文憑、成績與學校表現並不是一個最好的衡量方式，只是往往應屆畢業生唯一拿得出的憑證就是這些東西。在現實的社會裡，你現有技能以及未來可被開發的潛力，相較之下，必定更能吸引企業的關注。而技能與潛能並沒有辦法從一張畢業證書或是一份完整的歷年成績單看出來。學生時代的作業、專題、論文，與業界的案子相較之下，規模都顯得小多了，很多實務上的考量會因為既有的限制，常被刻意忽略，使得在應用層面上處處受限。學校則因為其他學程的壓力，也比較不容易傳授企業裡團隊開發與管理的經驗。學校所給的教育偏向普及教育，會盡量提供所有學生等量的資源，讓學生素質一致，使得具備與眾不同能力與潛能的學生因而被埋沒了。

 

台灣在扁平化後的世界裡，正慢慢的被邊緣化中，在一個連日本人都已接受 MADE IN CHINA 的世界中，製造業已不再是我們的強項，高科技製造業為台灣帶來的收益雖高，但利潤卻大幅滑落。全球化的環境裡，最大的風險就在於 “沒有COPY不走的東西”，而且只是時間早晚的問題。不管未來台灣要往哪裡走，一個很重要的發展方向，就是培養出具有創意的人。只有創意可以讓台灣永保優勢。唯有不斷創新，才能讓我們一直產出有別人需要COPY的東西！

 

創新的養成，來自於鼓勵小孩多發現問題並提出解決方法。傳統的教育裡，教小孩怎樣算數，用考試來衡量小朋友解決問題的能力。但在Z世代裡，更須要能夠發現問題的才能。路由器因為Len Bosack 和 Sandy Lerner 在史丹佛大學裡談戀愛時覺得跨宿舍溝通很不方便而誕生、搜尋引擎因為網路上資訊太多太難找而產生、Google 收尋引擎因為佩奇(Page)與布林(Brin)發現當時收尋的方法沒有辦法找到他要找的資料而問世、Lisa因為 Steve Jobs 發現個人電腦沒有圖形介面不好用而誕生、Visual Basic 因為Bill Gates 發現寫程式如果有圖形介面的幫助可以大大提升產能。因為一個問題的產生，學界有數不完的理論，因為找到了問題所在，業界更有數不清的產品而誕生。更重要的是，諾貝爾得獎的理論，往往都是幫助解決對人類有深刻影響的問題，市面上賣得好的產品，更是能夠真正解決人類生活上問題的東西！

 

基於希望幫助現有教育環境解決不易提供企業經驗的問題，微軟推出了”潛能創意盃” (Imagine Cup)。微軟潛能創意盃會在每年推出一個與人類息息相關的問題領域，希望透過延伸現有的教學環境，鼓勵並挑戰學生發現生活中的問題，利用科技提出創新的解決方法。從實做中去體驗一個具有規模，有實際應用面，並能拿來解決問題的科技專案是如何被實現的。透過與國內與國外的好手互相競爭，提升自己的技能並發現自己的潛能。透過全球決賽，能夠與國外參賽者交流，並拓展國際觀與人際網路。相信潛能創意盃會是一個學生走向業界很好的跳板，更是一個難得的經驗，讓你在應徵時，有一個讓企業刮目相看的成就！

 

詳情請參考: http://www.microsoft.com/taiwan/imaginecup

 

 

 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  (LUKE 12:34 )

"What you value most is your treasure.  Where you spend your time and your money is your treasure.  Whatever dominates your conversation is what you treasure. What others know you for is a good indication of what your treasure is." --Blackaby Daily Devotion

Prioritizing is often the first homework a freshman ought to finish. Take this assignment for overnight; one might be able to come up with a fabulous work coupled with a flawless justification. Yet to really garner a high score at this homework, one needs to get to know oneself a little bit more. It is through reflection and probably some soul-seeking that one can really say I have found the purpose of my life. It also takes a little check-up every so often to see if you were true to yourself, or you simply wanted a high score.

Everyone has their own treasures to pursue. Big or small, whatever or whoever that is, at any given time, don’t lose sight on Him. Don’t be too hard on yourself too! Take some time out for Him and for yourself. One more day before the weekend, TGFS -- thank God for Saturday and Sabbath as well!

Take care!

 

There are no early meetings, no early conference call, nor an early flight to catch today. Yet I woke up really early.Weird.

Didn't really sleep early last night. Weird.

As I try to ponder upon this weirdness, kinda felt that I miseed something last week (counting Sunday as the last day  of the week here). Missing as in... wasn't able to do something. Then again what is that.... don't really know what's nudging.... Ah, what the heck!

 

Hope this week is exciting!

Dad finally learned how to access the web and write emails. With that, he wrote me something really sweet today. I was really touched. It's about something very trivial, but still! I wonder was it because he wrote in English or it's just because he really miseed me. In any case, the letter made my day and I can't wait to see him and mom on Wednesday!