Neang Sreyny: SWITCH SEA helped me improve my knowledge
I became very interested when I saw a post on social media about the SWITCH SEA Project, so I checked out the website and decided to lodge an application.
After I joined SWITCH SEA, I learned a lot of things from all its members and mentors. Most importantly of all, I improved my knowledge by taking supported courses. Thank you so much to the SWITCH SEA team and all the sponsors, for accepting my application.
It was after I joined the SWITCH SEA project that I started to change my habits and really improve. There were many key changes:
- I participated in training and had new experiences and more commitment to achieving my goals
- I became brave enough to talk in public to share knowledge and experiences with others
- I made a plan for my studies and did more research in my course
- I was able to take the course I previously wanted to take, and it really improved my current job
I’m really excited that had a chance to join the SWITCH SEA Project.
Ratanaktepi (Tepi) Chhor: A year of personal growth
I was initially contacted via email to submit an expression of interest by our national coordinator, and I subsequently followed the application process.
The opportunity to boost my skills under the guidance of leadership and technical mentors were really useful for improving my understanding of the topic. With support from SWITCH SEA, I was enrolled in three courses: APNIC Policy development, Cybersecurity, and Cloud+. I was also part of two mentoring programs: leadership mentoring and technical mentoring. These provided me with a good foundation for personal and professional development. Additionally, we were also subscribed to the AnitaB platform.
I was actually thinking of pivoting to learning a more technical understanding of my field. The SWITCH SEA project provided timely support and a push to improve and upgrade my technical skills, which I might otherwise not have done. Building on this, the opportunity to take a technical course and receive mentorship provided me with more confidence to pursue better prospects in my workplace. Though I am unsure of the opportunities yet, participation in the project has also provided me with tangible evidence to showcase to my manager that I have the commitment to learn and improve.
All in all, though I may not have taken full advantage of the opportunity provided by the APNIC Foundation this year, I am confident to say that this experience has further consolidated the mindset and belief of growing personal and community engagement, both for professional and personal growth.
I believe that the mindset of lifelong learning and continual engagement with the community will help me go further in my career. Though they have yet to manifest in tangible outcomes, I strongly believe that coming to the end of my one year journey with APNIC is only the beginning of many more opportunities ahead.
Sophearum Yun: Improving my management and leadership skills
I received information about the SWITCH SEA project from the head of my department. I then submitted an expression of interest and was interviewed about my interests, reasons for project participation and how I got the information. I was then offered an opportunity to join the project. Participation in the project brought me many benefits. The training fees were sponsored for online courses such as:
- Project Management (PMP)
- Effective Communication Skills
- Leadership and Team development
- Risk Management
- Change Management
- Basics of Project Management
In addition, I participated in free APNIC courses and webinars such as:
- Internet Resource Management Course
- Introduction of Cyber Security
- IPv6 Fundamentals
- Policy Development Process
- Routing Fundamentals
I also received mentoring opportunities, such as an AnitaB account and mentoring sessions. Plus, there was a welcome gift from the project. I gained new friends who all work at different places. We can discuss and share feedback, and talk about our experiences and what we are facing. At the end, I feel very happy that I participated in the SWITCH SEA Project because this project offered sponsorship for training courses, offered materials, ideas and feedback. I was given the opportunity to meet many people from different industries. I hope that I can participate in other projects. SWITCH SEA provided me with positive changes in both my professional and personal life. I would like to say thank you so much to the project team who supported us.
Lida Bien: A chance to improve my technical knowledge
My manager nominated me for a spot in the project, and it proved to be a great chance to improve my technical knowledge.
I learned a lot from the courses I took in SWITCH SEA.
I took courses in hardware, software and security concepts. I also focused on server and network knowledge. Together they all really helped me with network security techniques, which I have been able to apply well at my workplace.
The project also provided us with many mentorship opportunities. We were able to ask mentors if we had any questions.
The AnitaB membership also really helped us to understand these issues and provided useful background knowledge for the lessons.
