Refocus team: the cool people behind our products.

Community managers are responsible for building the community, fostering communication among students in chat rooms and during workshops, and handling organizational issues. They motivate, support, and look after students.?

Students can reach out to them about anything, whether they want to cry, just chat, or ask for help in finding materials.?

We interviewed Eunice Gabrielle Paciain, and she shared what she likes about her job, what she thinks the future of education will be, and what advice she can give to anyone who wants to start a new career.?

Please tell us your name and your position. Tell us about your work at Refocus.?

I’m Eunice, or EG as most of my colleagues call me, and I’m a Community Manager for the Data Analyst course here at Refocus! I spend most of my time talking to students and assisting them with whatever concerns or questions they have about the course. We make sure that the community is a safe space for them to learn and connect with other people and that their path to being a Data Analyst will be a smooth one!

What do you like most about your job?

I work from home – which means I got to spend more time with my family, especially my baby! And having a nurturing company to work for, where there are only healthy competitions and no politics, and they make sure that we are not overworked and that we have work-life balance. Also, as a CM, I get to talk to new people from different parts of the country and the world! Isn’t that awesome?!

Why did you apply at Refocus? What do you like about the company?

It’s one of the first high-tech e-learning platforms in the country, and they always stay true to their words, may it be about the course or about students getting a high-paying job. It was built by established professionals, so it really offers a high level of learning – which I think is what Filipinos need to advance globally right now. Also, aside from the permanent WFH setting, they are very nurturing and supportive of their employees’ and students’ career growth.

What do you think the state of education will be in 100 years?

Well, I really think that classrooms would be less important, and learning will be more accessible to all. Of course, this doesn't mean that learning itself will become less relevant. But the actual (physical) classroom is less vital towards creating a learning environment. And we’re taking part in that innovation now as we're maximizing advances in distance learning technology. We have students from different parts of the PH and the world, all accessing the same materials and learning great stuff online. It may be in a more high-end tech in the coming decade, and we might not be there when that time comes, but at least we can say that we took part in bringing this endeavor forward.

What are the most common difficulties that students encounter? How do you help resolve them?

I often encounter students having work schedule or time management problems. Of course, most of them are working full-time, and they can only do so much after their shifts. But that’s also what makes Refocus different from other e-learning platforms – they put so much consideration on these people’s statuses, which is why we offer self-paced learning. And it’s also why we take pride in the type of community we have – always ready to help and assist each other.

Tell us your favorite story about a student.

Just recently, I had one of the most emotional phone calls of my life with one of the students I handle. I called to check on her progress as I’ve seen that it’s been a while since she has logged in to our learning platform. It turns out that this student lost her job and does not know what to do next now. She lives alone, not having any person to talk to about these things that happened to her.

But I know that she is brave and that she just needed time to breathe and recalibrate her goals! She said that she really wants to get back to learning the course but I know that she has to take it easy. What I suggested is for her to take a short break to think. I even sent her job hunting sites just to help her get back up on her feet. She was really thankful for the time we talked, and we came up with a quick plan for what she can do next. Now, she’s looking for a job and in a few weeks time, she’ll be back to learning the course, pushing towards being a certified Data Analyst.

Sometimes, even if we don’t intend to make an impact on other people’s lives, we make it happen. And that’s one of the things I love about being a CM.

What advice would you give those who want to start a new career but are afraid to?

JUST JUMP IN! You’ll never know what you can do unless you try. Every person has so many things to know more about, and the learning continues every day. So don’t be shy to ask others questions because one way or another, you’ll learn from them the same way that they’ll be able to learn something from you. Also, I have 3 things that I keep in mind that would come handy in whatever situation we’ll go through – humility, kindness, and self-discipline. These will take you far!