Life of Range: A Perspective Entering a Field of Endless Opportunities

April 14, 2023

John Cañero

A discovering of how I perceive the life embracing range and exploring curiosities.

Range

Exploring

April 2023

As I write this, I want to share how I look upon life as a continuous and lifelong learning process. From a young age, I developed the idea when people would ask me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I have clearly overview of what I wanted to be.

This question has stayed with me over the years, causing me to ponder the conventional and straightforward path of staying within a specific field for the rest of my life.

I realized I was wrong.

Traditional Path

Questions like this always stimulate my thinking, and without hesitation, I always answer that my first choice would be "Architecture," followed by "Civil Engineering." As far as I can recall, during my early elementary school days, I drew a 3D house design on a piece of paper as a birthday present for my father.

The drawing featured a door in the center of the facade and two windows symmetrically aligned between the doors. It makes me wonder I believe this would be my dream career.

This experience led me to make a decision about the path and field I wanted to pursue. I became extremely enthusiastic about showcasing my sketches and designs of houses because of the way I perceived how careers were achieved.

The idea of creating spaces for people and bringing them happiness was very appealing to me. From my teenage years onward, I spent almost every day sketching and designing houses on paper, proudly displaying them on the walls of my cabinet. My family was grateful and proud of my passion for this field.

From Junior High School to Senior High School, my classmates observed that I had a passion for sketching and designing houses, and I was often seen as a nerd who was addicted to this activity. This hobby ultimately led me to pursue a career as an architect in the field as related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

University

When I started my university studies in Architecture, I was a highly motivated and goal-oriented student who was deeply invested in my academic work, especially in designing plates and drawings. However, I sometimes became so absorbed in my studies that I neglected my relationships with classmates and even my family.

I eventually realized that this approach may not be sustainable in the long run, as focusing too much on my studies could negatively impact my personal life.

I was this student who is really 100% passionate on the field of Architecture that many people see me not enjoying life. I believe they were right.

When the COVID pandemic hit, I was feeling a sense of sadness in my life as I was solely focused on my career path and designing plates. There was a point that I feel stuck that I do not know if the career path I am taking would lead me to happy, contentment and prosperous life.

I had a desire to expand my knowledge beyond my field of study and explore new things. As a result, I tried various activities such as investing, building a social media presence, expressing myself through meaningful drawings and lines, vlogging, and other similar endeavors. In short, I wanted to broaden my horizons and diversify my interests.

Crossing Borders

My curiosities came over when I was exploring and reading threads on Reddit on /phcareers. I have come to realize that the field of Architecture in the Philippines offers relatively low salaries ever since I am readding posts of the reddit people.

Initially, I was primarily focused on the financial aspect and concerned that there may be limited opportunities for growth and advancement. I also noticed that the amount of compensation does not necessarily correspond with the level of work being performed by employees in this field.

As a result, I came to the realization that I needed to improve my skill set and acquire new knowledge. I felt it was necessary to have a backup plan that could serve as a safety net in case things did not go well in my career in Architecture.

After some contemplation, I dedicated time to learning about technology and pursuing a side career as a developer, with a focus on building frontend websites and full-stack applications while taking up my Senior year in Architecture at this time. This decision opened up many opportunities for me. In particular, I am grateful for the course I purchased in March 2022, which greatly accelerated my learning and has motivated me to continue on a path of continuous growth and development.

I was thrilled.


Life of Range

Looking back at my journey as a creator, despite the heavy workload and stressful deadlines that come with being a student in the field of Architecture, I was able to balance and discover my true passions.

There was this feeling that I want to get better. I want to learn new skills. I want to build something useful and valuable. I want to create more impact. From vlogging, visualizing and towards leaning into a tech and developing something on the web and internet.

It has been a journey of exploration, as I continue to seek out what works best for me. I am constantly amazed by the process and the discoveries I have made along the way.

Whenever I start a project, I would always remember the quote and design philosophy I use: "The role of architecture is to design spaces for people and making them happy." This quote really helped me a lot and would continuously help me a lot when designing and building stuffs.

The headline "Life of Range" represents my personal journey of exploration. While my path may not conform to traditional norms, I am committed to living a life full of adventure and exciting experiences. By acquiring a diverse range of skills, I am able to make a positive impact and improve the lives of others.

To the reader of this blog, I hope you get something from it and I would always believe on YOU. We would always do it and let's believe and build something that is worth to tell a story.


"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend." - Bruce Lee