The Entrepreneur Series – Jenielyn Padernal, Global EdTech Director of CYPHER LEARNING, USA

“In this life, we need the patience to grow, work hard to make things happen, keep going when things get tough and be brave enough to take the risk and live without the thoughts of what-ifs and what could have been had I tried.”

Jenielyn Padernal as she shares her story in this generation.

Jenielyn Padernal has more than 20 years of experience as an educational administrator and 12 years of experience as an instructor. She is responsible for developing EdTech centres worldwide and designing online courses, resources, and webinars so that users experience the full functionality of learning platforms.

CYPHER LEARNING provides a catered solution for each use case on the market, whether you’re looking to teach students, facilitate employee onboarding, or sell online courses.

Can you tell us what made you decide to enter this field?

I started my journey as an office assistant at a university in the Philippines for 11 years. Then I got my master’s and took a huge risk of switching my career as a teacher in the same department and university. The switch meant losing all my benefits as a tenured non-teaching staff. The decision was difficult since a failure as a teacher will surely make me lose both jobs. But with firm determination and willpower, I took a leap of faith and became a full-time tenured university instructor three years later, from then I stayed 20 years at the university.

Then later on, I was also able to establish two additional departments: The CYPHER LEARNING Academy Division (CLAD) and Digital Asset Research Team (D.A.R.T) with the support of our CEO, Graham Glass and VP of Sales, Yuri Rangel.

I have always believed that every opportunity is a Blessing and that there is growth when we take risks and try new things outside our comfort zone.

When calamities happen, classes are always suspended, and back in the day, that meant a day lost in learning. This is when the birth of my advocacy for Disaster-Proof Education happened. Knowing that technology integration with education can enable teaching and learning anytime and anywhere and provide learners with access to learning materials and content, even outside of the four walls of the classroom has been my biggest inspiration, and one of the reasons why I am now in the field of EdTech.

What inspired you to be in this field?

I live in the Philippines, and the Philippines is a disaster-prone country. When calamities happen, classes are always suspended, and back in the days, that means a day lost in learning. This is when the birth of my advocacy for Disaster-Proof Education happened. Knowing that technology when integrated with education can make teaching and learning anytime and anywhere and provide learners with access to learning materials and content, even outside of the four walls of the classroom has been my biggest inspiration why I am now in the field of EdTech. I am able to reach out to more teachers, more learners and share with them the benefits and positive impact of integrating education and technology. EdTech creates limitless possibilities, border-less education.

I love teaching, I am very passionate about education and technology. I started as a volunteer teacher at the university where I used to teach.

I dream of seeing every child, every learner, every teacher get access to education, anytime, anywhere.

What do you do to make sure that you are thriving in your profession?

I never stop learning. I love listening and learning from people who know better than me. I put passion and hard work into everything that I do in my job. But more importantly, I always think of the impact our company has on the world of education, on learners and teachers. Never stop learning and love what you do.

How do you scale up your skills considering the challenges in your field?

I take every opportunity to learn. I always try to find ways to learn and develop my skills. I take trainings whenever I can, I attend workshops, conferences and I listen to people who know a lot in the field.

Despite the time your profession requires, how do you manage to balance work, life, and your health?

This is a good question! I manage a global team, different time zones, and I must admit that schedules can sometimes be a little bit tricky as I need to stay connected with my team in different parts of the world. I would be very honest, in the past years, I even worked during weekends. There were times before, when the year would end, and I will realize that I haven’t even used up even a day in my annual leave or time off. I even work late at nights (well I still do), however, I just realized that having a “me time” and a time for family is just as important as my job. Health is even more important.

So now, I don’t work on weekends anymore. I spend my weekends with family, whether out of town or just having BBQ at home or having movie nights on weekends, as long I spend time with them is what is important. I take days off now as needed, I take vacations from time to time. I don’t compromise my weekends anymore. I just need to be firm about it that weekend is either “me time” or “family time” otherwise, it will not happen. Life is short. and it is meant to be enjoyed as much as we enjoy our work.

What do you love about your job?

A lot. I love being able to share what I have learned from others with educators and trainers worldwide. I love being able to share how education and technology can make Education Disaster-Proof. My job allows me to learn new things as well about the power that technology can bring to the world of education and business organization, and being able to share that with others is just amazing. I love the people I work with. I have amazing colleagues in CYPHER LEARNING. I love how CYPHER LEARNING’s platform is able to empower educators and learners worldwide.

What do you enjoy doing as past time?

I love 4×4 vehicles. I have 4×4 Jimny which I take off-roading as a past time. I love road trips and camping and going to the beach with my husband. I bake whenever I have time.

What advice can you give to new entrepreneurs/professionals?

In this life, we need the patience to grow, work hard to make things happen, keep going when things get tough and be brave enough to take the risk and live without the thoughts of what-ifs and what could have been had I tried. To be successful and achieve our goals, we must be brave, be a go-getter, have patience, work hard and persevere.

I am a 4-feet 11-inches woman, too short? In terms of height, maybe, but whenever I enter a room to speak or deliver a presentation, I don’t feel small, I feel tall, I walk tall.

 

What have you learned from the latest HASH Innovation Asia Summit 2022?

HASH Innovation has been an awesome event, an excellent platform and place where brilliant minds from various disciplines meet and share their knowledge and learnings with people who are hungry for it. The showcase of the latest trends in technology, education, and innovation is beneficial not only to those who want to start a new business venture but even to those who have been in the industry for a while now. I love the variety of topics and areas of discipline that have been covered in the HASH Innovation Summit.

Check out CYPHER LEARNING here.

 

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