Few days that last for 20 yrs: Tale of Pinoy’s feat in Dubai

Jijie Zablan, an industrial engineering graduate, came to the United Arab Emirates 20 years ago as a tourist, upon the invitation of her friend to spend a few days there. Little did she know that the “few days" would wind up to a full 20 years. She had been to countries like the US before coming to the UAE. But life in Dubai has charmed her so much that she decided to stay. “Back then there was talk of free zones, large airports and the like," she said. “Large tracts of land in Dubai and Sharjah were barren," she added. Zablan, who is now the Systems and Training Director of the Dubai-based professional training company Great Minds Network, recalls with amusement, how she was once declined the job of a secretary because she was “over-qualified", considering her engineering background. “No one believed I am an engineer. That’s probably because I was too young then. So I started as a secretary for a structural engineering company," she said. As a secretary, she tried to share her knowledge in computers with anyone interested to learn. “I didn’t know that this is what I really wanted to do," she added. Soon, an opportunity to prove her engineering skills came. “While my boss was on an overseas business assignment, a manager in our company wanted a calculation report, which I volunteered to prepare. After that, the company offered me a job in the Engineering department," she said. That stint, however, was not to last long. Her longing for an IT-related job gave her reason to leave the company. She took up the job of a sales executive with a Sharjah-based computer firm. There she came up a winner with her marketing strategy. She offered to provide computer training to companies ordering computers from their firm. The strategy became a big hit, making her a marketing “star." What is her recipe for success? “First and foremost, you must have a clear goal in life," she siad. An entrepreneur, Zablan founded the Zablan Information Systems in 2000. The company now provides IT training to UAE companies. Her company was part of the initial IT training organized by Etisalat during the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2000, where 100 people were simultaneously trained to surf the Internet and to use e-mail. As for her passion for community work, Zablan has set up the Filipino Computer Club in the UAE, which provides free computer training to Filipinos from various walks of life. She has also been involved in the Emiratisation programme. “As a training provider, I always make it a point to take any opportunity where I can train UAE nationals. I see this as a way of giving back something to this country that has given me so much," she said. -- By Criselda E. Diala, Khaleej Times