The VA Collective

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 $3/𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭?

Recently, 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐝 shared a LinkedIn post that deeply resonated throughout the Filipino remote work community.

He called out clients and agencies offering $3/hour to skilled Filipino agents, labeling it not as a bargain—but as a red f̳l̳a̳g̳ ̳f̳o̳r̳ ̳e̳x̳p̳l̳o̳i̳t̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳ ̳a̳n̳d̳ ̳u̳n̳d̳e̳r̳v̳a̳l̳u̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳.̳

As a full-blooded Filipino professional, this hits even harder. My VA journey started back in 2010 at exactly this rate. It’s now 2025, and it’s disheartening to see that after more than a decade—despite global recognition of Filipino skill—𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓲𝓮𝓼 (𝓫𝓸𝓽𝓱 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓕𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓸 𝓸𝔀𝓷𝓮𝓭) 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼 still feel justified in offering such low compensation. 😢

Schoenfeld’s post points out the dangers of normalizing these rates:
- $3/hour,
- fixed Onsite only
- Emotionally draining campaigns

All framed as “𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔.”

But the real tragedy? These jobs still get filled—reinforcing the false narrative that Filipino talent is cheap, interchangeable, and not worth what global peers earn.

>>𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐕𝐀 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 2025>𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬>𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

THE GROUND JUST SHIFTED: IS THE PHILIPPINES READY TO MOVE?

On September 12 in Athens, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis issued a wake-up call that should rattle every educator, policymaker, and parent:

"Learning how to learn" is the only truly future-proof skill.

He's not exaggerating. As AI accelerates past human benchmarks in writing, coding, creativity, and reasoning, traditional education systems, especially in countries like the Philippines, are falling dangerously behind.

What's at Risk? Everything.

The idea that you can study one profession, master a narrow set of skills, and stay employed for life? It's dead. Hassabis warns that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could arrive within the decade. Whether that's optimistic or not, what's already clear is that AI is evolving faster than most people can keep up.

That's why "static skills" like memorizing formulas, definitions, and frameworks no longer guarantee relevance. In some cases, they may even be a liability if they prevent someone from adapting fast enough.

What Is Meta-Learning?

If we want to keep up or even contribute to the future being built, we need meta-learners.

Meta-learning is the ability to:
• Learn something new efficiently.
• Unlearn obsolete habits or ideas, and
• Relearn with better strategies.

It's not a buzzword. It's based on solid research in cognitive science and educational psychology, built around these core elements:

• Metacognition: Being aware of your own thought process.
• Self-regulation: Planning, goal-setting, and reflecting.
• Transfer: Applying knowledge across different contexts.
• Growth mindset: Believing your abilities are not fixed.

Countries like Singapore, Finland, and Estonia are already building meta-learning into their education models. Their students don't just memorize-they question, create, reflect, and adapt.

Meanwhile in the Philippines...

We're still asking students to:
• Sit quietly for hours.
• Memorize and recite facts.
• Choose the "correct" answer.
• Fear failure instead of learning from it.

This is a system designed for predictability and control, not adaptability and creativity. It worked for a world of factory jobs and clerical work. That world is gone.

Ask any college graduate in the Philippines today: How much of what they memorized in school actually prepared them for today's job market-or for tools like ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, or Notion AI?

The disconnect is real. And dangerous.

What Needs to Change — Immediately

If the Philippines wants to participate in and not just consume the AI-powered future, systemic change in education is non-negotiable. Here's what we need to start doing right now:

1. Make meta-learning a national education priority. It should be part of the DepEd and CHED frameworks. This means curricula must include self-assessment, metacognitive exercises, and explicit teaching of learning strategies from elementary to college.

2. Retrain teachers as learning coaches. Teachers should shift from being content deliverers to facilitators of inquiry. That means more training in coaching, feedback, and reflective thinking-not just subject expertise.

3. Redesign classrooms for
real-world problem-solving. This
includes project-based learning,
design thinking challenges,
simulations, and cross-disciplinary
work. These develop collaboration,
creativity, and resilience-not just
content recall.

4. Build a culture where mistakes
are part of mastery. Right now,
students are punished for failure.
That's backwards. Mistakes are
how we grow. Classrooms should
model iterative learning: try > fail > reflect > improve.

5. Align assessments with thinking,
not recall. If our grading system
only rewards memorization, we'll
never escape the old model. We
need tools and rubrics that assess
reasoning, self-awareness, and
transfer of knowledge.

🎯 Why Meta-Learners Win in
the Age of AI

Meta-learners can:
• Learn new software in days.
• Shift industries without starting
from zero.
• Adapt when their field gets
disrupted (again).

They're not afraid of being left
behind-because they've mastered
how to catch up.

This is the kind of Filipino talent
we need to nurture. Workers who
don't just use AI tools-but who are
ready to retool themselves every
time the world changes.

And it will keep changing.

? The Big Question

Are we ready to stop pretending our education system still works?

The students are ready. The
teachers are willing. The challenge is leadership-and urgency.

If you're a policymaker: push
for curriculum redesign. If
you're a teacher: experiment with
metacognitive strategies in your
classroom. If you're a student or
parent: ask better questions than
"What grade did you get?"

Start asking:

• "What did you learn about how
you learn?"

• "What strategy did you try when
you got stuck?"

• "What feedback helped you
improve this week?"

Those are 21st-century questions.

We are not preparing for the
future. We are already late. But
meta-learning gives us a way to
catch up-and stay in the game.

So: what are you doing to teach or
practice "learning how to learn"?

Let's build a future where Filipino
learners don't just adapt-they
lead.

The SELF-EDUCATED EMPLOYEE : REDEFINING WORKPLACE VALUE

According to LinkedIn's 2023 Workplace Learning Report, 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development. Yet increasingly, the most valuable learning isn't happening in formal training rooms—it's occurring in the quiet hours after work, driven by curiosity rather than compliance.

I've spent the last decade building a career without traditional credentials in my field. No tech degree, no marketing MBA. Instead, I've become an e-commerce specialist and marketing manager through deliberate self-education: late nights dissecting successful campaigns, experimenting with SEO strategies, and learning from failures that no textbook could have prepared me for.

This path taught me something crucial: the most adaptable employees aren't necessarily those with the most impressive diplomas, but those who've mastered the art of continuous learning.

THR COMPETITIVE EDGE OF SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING

Self-educated employees bring distinct advantages that formal education, while valuable, doesn't always cultivate:

Rapid adaptability. When TikTok emerged as a marketing platform, universities were still teaching Facebook strategies from 2018. Self-learners were already experimenting with short-form video content, understanding its nuances through practice rather than theory.

Intrinsic motivation. Research from MIT's Sloan School shows that internally motivated learning leads to 40% better retention than mandatory training. When someone chooses to study behavioral psychology to improve their management style, that knowledge becomes deeply integrated because it stems from genuine interest.

Cross-pollination of ideas. Some of today's most innovative solutions come from unexpected intersections. The Spotify algorithm wasn't just created by music theorists—it required insights from data science, psychology, and user experience design. Self-learners naturally develop this interdisciplinary thinking.

Meta-learning skills. Perhaps most importantly, self-educators develop the ability to learn how to learn. This creates resilience when facing unfamiliar challenges and builds the problem-solving muscles that no single degree can provide.

THE REALITY CHECK

Self-education isn't without limitations. It can create knowledge gaps—I've seen brilliant self-taught developers struggle with computer science fundamentals that would have been covered in their first semester. There's also the risk of developing blind spots without peer review or structured curricula to guide learning priorities.

Certain fields rightfully require formal credentials. I wouldn't want a self-taught surgeon or a lawyer who learned from YouTube videos. The key is recognizing where self-education complements formal training rather than replacing it entirely.

WHAT ORGANIZATIONS MISS

Companies often overlook their most valuable assets because they don't appear on resumes. The marketing coordinator who taught herself Python and now automates reporting tasks. The customer service representative who studied negotiation techniques and dramatically improved client retention rates. The project manager who learned data visualization and transformed how teams communicate progress.

Forward-thinking organizations are beginning to recognize this hidden talent. Google's certificate programs now carry weight equivalent to four-year degrees for many positions. Amazon's Career Choice program pays 95% of tuition for in-demand fields, recognizing that skills matter more than sources.

BUILDING LEARNING - CENTRIC CULTURES

For leaders looking to harness this potential, the approach requires intentional strategy:

Audit hidden skills regularly. During performance reviews, ask what employees are learning independently. You might discover your accountant has been studying UX design or your sales rep has become proficient in data analysis.

Create learning pathways. Provide resources and time for exploration. Microsoft's "One Week" program allows employees to work on passion projects, leading to innovations like Kinect and PowerBI.

Reward curiosity over credentials. Promote based on demonstrated ability and growth mindset, not just formal qualifications.

Foster knowledge sharing. Lunch-and-learns led by self-taught employees can spread valuable skills across teams while recognizing their expertise.

THE INDIVIDUAL IMPERATIVE

For employees, self-education represents both opportunity and responsibility. The key is approaching it strategically:

Start with skills adjacent to your current role, then expand. Build learning habits that compound—even 30 minutes daily creates significant expertise over time. Seek feedback to avoid developing bad habits or missing crucial foundations.

Most importantly, document your learning journey. Create portfolios, write about your projects, contribute to open-source initiatives. Make your self-directed education visible and valuable to others.

THE FUTURE OF WORKPLACE LEARNING

We're witnessing a fundamental shift in how value is created and recognized in the workplace. The half-life of learned skills continues to shrink—what you knew five years ago may be largely irrelevant today. In this environment, the ability to continuously acquire new knowledge becomes more valuable than any static qualification.

This doesn't diminish the importance of formal education, which provides crucial foundations, critical thinking frameworks, and credentialing for essential fields. Rather, it suggests that the most successful professionals will be those who combine formal learning with ongoing self-directed development.

The employees thriving in tomorrow's workplace won't be those who stopped learning after graduation—they'll be those who made learning a lifelong practice. They understand that in a rapidly evolving world, intellectual curiosity isn't just a nice-to-have trait; it's a survival skill.

The revolution isn't about choosing between degrees and self-education. It's about creating a culture where continuous learning—regardless of its source—is recognized, rewarded, and celebrated as the competitive advantage it truly is.

High performers don't wait for the boss to train them.
They train themselves everyday.

You are Stronger than You Think - keep going!

Every small step forward
is a step toward greatness!

Embrace the new day with hope and positivity!

14 Years and Still Radiant ✨

The bridal industry is ever-evolving—but one thing that hasn't changed is my commitment to excellence.

I’ve had the joy of working with Radiant Bride for over 8 years—and with their sister business for 6 more before that. That’s 14 years of partnership built on trust, creativity, and consistent delivery.

In an industry where trends shift every season, their continued confidence in my work means everything. And I never take that lightly.

💍 Whether it’s creating time-sensitive content, managing digital tasks, or making sure each asset reflects the premium quality they stand for—I always ask myself:

"If I were the client, would I be satisfied with this? Would I pay myself this rate for this output?"

Because mediocrity has no place in my work.

Because every delivery still matters.

Because their happiness after all these years is still my #1 priority.

That's the heart of a true . That’s the standard of a committed .

You don’t stay 14+ years with a brand like Radiant Bride CLE unless you bring more than just skill—you bring heart, hustle, and the habit of excellence.

Here’s to more years of radiant collaboration. 🤍

14 Years and Still Radiant ✨

The bridal industry is ever-evolving—but one thing that hasn't changed is my commitment to excellence.

Radiant Bride has been my client for over 14 years. Fourteen. 🥰 In an industry where trends shift every season, their trust in me has never wavered.💪 And I don’t take that lightly. 🥰

💍 Whether it’s creating time-sensitive content, managing digital tasks, or making sure each asset reflects the premium quality they stand for—I always ask myself:

"If I were the client, would I be satisfied with this? Would I pay myself this rate for this output?"

Because mediocrity has no place in my work.
Because every delivery still matters.
Because their happiness after all these years is still my #1 priority.

That's the heart of a true .

That’s the standard of a committed .

You don’t stay 14+ years with a brand like Radiant Bride CLE unless you bring more than just skill—you bring heart, hustle, and the habit of excellence.

Here’s to more years of radiant collaboration. 🤍