Katie Mcky

 

 

The ultimate alchemists power the computer science sector. Once upon a time, alchemists vainly strived to transmute base metals, like dull lead and iron, to glittering silver and gold. Nowadays, the computer science sector does something far more amazing, transmuting base silicon, the second most abundant element in the Earth by weight, into the electronic wonders that power our world and connect us all. Six Degrees of Separation told us that we’re all six relationships away from everyone in the world. In truth, thanks to the ultimate alchemists, we’re really seconds away from nearly everyone and everything.

 

FINDING THE BEST SOLTUION AT MITRE

 

Sandra Tirado-Padilla, lead network and distributed systems engineer for the MITRE Corporation, does work that is essential for the nation’s security.

 

“I am a program manager and systems engineer in support of the intelligence community,” Tirado- Padilla notes. “We work on the toughest problems facing the U.S. government and we need people with in-depth expertise and drive to solve them.”

 

However, being a nonprofit, Bedford, MA-based MITRE has latitude not enjoyed by many companies in this sector.

 

“The fact that MITRE is a non-profit allows us to concentrate on what needs to be done to solve a problem, not what is most convenient or lucrative to the company,” says Tirado-Padillo. “It gives us a certain freedom in our decision making, takes the imperative of making money from the equation so we can concentrate solely on choosing the best solution.”

 

Seeking the best silicon solution has been Tirado- Padilla’s pursuit for a long time.

 

“I have loved working and playing on computers since I can remember,” she recalls. “I had the rare opportunity to take programming classes in BASIC, starting in fourth grade until sixth grade. I fell in love with it. I studied computer engineering with a concentration of software because I truly enjoy the creative process, as well as the challenge of making something new from scratch.”

 

Of course, there were challenges.

 

“I completed my master’s degree while working full-time at MITRE. It was a very hectic time since I was putting in long hours, in some cases weekends, and still had to make it to class and be able to complete my homework. Time management was huge for me, as well as being able to prioritize what needed to be done. It was not easy, but it was definitely worth it,” she says.

 

As Tirado-Padilla’s hard work was worth it, MITRE considers its diverse employees worthy of recognition.

 

“MITRE has made great strides to be a diverse and inclusive company. It has close relationships with multiple minority universities, such as the University of Puerto Rico from which we recruit both interns and full-time employees. The company hosts multiple events through the year that highlight different groups, such as women in engineering, Hispanics, Asian-pacific, African-Americans, and others.”

 

THE RISING STAR OF JUNIPER NETWORKS

 

Juniper Networks, founded less than 20 years, is a rising star, with 9,000 employees today. Ernesto Ramirez, vice president of human resources, is one of those employees. Based in Sunnyvale, CA, Ramirez likes Juniper Networks nimbleness.

 

“I love our ability, as a company, to adapt and change within a fast-paced and highly competitive industry,” Ramirez acknowledges. “It is amazing how quickly and nimbly we can do this.”

 

He attributes the company’s nimbleness to his colleagues.

 

“The employees are the ones who make this company successful,” he says. “I sincerely enjoy the interaction and partnership I have with everyone I work with at Juniper Networks. They embody integrity, initiative, authenticity, a sense of humor, and a sense of community.”

 

Ramirez believes that community is key even if you’re still in school.

 

“I urge students to Network, Network, Network,” he says. “Get out and attend conferences. Join professional organizations. Meet professionals in the field you are interested in and pick their brains. You will be amazed at how many people are happy to help those starting out in the professional world.”

 

When it comes to plucking the fine fruit of networking, Ramirez speaks from experience.

 

“I didn’t know how to get started because I really didn’t know anyone in the human resources field,” he explains. “I felt like I was never going to get the opportunity because I didn’t have the experience. But, I gave it a shot and I attended a Networking Group for Hispanic professionals in Silicon Valley. I met a few HR professionals who were looking to fill entry-level positions, and they interviewed me on the spot. Again, many people are willing to help. Making the connection is where it starts.”

 

A quarter century later, Ramirez finds himself in the perfect place.

 

“High-tech and Silicon Valley are the center of the universe as far as I am concerned. We develop and deliver products that are improving, changing, and evolving the lives of people around the world. I chose this profession and this place because I want to be part of that. I have worked at five high-tech companies in Silicon Valley over the last 25 years, and Juniper is the one place where I continue to learn new things on a daily basis. Juniper provides world-class training and development for its employees. The Valley is a very competitive environment, so it makes sense for companies to keep their employees on the leading edge of technology and education. Juniper Networks is the one company that makes it part of their DNA to do just that.”

 

WORKING HARD AND PLAYING HARD AT NVIDIA CORPORATION:

 

As director of corporate communications, Hector Martinez not only speaks for NVIDIA Corporation, but also connects with many of its 8,000 employees. Being connected to so many has taught Martinez an essential, universal lesson.

 

Listen and you’ll do your job better. Trust that your colleagues are giving 100% as you are and trust that everyone will contribute to the team. Trust them to break away here and there, as might do their best work away from the collaboration for a bit. When someone offers an idea, it’s not a sign of disrespect. They’re trying to do their best and help you to do your best,” he says.

 

Martinez practiced what he preaches when he faced one of his greatest challenges.

 

“I was asked to look at our newsroom and rethink it,” he explains. “How could it be better? That was a daunting task. It’s like redesigning the front of your house. I had to analyze it from many different perspectives, such as customers. I relied upon our resources. I made use of the smartest people in the world, the ones who work here. I trusted them. The newsroom wasn’t their area of expertise, but brainpower bridged to this area. I relied upon my colleagues.”

 

Martinez also urges students to hit their marks.

 

“Be respectful too, such as being prompt to a meeting.”

 

Listening, trusting, and respecting have put Martinez in the finest place he’s ever been.

 

“I’ve been doing this for seven years and I love it here. My career spans about 20 years, but this is the most fun I’ve ever had and this is the freest I’ve ever been to be myself.”

 

Located in Santa Clara, CA, the global technology firm doesn’t keep the fun to itself, as it pioneered visual computing, the art and science of computer graphics. Enjoy CGI movies and video games? Thank NVIDIA. However, NVIDIA isn’t all fun and games, as its work also encompasses medical diagnosis and scientific research.

 

“Anywhere you see an image, we’re there, Martinez explains. “You’ll see yourself manifested in many different areas. Even walking across a bridge, that bridge was somehow rendered or designed using our technology. The infotainment system in an automobile is powered by NVIDIA.”

 

NVIDIA’s breadth and depth are largely due to its diverse workforce.

 

“I love that our workforce is diverse,” says Martinez. “We span many different cultures and everyone is respectful of those cultures. We bring different perspectives and ideas and that makes us better.”

 

Your cultural differences can serve you at NVIDIA.

 

“What’s most rewarding is my background and culture, how I was raised, has made me an incredibly valuable individual at NVIDIA,” Martinez states. “Be true to yourself. You are unique, and corporations will value those unique aspects. Finding the right fit is incredibly important because you’ll be accepted and make a difference.”

 

LASER-FOCUSED ON MAKING CUSTOMERS HAPPY AT INTUIT

 

Today, Luis Felipe Sanchez, is the director, worldwide QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program for Intuit, but his computer science career once stalled.

 

“After working for JP Morgan on Wall Street right out of college, I moved to the West Coast to work for a dot-com startup, Chipshot.com,” explains Sanchez. “It was an absolutely wonderful experience where I got to work with my close college friends building a company. However, I realized about a year into my experience in my first start-up that I didn’t have enough hard skills and that many of my colleagues didn’t either. I realized that I could spend the rest of my career in the Bay Area jumping from start-up to start-up, but that I wasn’t going to be fulfilled. Chipshot.com went from being a high-flying start-up to a bankrupt company within six months and I knew that I had to make a change. I applied to business school because I needed to enrich myself educationally and professionally, and I started at Harvard Business School right about one year after I made that decision. It was one of the best decisions of my life, but it was definitely the result of a hard and scary situation. Tough situations bring out the best in us, although we only realize that months or sometimes years later.”

 

Now one of 8,000 Intuit employees around the world, Sanchez is proud to work in a place where the customer is king. Company headquarters are in Mountain View, CA.

 

“We share the belief that our customer is always king,” he says. “All of us are laser-focused on making our customers happier every day. We never stop testing, iterating, testing again and iterating again. It’s a wonderfully humbling thing to know that no matter how hard you work on making your products and services better, there is always a way to improve.

 

If you too want to work in a place where continual improvement is the norm, Sanchez tenders some advice.

 

“First and foremost, we look for individuals who share our values:

 

‘Be Bold, Be Passionate, Be Decisive, Learn Fast, Win Together, and Deliver Awesome.’ In short, we are looking for team players who want to help small businesses and the professionals who advise them be successful and grow,” he says.

 

Sanchez also has advice for finding the right corporate fit in the computer science sector.

 

“Finding the right employer is like finding the right partner,” Sanchez notes. “It’s always a two-way street. You should be excited to work for them, and they should be equally as excited to have you. During my career, I have worked for six companies, and I am now realizing that my best experiences with employers have been the result of comfortable, non-stressful recruiting processes. Finding the right employer for you shouldn’t feel like hard work. If you find yourself stressing out too much in the middle of an interview, take a breather and ask yourself if this is an opportunity worth following. My experience says that it may lead to short-term employment, but not a successful long-term relationship.”

 

RIDING THE BIG TECH WAVE AT INTEL

 

Elsa Garcia, a UX and system engineer for Intel, is like a surfer riding the edge of the biggest wave, except Garcia’s wave goes on and on.

 

“I enable exciting tablets with the latest Intel technologies to deliver great user experiences, so working at Intel is fun and challenging,” she says. “Imagine you are working on products and technologies every day that will not be available to consumers for two or three years out (longer, in some cases). Being able to help to shape how technologies work and, more importantly, how customers will consume them is a great feeling.”

 

One of 100,000 employees, Garcia has some advice for others who might want to ride the Intel wave. The company is based in Santa Clara, CA.

 

“Aside from the obvious in the technical career path, some of the traits that Intel looks for are disciplined, detail-oriented, out-of-the-box thinkers, individuals who don’t follow the status quo,” Garcia explains. “With deliverables and timelines always being pulled in, looking for better and more efficient ways of doing business is the key to success.”

 

Of course, riding the big wave can be scary.

 

“One of the exciting and scary times in my career at Intel was when I moved from the Wireless Group to the Graphics Group. Though I did have the experience in what it took to get a product out the door, my familiarity and experience in graphics was only from a consumer perspective. As I began to transition to my new group, I looked for opportunities within the company where I could engage in graphics testing to get hands-on experience, particularly in debugging. It was challenging but focusing on short-term goals and continuing to build on that helped me ramp up and contribute to the team quickly,” she says.

 

And Garcia urges minority students to join her one day.

 

“I think it is surprising that there are still few minorities in technical roles here,” she says. “I see that changing, but I’d love to see it happen at a faster rate. Across the tech industry, we need awareness of the technical careers that are available for those who are still undecided in which career path to pursue. Additionally, we all must provide guidance and be role models to those already following a technical career path.”

 

And it’s never too late to switch and ride the big tech wave.

 

“Interestingly, I was pursuing a medical career at first,” Garcia says. “However, I quickly realized that certain things made me queasy so I looked for something else. I knew I liked working on computers and decided to explore it further. After taking a couple of computer classes from Intro to Computers to Visual Basic programming, I was hooked! From that moment, I knew I found my passion I never looked back.”

 

EMPOWERED TO DO GREAT THINGS AT SALESFORCE.COM

 

Maria Martinez, president, sales & customer success for salesforce.com, a global cloud computing company, believes in working to make dreams reality.

 

“Set high expectations for yourself and believe that you can achieve your goals. Don’t let anyone else tell you what you can and cannot do,” she asserts.

 

She also believes that more women would serve this sector well.

 

“I am genuinely passionate about women in technology,” says Martinez. “Throughout the years I’ve spent a lot of time visiting schools and working with different organizations to encourage girls and women to pursue technical careers. I think it’s important for me and women in general to take responsibility and encourage girls to pursue degrees in technology.”

 

Martinez was nudged into this sector by a professor in high school, who encouraged her to take on engineering because she liked math and science. “I’ve stayed in touch with him throughout the years,” she says. “Without him, I would not have pursued a career in technology.”

 

Her career has put her at a company she loves.

 

“I think that salesforce.com has an amazing vision for the future of enterprise IT, a future that companies need to embrace to be competitive and win,” Martinez says. “And I really like that my team gets to work closely with customers who are doing amazing work transforming and innovating their businesses. I’m fortunate in that I get to work with such passionate people who are creating great products at an amazing company.”

 

If you want to be one of her 14,000 colleagues working for this San Francisco-headquartered firm, Martinez has some advice.

 

“At salesforce.com we look for people that are passionate about customer success, love to learn, have a hands-on approach, act with a sense of urgency, are great collaborators, and are passionate about giving back to their community.”

 

Also, reach out for diverse perspectives.

 

“I think it’s important for students to be confident and not be afraid to reach out to people who will offer different perspectives about what’s important and valuable,” she says.