As we wrap up Hispanic Heritage month this #ClouderaLife Highlight options Elias Avila, senior employees proactive assist engineer for Cloudera. On this highlight, we speak about his profession in know-how and his philosophy for getting probably the most out of labor by way of satisfaction and development. We additionally speak about his upbringing within the primarily Mexican American group of Salinas, California, and the essential function Hispanics play in California’s Central Valley.
Working in Cloudera’s assist group
Elias Avila is a senior employees proactive assist engineer who works straight with Cloudera’s prospects. As a substitute of strictly addressing open assist instances, which is a extra conventional assist function, he works with prospects to have a look at the system traits particular to their product set up, and teaches them the right way to proactively analyze and validate their system for optimum use. “Cloudera has some incredible merchandise, just like the Cloudera Supervisor, that actually streamlines the set up course of,” Elias mentioned, as he went on to elucidate with pleasure the varied instruments and processes he makes use of.
“I’ve had some incredible managers at Cloudera who’ve helped me with my profession,” Elias mentioned, as he noticed working at Cloudera as placing a wholesome work/life steadiness whereas offering alternatives for progress. Elias has been with the corporate for 9 years; he got here to Cloudera from IBM the place he was a assist engineer and previous to {that a} software program developer.
I appreciated being a developer, however the work focuses on fixing a particular drawback. I like assist work much more as I get a way of the massive image and get to work collaboratively with the client,” he mentioned. “It’s very satisfying to work by way of and remedy their challenges.
His begin at Cloudera: how breaking your personal “data for closed assist instances” can translate to better job satisfaction.
About 4 years in the past Elias transitioned right into a proactive assist engineer function and stopped taking conventional assist instances. He holds the corporate report for probably the most instances closed! “After I first began at Cloudera I actually regarded as much as my new colleagues,” Elias mentioned. “I may see they have been gifted, whereas I felt fairly inexperienced as compared. So I made a aim for myself to take and shut extra instances than anybody on my workforce.” And he did!
What was Elias’ secret that stored him so motivated? A piece ethic that he has adopted most of his life: attempt to be one of the best at no matter you do. “What I used to inform my youngsters was that the important thing to being completely satisfied at your job is much less about what you might be doing and extra about how you conduct your self each day,” Elias mentioned. “Your job may pay minimal wage or be entry stage or senior stage. In any occasion, try to be higher than anybody else and you can be happy at your job.”
Loads of this consists of at all times considering proactively. “If you’re watching the clock all day that’s not a superb place to be,” he defined. “Beginning with the work you’re assigned is the precedence, however observe, ask questions, and communicate up the place you suppose issues ought to be improved.” This considering has led to Elias creating methods to hurry up the assist course of at Cloudera, like writing software program scripts that automate beforehand guide processes.
Whereas this attitude has given Elias better job satisfaction over time, it additionally has the constructive aspect impact of constructing one stand out at work, opening up new alternatives for development.
Early beginnings: an Hispanic heritage that formed Elias and actually fed the world
Elias grew up within the east aspect of Salinas, California, house to a big Mexican American and newly arrived Mexican immigrant group, lots of which discovered work within the huge agricultural heart of California’s Central Valley. Regardless of rising up in a low-income family, Elias witnessed the unrelenting work ethic of his mom, who labored backbreaking hours within the fields. “She labored arduous and was very proud,” Elias mentioned as he went on to speak about how she was a part of the employee’s motion led by Cesar Chavez who gained essential victories to boost pay and enhance working circumstances for farm staff within the late Sixties, 70s and 80s.
In Salinas there weren’t lots of alternatives. Throughout highschool, he performed on the soccer workforce, the place he realized about teamwork, self-discipline, and persistence. “I performed soccer throughout the season, after which monitor and discipline and wrestling throughout the off season to at all times be concerned in organized sports activities,” Elias mentioned.
Elias credit faculty sports activities as certainly one of his keys to escaping the cycle of poverty he noticed round him. “Whereas different youngsters have been out moving into bother, I used to be both in school, work, or workforce apply,” Elias mentioned. “Over time, my social circle was like-minded teammates that had a standard aim and stored me heading in the right direction.” Elias recalled one highschool buddy that got here from a well-to-do household as compared and had many alternatives handed to him. Elias didn’t have that luxurious and knew if he didn’t carry himself up, nobody would.
After highschool, Elias moved to Arizona to stick with household and to search out work. He additionally continued soccer with a semi-pro league for 3 seasons. He ultimately bought married and began his circle of relatives. This grew to become further motivation for a greater life, not only for himself, however now for his rising household.
He enrolled in group school and ultimately transferred to the College of Arizona whereas working full time at an influence provide firm in transport and receiving. There, he labored with some electrical engineers and thought that career could be a superb profession path. “I keep in mind not everybody was encouraging,” Elias mentioned. “I heard issues like, ‘Engineering is lots of math, it’s possible you’ll spend all that cash for college and never make it by way of.’ As a substitute of discouraging me, this grew to become a supply of motivation.”
Throughout his first yr in class, he took a required pc programming course. He had barely used a pc prior however was blown away by the facility to create applications and the probabilities therein. He fell in love with this space of research and even began to put in writing applications that helped his youngsters with their homework.
After that top quality he promptly modified his main from electrical engineering (nonetheless conserving it as a minor) to pc engineering. Since cash was tight again then he couldn’t afford to improve to the most recent and best house computer systems, so he taught himself the right way to exchange particular person parts. He started to be totally versed in each pc software program and {hardware}, launching a brand new profession for himself.
“Via all of this, I feel again to after I was 17 and would work within the fields of Salinas throughout the summer time,” Elias defined. “It was backbreaking work even at that age, and I feel it’s essential to acknowledge the contribution made by Hispanics that work these fields day-after-day.” Taken in its entirety, the Central Valley provides america with one quarter of the nation’s meals, together with 40% of the nation’s fruits, nuts, and different desk meals*. The realm additionally accounts for over 14% of all US meals exports*.
As we wrapped up the dialogue, Elias described the storage workshop the place he creates items out of wooden and steel for household and pals in his spare time. All the time desirous to study extra, he has change into a self-taught welder and machinist and has constructed or modified lots of his workshop instruments. “I get extra satisfaction out of utilizing instruments I create,” he mentioned. “I suppose I like determining higher methods to do issues out and in of labor.”
In closing, we need to thank Elias for telling his story and for his proactive work at Cloudera and past.
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