Coming from a background where he dealt with the complexities of developing for the government, into a bumpy transition within the organization, Kevin emerged as a team MVP and is today one of the coding rockstars that make up the foundation of a successful organization.
Who is Kevin? And what is your role in the company?
I am a proud turrialbeño (from a country town), I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up since I was 5 years old. I studied in a school where there were no computers, so when I got to high school my first assignment using a PC did not really go well.
I am happy I made the decision to pursue this career, I had chosen when I was a kid what continues to be not only my bread and butter, but my philosophy of life.
How long have you been with Oceans? What was your first impression?
I have been in the company for over a year now. What is interesting is I started in the company in a somewhat difficult transition process (the company underwent an organizational shift just as I was getting incorporated) but I was determined and gave Oceans my vote of confidence inspired by the honesty I saw on its people.
I was eager for a new opportunity, a change of pace, and to renew myself. Since then I have had the opportunity to grow both professionally and personally, I have learned to take advantage of my time, discipline, I have gotten to know myself and my professional skills better, and even demand more of myself.
What is it like to work at Oceans?
It boils down to being able to set daily goals.
It’s about getting up, getting ready, sitting down to work, and setting a goal, the goal of the day may seem huge–such as putting a system into production–or small, such as solving that problem that appeared in the system the night before and that the client needs worked out immediately.
All those kinds of goals mark the day to day in Oceans, but it’s always rewarding because of how pleasant it is to have one’s own space and feel supported, despite the physical distance between one another, which never really feels like an obstacle.
It’s about rewriting yourself, taking advantage of technology, giving your best. At the end of the day it always feels like you were able to learn something new and you end up satisfied and happy. The day at Oceans is not a work schedule, it is meeting goals.
Tell us about one thing you are proud to have accomplished at Oceans
The most gratifying aspect has been seeing how my work has allowed me to get close to our client and even the clients of our client, our clients trusts me and often give me their vote of confidence without hesitation. And that means a lot to me because despite the cultural differences and the limited physical interaction and space to meet each other, at the end of the day that trust creates a pleasant environment to work in.
Many cool things have happened to me, a specific experience goes back to when I started in Oceans, in a project that I knew nothing about, and the whole client team was supposed to leave in seven days. So I had seven days to learn everything I could and then develop practically by myself, starting a rough migration. A year later, the project was considered a success and I was the expert in the system, the interaction with the guys from the team was great, I had the opportunity to be a team leader and, eventually, get to see the release day. For a developer, seeing all that work become a reality and receiving the appreciation from the client is an amazing experience.
We’ve had many more successful releases since then.
What is your main motivation on a day-to-day basis?
Since I was a child, my mother always taught me that in order to see change, I had to be a change agent. I have always wanted to stand out, not because of self-centeredness, but because of a desire to drive positive change, standing out through actions and word instead of words.
I wanted to be the best at school, wanted the same while I was in college, but eventually learned that beyond being the best at what I did, I had to try to my best-self as a person. At this point in my life definitely being a better person, being happy, and bringing change at work are my motivation.
What are your career expectations?
I want to continue specializing and at some point, leverage all my background to serve for greater achievements. I love developing code, but I would like to take a break from developing at some point in the future to work in architecture. Technology is a field that never ends, updates are constant, the environment is challenging, but being able to keep learning is exciting.
What do you enjoy most about working remotely?
Working 100% remotely brought me many benefits, it has reduced a lot of stress, it has saved me a lot of time, I have been able to enjoy time with my family, and the maturity it takes to be able to work like this has created really interesting and enjoyable team dynamics. It creates room for professional and personal growth.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
I split my time into lots of different activities, from having coffee or a barbecue with my in-laws, or helping my grandfather look after the cattle at the farm, to going out riding a motorcycle or just sitting down in the afternoon to have a glass of wine and chat with my mother, these are all part of the things I like to do.
Kevin is one of the many colleagues that brings his best self to work every day, whose contributions are appreciated by everyone in the team.
Want to pursue a career at Oceans? Visit our careers page to see our open roles.
