Speaker: Azael Flores, Technical Instructor
Introduce yourself! What is your role and how long have you been with ACI Learning?
Azael Flores: Oh, hello. I didn't see you there but hi, I'm Azael. I'm an Instructor/Mentor for ACI, I've been in the company for nearly 2 years now.
Tell us about your professional journey.
Azael Flores: Well, it's been quite a professional journey, you know, going from pharmacy to real estate, back to pharmacy, to culinary, to IT, and medical research. Eventually I found my way into IT again. Yeah. So ACI Learning, and it's definitely been a journey. Lots and lots of learning but because I've had so many careers, I can definitely look at problems a little bit differently. I can look at a problem from many different angles. I was like, oh, I've seen something like this before in my past, something that people don't really experience but it's like, 'oh, here's the answer' Here it is. So, currently I've been working on my cloud computing degree from WGU, I'm about to complete it. I have a few classes left very close, very, very close. I should have it by end of 2023. I do get obsessed with learning. I read a lot of books. I collect certifications like I'm collecting mints. So, hey, I can definitely help you learn all kinds of things.
What is your favorite thing about the IT industry?
Azael Flores: My favorite thing about the IT industry. That's a great question. Well, something that happens in this industry is that there's always more to learn. Even if you've been in this field for years, things are changing by the day if they're not changing by the hour. There's always more and more stuff, more new stuff. So you're to be the avant-garde of IT here, especially if you get into cybersecurity. It's like, wow. Yeah, there's always new attacks, new attacks. But hey, if you're defending against them, you better know your stuff and you'll be really, really valuable.
What has been the most valuable lesson you have learned from your education?
Azael Flores: The most valuable lesson I've learned from education. Well, you definitely get out of it what you put in. So if you can put in say 1,000 hours worth of learning in a single year, hey, after 10 years you become an expert according to Malcolm Gladwell. In this book, Outliers, we said experts have 10,000 hours of practice, of conscious practice in a field. So, hey, if you want to become an expert, there's plenty of things you can learn out there.
What's something you want students to know about you?
Azael Flores: What's something I want my students to know about me. Oh, yes. So, my social security number is...
What advice would you give to students starting out in the IT industry?
Azael Flores: What advice would I give to students starting out in the IT industry? It's a fun question. So, something to consider you don't have to be Mr. Robot from that TV show to make it in this field. We need people from all kinds of backgrounds. If you've previously worked in business, hey, maybe there's some IT staff out there that needs your leadership. If you're a project manager, yeah, we need to focus on this one thing, and so you might not know every single detail about what you're currently doing, but you know how to lead people into completing the project. So no matter what background you have, I think you'll find a place in IT that will be really fruitful.
