We’d like to welcome our newest delegate to the Tech Field Day community: Steven Cortez! Steven is a self-described “tech dork” and a lover of great food and dancing. He will be attending Tech Field Day 22 as a delegate this week and he took a few minutes to tell us a little about himself.
Check Steven out on Twitter @MSCProductions, on the Tech Field Day Website, or his website. Alright Steven, tell us a little bit about yourself!
How did you get into Technology and IT?
I was fascinated by Telecommunications which led to my first job at MCI before the merger. From there I was introduced to the power of Unix by installing via floppies Red Hat 5.1 “Manhattan” in order to learn enough to be remote hands for the AIX team. This became my new passion and spring-boarded my career as a linux administrator. The next two companies i worked for solidified my love for VMware, Linux and NetApp storage.
What are your biggest challenges?
With COVID-19 keeping my “extrovert battery” recharged has been an issue but with virtual meetups it has helped keeping connected with friends.
Where do you see IT going in the next 3-5 years?
Now that more folks are gaining access to high-speed low latency bandwidth, hybrid cloud computing and edge systems are going to be more important going forward.
What was your first computer? What was great about it? What is your go-to computer now?
My first official computer was a Pentium 100 with 8MB ram and a super-fast 19.2k modem. Today I do most of my work on a 2019 iMac Pro with an 8-core i9 and 64 GB ram.
How do you manage your work/life balance?
I use to not which was a huge issue and led to a massive burn out. This forced “break” from work has allowed me to reevaluate things and come up with a plan going forward when I do start to work again.
If you weren’t working in IT, what would you be doing instead?
Wow..this is a tough one. When I was younger things I was really interested in were biochem and structural engineering. But computers felt natural to me so that what I went with and was the best move overall.
What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies?
No real hobbies per se but when it was safe to go out, I use to love go out dancing. Being dancing all my life.
What are you most excited about seeing at the event?
To be honest, just being part of the TFD family is what I’m most excited for.
What is the coolest thing you’re working on right now?
Building out my YouTube studio.
Who inspires you?
My dad. He grew up with nothing worked super hard, saved up, bought his first tractor trailer. From there he expanded to having many truck drivers working for him. He taught me that working hard with a goal in mind and you will always do fine.
As a child, what did you want to do when you “grew up”?
Electrical Engineer. I use to take everything apart and put it back together just for fun. I ruined many stereos in my day.
What super hero movie character would you like to be and why?
As a tech dork I’d have to say Iron Man. Being able to build cool tech for the good of man kind would be awesome.
What is your favorite thing about what you do?
Helping customers with their issues. I was that guy behind the keyboard not too long ago so I know their pain. It feels good being able to help them figure out their digital journey and with the right tech, be able to spend more time at home with their families and not worrying about if the gear is doing.
If you won the lottery and could retire, what would you do with your time?
Eating great food with my family over the world.
Thanks for sharing Steven! When it’s safe again, we hope you’re able to get your dance on! For now, we’re just happy to have you joining the Tech Field Day community and participating as a delegate this week.
Now that you’ve had a chance to read a little about Steven, come to see him as a delegate at Tech Field Day 22, December 9th-11th!
