Meet Technologist: Ernesto Gonzalez

Describe yourself in 3 words:

Spontaneous — I’ve always been good at developing ideas or solutions quickly. Of course, they are not always the right solutions, but it is a virtue that helps a lot when I am on a tight deadline.

Altruistic — I like helping other people. I try to go above and beyond when someone asks me for help, even if that means taking away time for myself. When someone comes at me with a problem, I won’t rest until it is solved if such a problem is attainable.

Chill — Although many things make me nervous, I am mostly chill about everything. The last time I was furious at anything or anyone was over ten years ago (some kid stole my only ruler and never gave it back😆).

Why did you join Strategio’s Simulator?

Strategio’s simulator provides an excellent opportunity to advance in my career. As someone who is just starting in the world of software development, Strategio is a great jump from where I was. It is an opportunity to make new connections, acquire fundamental knowledge, and practice cloud technologies and modern development methodologies.

What were you doing before you joined Strategio?

Before I joined Strategio, I was and still am working as a web development mentor. It is the kind of side hustle that allows me to help other people who are just starting, solidify certain concepts, and even learn new things I might not have been aware of before. For instance, a couple of weeks ago, thanks to an issue a student was having with a project involving random numbers, I realized that the Javascript function Math.random()is not inclusive of 1; it returns a number between 0 and 0.999… This is the kind of thing you do not pay much attention to until you need to use it.

What are you most excited about this year?

This year I am most excited about having the chance to get my first full-time job in the tech industry. Achieving such a goal would set me up for the next ten years since it would be the first domino of a million dominoes leading to a domino effect.

What made you decide to get into tech?

When I was younger, my uncle used to bring computers home for repair, and I always liked watching him repair the computers. My family couldn’t afford a computer back then, but I still wanted one. It was not until I turned 12 years old that I got my first computer. Immediately after I got it, I started playing around with it and became obsessed. This obsession continued until my first year of high school, when I stopped having much time to use the computer.

My passion got reignited by my senior year of high school. That year I was given the opportunity to take a limited number of classes at the local community college. Most of the courses on the list did not catch my attention. Only one did, and that was Intro to C++. This class introduced me to programming, and I absolutely loved it. It was at this point that my journey in tech began.

What do you like to do during your spare time?

In my spare time, I like watching YouTube and catching up on the latest videos and news. I also like playing single-player strategy games from time to time. I used to enjoy online games, but because of work and school, it is not worth spending time on them since there will always be some kind of interruption, and you know… I would have to bend the laws of time to pause an online game.

What is your favorite cultural value at Strategio?

My favorite cultural value at Strategio is “Continuously learn.” This is something I’ve been doing over the last two years. I’ve been continuously learning independently and trying to think outside the box to solve particular problems. I love that Strategio shares the same value as my persona.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would like to go to the Philippines. My girlfriend is from there, and she has told me really amazing stories about the places she has been to over there. I am especially amazed by the beaches. Many of the ones I’ve seen in pictures are so clean, and the water is so crystal clear in some of them as well. Best of all, they don’t seem to have that big of an issue with red tides (I may be biased). I am originally from Cuba, and I remember seeing beaches like those from the Philippines when I was a kid; however, when I revisited Cuba in 2019, those same beaches looked awful and even worse with the red tides. In essence, going to the Philippines would allow me to relive those moments from when I was a kid and, for a moment, bring some peace of mind.

What’s your favorite restaurant?

My absolute favorite restaurant in Miami is Kimbop Korean Restaurant. I love their food, and it is absolutely delicious. I especially love their steak bulgogi and white rice dish. Having lived in Spain, when I moved here, the meat was not so good compared to Spain’s. This all changed when I tried steak bulgogi for the first time. I felt like I had been transported to another land full of joy and flavors.

What are you looking forward to learning/gaining during the Strategio Simulator?

The end! I hope you had a good read. Comment if you liked it, and follow for more!