In the business world of technology, Technical Specialists are essential to the technical needs of businesses! For all of a business’s technical needs, Technical Specialists are there to support their business, solve complex problems, and offer efficient solutions. In this month’s employee feature, I sit down with Fernando. Fernando is a Technical Specialist at AlphaKOR and has been a member of our team for three years!
In this insightful interview with Fernando, we gain career insight into what the average day of a Technical Specialist looks like, the skills that are essential to the role, advice for those looking to obtain a career as a Technical Specialist, and more! Meet Fernando…
What drew you to the Technical Specialist position?
The field of Information Technology (IT) captured my interest because of the fun challenges that exist on a daily basis! Working as a Technical Specialist would allow me to directly work on these challenges.
What educational background did you need to secure this role?
I graduated from St. Clair College with a diploma in Computer Systems Technology – Networking and then completed a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Windsor.
What does the average day look like for you in your role?
The average day for me as Technical Specialist, from a high-level overview, generally looks like:
- Organizing my calendar and tickets based on priority
- Monitoring multiple email inboxes
- Contacting clients to assist them with their needs
- Before finalizing my day, I do a walk-through of the clients on-site to make sure their needs were fixed.
Did you work in the IT industry prior to working at AlphaKOR?
Prior to working at AlphaKOR, I did not work in the IT industry – except for troubleshooting my family or friends workstations or printers.
What is it like working for a Managed Service Provider (MSP)?
Working for an MSP is amazing! The nature of working for a MPS brings about new tasks every day, always making my days interesting! I currently focus on a fully-managed client, meaning I am working onsite with them every day.
What skillset is critical to your job?
As an MSP Technical Specialist, I would say that critical thinking and problem solving would be the main assets to my job.
What key qualities do you think a strong Technical Specialist possesses?
I believe shadowing your co-workers to learn from them, patience, good communication and asking A LOT of questions are the key qualities of a Technical Specialist.
What is the most exciting part about being a Technical Specialist?
For me, learning has been the most exciting part of being a Technical Specialist. I love the opportunities I get to troubleshoot a variety of issues and succeed.
What is the least exciting part of your job?
The least exciting part of my job would be taking notes and closing tickets on the same day that was scheduled.
How do you hope to grow in your field of work?
Within my field of work, I hope to move up to the Projects Team to fully focus on networking and VM Host.
What have you learned at AlphaKOR that has helped you grow on a personal level?
At AlphaKOR, I have learned not to be afraid to ask questions. In order to self-grow, asking questions is the main action that has helped me grow since working at AlphaKOR.
If you could choose one superpower, what would it be and why?
If I could choose a superpower, it would be Flash. Being able to read fast, and solve everything at a fast pace would let me finish my tasks faster. The goal would be to have more time later on in the day, haha!
For someone who would like to obtain a position as a Technical Specialist, what advice would you give to them?
The advice I would give to an aspiring Technical Specialist would be “don’t overthink yourself or else you will burn yourself out quickly”. Also, “learn as much as you can while being onsite or asking questions to your co-workers”!
Careers In Business Technology
Are you an energetic and passionate IT professional who thrives on providing excellent service to both clients and fellow staff? If so, we want AlphaKOR to be the place you want to work. We want you to love your job. Because when you love your job, you’ll do great things. Come and do great things with us! To view our current openings, please visit our Career Opportunities page.