Welcome to The Tek Ten, a new series where we dive into the lives and stories of our team to help readers get to know Tek Experts employees — ten questions at a time.
Our first spotlight is on Serguei Esquivel Seredin, a valued member of the Tek Experts team in Costa Rica. Serguei is on the verge of completing the Tek Experts LevelUP program, which is our global program that prepares our operations and business enablement talent for their first managerial roles.
Meet Serguei Esquivel Seredin
Serguei is a valued member of the Tek Experts team in Costa Rica, focusing on OpenText support. He will finish the Tek Experts LevelUP program in the coming weeks, which is our global program that prepares our operations and business enablement talent for their first managerial roles. Although, this will certainly not be the end of his journey of learning. After all, his number one question for himself is “Who can I be next?!”
1. How would you describe your job to a child?
“I’m the MacGyver/or Philias and Herb of the real world, creating clever and new complex solutions for people’s issues”.
2. What led you to your current role?
I was intrigued by the prospect of tackling new challenges and the most significant one at that time was the fact that I had never worked in the English language; my experience was solely in Spanish across Latin America. This prompted me to search for a role that would introduce me to this challenge. Stumbling upon an article in the newspaper about the Cinde Job Fair, I promptly uploaded my resume and soon received a call from Tek personnel. The rest is history.
3. Who or what inspires you most?
My grandfather and my father are both engineers. My grandfather was born in World War II, in Nazi-occupied Ukraine. My father was born in the middle of banana crops here in Costa Rica. Both fought against the circumstances to get their diplomas and support their families. That always inspired me.
4. What is your favorite thing about working at Tek?
“It is a well-balanced mix of freedom, opportunities, and smart work”.
5. What is your proudest achievement at Tek so far?
Having the opportunity to deliver a training in Rwanda about technical and non-technical topics. Putting myself in the position of working and living in a completely different latitude and culture, I was able to successfully complete my agenda, and at the same time learn from their culture and share our culture as well. I feel success growing as a person more so than as an engineer.
6. What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
Film photography. In 2006 I started my journey as a learner — experimenting, reading books, studying theory about color, composition, psychology, and other stuff. In 2018 I traded my digital equipment for old-school (‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s) gear, again experimenting and practicing to teach myself. If you’re curious, check out my IG @sesquivels. I describe myself as an old-fashioned street photographer.
7. How do your passions or interests outside of Tek help you in your job?
Easy answer! On a daily basis, my job is all about numbers, strategies, and technical challenges. Photography is my opportunity to be creative in other ways, like how to represent 2D image concepts like loneliness, sadness, opportunity, family, pride, or joy without even one word. That is a completely different aspect of creativity. That makes me feel alive.
8. What one piece of advice would you give someone just starting at Tek?
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Take every day as an opportunity to learn something, and record what you’ve learned in a journal or log. Keep track of everything, from technical challenges and achievements to details about people and customers who’ve made an impression on you. This includes situations you’ve managed well and others when you’ve made mistakes. Every little detail, every little step, will be your teacher and help with your path to building a name in this industry“.
9. What is your favorite place you’ve ever visited?
The cozy old town of Valladolid, Mexico, has a special place in my heart because it’s where I proposed to my wife, right in front of the main church there.
10. What superpower do you wish you had (in your personal life and your professional life)?
I’ve always wished for more than 24 hours in a day, and the ability to freeze time would solve that issue for me! It would grant me more precious moments with my family and the chance to pause time before my mom’s passing…just to spend more time with her and say a proper goodbye. Professionally, it would make deadlines easier!
An Inspiration to Others:
Serguei’s story is one of embracing challenges, nurturing creativity, and fostering a love for lifelong learning. We invite you to stay tuned for more profiles in The Tek Ten series. Like Serguei’s, each story promises to inspire, motivate, and remind us of the remarkable people who make Tek Experts the exceptional community it is.
