spotlight | February
Ernesto Alvarez
Software Architect
This month's recommendations from Ernesto are:
Movie
Superman
1978 | R | 2h 35min
Music
Ernesto Alvarez is one of our first team members at Mayan Technologies, he has over 15 years of experience working in software development and is one of the most talented persons we have had the privilege to work with. What better way to kick off this new year than shedding light on one of our top performers?
As our Software Architect, Ernesto creates technical blueprints and creates code to build our customers exactly what they need to help their business thrive. His management and leadership have been instrumental to our customer success and growth throughout the years. Keep reading and get to know one of our talented leaders at Mayan Technologies.
Professional
At a very young age, Ernesto’s first professional dream was to become an astronaut, he was intrigued and amazed by the concept of weightlessness that astronauts experience as the speed of the spacecraft cancels out the effects of Earth's gravity and enters a state of free fall or floating.
With time, his interest in science and technology evolved and shifted more specifically into coding which drove him to choose his professional path. Now Ernesto, or Neto as we have come to know him at Mayan Technologies, has a bachelor degree in computer science and graduated honors from the university Tecnológico de Monterrey, one of his greatest accomplishments career-wise.
Here is more detail on how his professional life began and where it has taken him, and where he wants to go moving forward.
What do you do as a Software Architect at Mayan Technologies?
My role is to use code to design and develop different features of a program and integrate them into functioning systems to present our client with the best, most efficient and cost-effective solution to their needs.
In other words, determine the technical specifications of a project and act as a bridge between the technical and business aspects of our clients’ needs, and in some cases, oversee the design and implementation.
What has been your proudest moment or moments as a software architect thus far?
It is hard to think of a single proudest moment. For me, every time we receive an email or message from our customers thanking our team for successfully delivering a project that was previously on hold or was not progressing with another consulting firm, counts as a proud moment.
The fact that we are able to turn an already broken project around and take it to a successful completion while providing the service our customers expect from the beginning is, and will always be, rewarding.
Which is the project you are most proud and/or the most challenging of your career?
Upgrading an ERP system to the latest version for a company located in Chicago with 200+ employees. The upgrade took place over the weekend, approximately a day and a half, where we had to make sure the latest version of the ERP was up and running properly my Monday morning before the first shipment came in, otherwise the operations of the company would come to a complete standstill.
It was a huge upgrade because the company was using a legacy version of the ERP and wanted to upgrade to the latest version the ERP had to offer at that time. Fortunately, everything turned out as expected, only minor issues and many late nights of preparation, but the upgrade itself was a success.
What is it that you love most about your work?
Coding is my favorite part of my job. My dream job shifted from becoming an astronaut when I was a kid to a programmer thanks to the 1989 TV show Mission Impossible. Out of all the main characters of the tv show, my favorite character was Grant Collier, portrayed by Phil Morris, who was the engineer of the group, and his abilities were electronics and computers.
This character made a big impression on me and made me want to learn more about computers. Shortly after, my parents got me fist computer (486 PC) when I was in elementary school and from there on, my path was set.
What do you think differentiates Mayan Technologies from our competitors?
I believe the main difference is that we always go above and beyond for our customers.
We do our homework and analyze the request before making any changes. This way we can go back to our customers and let them know what to expect, giving them time to prepare or make last minute changes to the plan before executing. This helps our customers have a better understanding of the outcome and prevent last minute surprises.
What is the most common mistakes you see happen in development projects?
A common mistake I’ve seen and fallen victim to is working on something and not realizing the full impact my work can have on other modules of the ERP. It is very important to verify the relationships between one’s work and the rest of the ERP and not assume it is an isolated development.
A valuable lesson I’ve learned is that even the smallest change can have a big impact on the end results. It is important to do a full analysis to accommodate or validate any changes to make sure we don’t break other modules we did not know were connected.
What is it you like most about working at Mayan Technologies?
What I like most about working at Mayan Technologies is the people, our team. The people I have the fortune of working with are always willing to help, to contribute as a team, and pitch in when things get complicated. There is a real sense of camaraderie among us and having this type of support is priceless and detrimental in delivering great quality solutions.
Do you have a funny work story?
I can’t think of a funny story, however I do remember a fun experience we had a while back where all team members participated in an Escape Room challenge coordinated by the company. We were divided in teams and each team was integrated by members from different areas we generally don’t work with. This activity made us come out of our comfort zone and work together with new people to accomplish a common goal.
Preferences + Stats
Preferred Programming Language - C#
Preferred Platform - .Net
+2,000
+30
+200
Customizations
Implementations/Upgrades
Satisfied Customers
Tips for Our Experts
We have the privilege of working with very talented experts, each in their areas. Why not share some of that knowledge. Here are Ernesto's best practices when working on a technical development project.
Tips to Help Your Technical Consulting Project Run Smoothly
Always do an analysis/design document for the requirement, even if the end user is not expecting one. Having a solid analysis / design document helps the programming go smoothly since you know exactly what you are building.
Think of scenarios that can “break” the requirement. This often leads to scenarios/questions the customer maybe wasn’t aware of, but that would have been difficult to fix afterwards. This also provides a level of confidence for the client that we are looking for all possible options to make sure the new development works as expected under any conditions.
Whenever possible, do a quick proof of concept with the customer. This helps better understand the requirement and often lead to changes in the original request. It’s always better to spend time flushing out the particulars prior to starting the actual development.
As a family man, my greatest joy would be to watch my son graduate, marry, and have grandkids. In general, be present in all my son’s big milestones and experience the full family life cycle.
Personal
Our conversation entailing his personal life began with a few questions regarding his family, his role as a parent, and general inquiries about his life. Most importantly, Ernesto has a family of his own, his wife Martha of 6 years, his 5-year-old son Daniel, and a Husky named Kallie. His family is his pilar and is what motivates him to become better every day.
Who in your life has inspired you most?
My superheroes are my parents, they are who have made me who I am today and for that I will be forever grateful. Being a parent now myself, I really begin to understand the sacrifice and effort my parents put into my upbringing.
Thanks to them I had a great childhood and they always provided everything I needed to become my own person. A lot of which, at a young age, you don’t really value and take for granted. But if I’ve learned anything, nothing is for granted and I am thankful for every detail of my life and that I owe to my parents.
What is on your bucket list?
As a family man, my greatest joy would be to watch my son graduate, marry, and have grandkids. In general, be present in all my son’s big milestones and experience the full family life cycle.
On a more personal and independent level, I’ve always wanted to travel the world and visit at least one country on each continent.
What is one piece of advice you wish you had gotten sooner?
Have more fun! Enjoy life more and live every stage of life to the fullest. There is no rush in becoming an adult. When growing up, all I wanted to do was be an adult, have a job, my own house, and all the perks that come with adulthood. But once you get to that stage, you look back and miss the simplicity growing up came with.
Another piece of advice would be to focus more on savings, mostly in technology, and investing in bitcoin. Being part of the technology industry and hearing then about the new concept of crypto currency, I wish I trusted or gambled more on this.
Do you collect anything?
Yes, Superman is my favorite superhero, and I have a collection of Superman merchandise. My collection consists of approximately forty pieces, ranging from pictures and posters to action figures. My son is still very young and has different interests, but I hope that when he grows older, we will have similar interests.
Did You Know?
Here are three things you probably didn't know about Ernesto:
Ernesto loves going to live piano concerts.
He is a huge soccer fan, his favorite team us Tigres UANL from Monterrey, Mexico.
There is no better place to be than at the beach with his family.
Thank you for reading this month's Spotlight article, where featured team members provide insight into their job at Mayan Technologies and detail what their role encompasses while opening up about their personal life.
Stay tuned for next month's Spotlight article on:
ANA KAREN GARZA
Jr. Consultant