T hirty-eight years ago, Angel Piñeiro decided to pursue a career in technology— even though he didn’t know exactly what that meant at the time. Today, as senior vice president, enterprise services at Agilant Solutions, Inc., in New York, and CompTIA’s 2019 Member of the Year, he is the epitome of a successful IT professional. With a journey into tech that was anything but traditional, it’s one of his missions in life to unearth multiple paths to a career in technology and tear down the stereotype of who fits into the role of technologist. Piñeiro describes his childhood as humble. His parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and raised him and his sister with a focus on education and the idea that nothing will be handed to you without putting in the work. “I learned from my mom that if you want something, you do what you need to do, prepare and grab it,” he said. “That’s really what inspired me and my sister.” But a career in technology was not his original plan. “I had just gotten married and was at a vocational school,” recounted Piñeiro. “My major was autobody and collision repair. And, although it’s a great trade, when I started working as a mechanic, I quickly realized it wasn’t sparking my passion.” That was when his wife suggested technology as a career path. “I had absolutely no clue,” he said. After a six-month course at a Midtown Manhattan school, Piñeiro was hired as an entry-level tech at a Computer Factory store. Four years later, his
manager gave him the choice of going into management or continuing with the repair, troubleshooting and networking side. “Back then, I chose management. Although I love what I do today, I still like to be under the hood and fixing things. But now, I get to see that excitement through others and that’s rewarding,” he said. Today, Piñeiro’s team of technologists at Agilant Solutions, an IT services firm based in the greater New York City area, handles IT jobs for customers ranging from designing and building networks and data
52
CompTIAWorld | FALL 2019
Made with FlippingBook Online document