About Me

I was born to a South American mother and an American father, and I was raised in a middle-class household in New York City. Mom was formerly a teacher in her native country, and she became a staff member at the United Nations after she came to America. When Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev spoke before the UN General Assembly and infamously banged a shoe on the podium before him in protest of American actions, my mom directly witnessed an event most of the world only saw on black-and-white televisions. My father, himself not a slouch in the “important works” department, was a highly trained electrician who worked for major technology firms.

From my earliest years through seventh grade, I attended private schools. However, just prior to entering eighth grade, I decided that private instruction—though excellent in its academic offerings—fostered an unrealistically pure view of the world at large. And so did I, at 13 years of age, take my fledgling steps into the world without the social “safety net” offered by private schools. My parents, both of whom were strong advocates of learning through discovery, allowed me to take those steps, but only after much deliberation. In the end, they believed my decision was both bold and correct, and that it would expose me to other social spheres and better prepare me for the greater American society.

As I advanced through high school and approached college, I knew that I wanted to embark on a business-related career. I attended a college that was part of the City University of New York (CUNY) wherein I first encountered courses in economics, business policy, and a course that would change my life forever: public speaking. I learned the art of speaking beyond any prepared text, and I would later come to understand why politicians point to seemingly empty air prior when addressing a crowd. (Yes, some are truly pointing to nothing in particular or to people they don’t know.) The ways of engaging an audience, of persuading a group, and of speaking as a well-informed source became known to me, and those skills would play a vital role in my later professional roles.

Graduation from college came about, and I was in the full expectation of being an instant world-beater in keeping with 1980s "yuppie" expectations. I had training, education, some experience, a degree, tremendous drive, and a sharp mind, but reality interrupted with plans of its own. My quest to succeed beyond all measure thus had the humblest of beginnings: from behind the counter of a fast-food restaurant near Grand Central Terminal. Fortunately, this did not last long, and I soon found gainful employment with the City of New York. I was then in a true office setting, and I performed such challenging feats as follows: placing reels of computer tape on spools, taking reels of computer tape off spools, entering student data into a computer system using a monochrome text display, and printing reports on weekends on green bar paper. Clearly, my path to business conquest had suffered a truly significant detour! However, something truly fortunate then occurred: I saw the opportunity to create and implement positive change.

I observed there was no tape management system in place, leaving computer operators and programmers to simply keep their own notes regarding the disposition of those tapes and containers that contained their specific data. This was highly inefficient as two or more computer programmers could create the same data, store the same data, accidentally recall or send away the wrong container, or forget which containers were in storage. Unfortunately, such events were not infrequent, and many productive hours were lost in tracking misplaced data.

It was my good luck to learn the computer system had a built-in database that was highly configurable without the need for programming. Using just the system’s built-in utilities and technical manuals, I created a tape and container library that quickly solved the issue. Moreover, I performed this feat—for which I was highly praised—even though I was not a computer programmer. Instead, I was a mere data entry clerk, but my drive to “think outside the box” and innovate solutions spurred me to learn how to use the computer system’s features in order to create my masterwork of 1980s data management. My efforts did not go unnoticed, and I was sent to IBM for training then given programming assignments upon my return.

Years after leaving the above position, I was employed as a consultant for an information technology firm. Among many other duties, I became a traveling instructor for the company, going from one corporate client to another and teaching classes related to an enterprise-level software package. The ways of public speaking I learned years before proved invaluable, and I taught many students who went on to have excellent careers using the software. Later, I joined a small company wherein I employed my creative nature to prototype, design, and guide the construction of an innovative document management system. Thanks to this effort, printing costs per-order declined, as regulatory and order-related paperwork were then generated automatically by the new system on a strict, as-needed basis.

In closing, the above reflects who I was as a student and who I grew to be as an adult worker. I came from parents who nurtured an outgoing and curious child, and I matured into a still-outgoing adult who retains his youthful curiosity despite being North of 60 years old. I do my best to present new perspectives as I tiptoe through the minefield of polarized thought that is the current American landscape, and I do so while remembering the lessons I learned from the many wonderful people who helped me become the person I am today. Many of them are gone now, including my parents. Wherever they all are in whatever may follow the end of mortal existence, I can only hope I’ve made them proud.

All the best,
TechRider