The Diversity and Inclusion Task Force presents Excellence in STEM<\/i>, with Juan Machado, IT Associate Director of Infrastructure and Security at the University of Georgia.<\/p>\n
In this interview, Juan shares his experience overcoming doubts and mistrust of his credentials in the United States as a computing professional educated in Colombia.<\/p>\n
Continue reading for insight and advice from Juan Machado.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Why Did You Choose Your Current Technical Field?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nJuan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0To be honest, I was in high school in the late 80s, computers were a new thing and I thought they were cool. I was a good student, loved math, and visited 1 prestigious university in my city in Colombia and was immediately accepted. After 2 years in school, I concluded that I loved Computer Science.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat does a typical day or week look like for you as an Associate Director of Infrastructure and Security?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nJuan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0Checking systems, reading and acting on commercial and government cybersecurity advisories, and being as proactive as possible with all our on-prem and cloud infrastructure resources.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat\u2019s been your greatest professional challenge as a member of the Latino community, and how did you overcome it?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nJuan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0At the beginning of my professional career in the US, I got too many automatic distrust of professional \u201cdoubts\u201d because my college education was from a \u201cthird-world\u201d country where \u201chomes don\u2019t have real roofs and donkeys are everywhere\u201d (that was the phrase used by a co-worker at that time. It took them a short time to realize for themselves that my college education was top-notch. In fact, the professional credentials evaluation\/equivalence done by the US government on my credentials came back saying that my undergrad degree was similar to graduate school studies in the United States. I could have played politics or made connections who would vouch for me, but I decided to let them see the quality of my work. Working in the south of the United States was hard at the beginning because there is a lot of racism sometimes coming from people that don\u2019t even realize they are being racist with their actions, comments, or beliefs. My advice for newcomers is to not let these external factors opaque who you are, be you, and show your professionalism. Everybody knows that Latinos work hard, and you are not going to be the exception. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat is one piece of advice you can give Latino students and\/or early career professionals?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nJuan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0My advice is always the same, work hard, give 200% and always be yourself. I have encountered a lot of professionals that only do what they are told to do and always \u201cstay in their lane\u201d. That\u2019s something I see that differentiates the professional Latinos where we don\u2019t only do what we are expected to do in our job description but always try to learn and improve other processes outside our job responsibilities. Latinos have that extreme curiosity and resourcefulness that makes us different. During that professional climb, try to participate in peer mentoring programs, not only for Latinos but for every other culture. The growth of the Latino population has impacted the face of college students of today, and you are part of it. Find and join Latinx organizations in your college and geographical region for peer networking, but don\u2019t focus just on those, networking also happens during cross-pollination with other cultures.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat would you consider are Hispanic traits or behaviors instilled by your family that has made you successful?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nJuan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0Never forget where you came from. I am a first-generation college graduate as a Computer Engineer and later obtain two master\u2019s degrees in Computer Science and Business Administration. Learn something new every day and teach something new every day too. The road to where I am as a professional was not easy, try to make it a little bit easier for the new generations.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat do you miss from your country of origin?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nJuan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0I miss a lot of things from Colombia: my family, my friends, the people, the food, the flowers, the mountains, the weather, and especially my culture.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat would you like to tell people about your country of origin?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\nJuan Machado<\/strong> Just one thing: It is COLOMBIA, not Columbia <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"\/](\"\")
<\/div>\n\n\nAbout Juan Machado:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Juan Machado is the IT Associate Director of Infrastructure and Security and has been with the University of Georgia for 23 years. His education background includes a MS in Computer Engineering and an MBA with multip certifications in Cloud, IT Security, and PMP. When he isn\u2019t teaching network telecommunications and IT security, he spends his time with his wife and dog, and enjoys watching his twins daughters compete in club volleyball.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Juan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0To be honest, I was in high school in the late 80s, computers were a new thing and I thought they were cool. I was a good student, loved math, and visited 1 prestigious university in my city in Colombia and was immediately accepted. After 2 years in school, I concluded that I loved Computer Science.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Juan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0Checking systems, reading and acting on commercial and government cybersecurity advisories, and being as proactive as possible with all our on-prem and cloud infrastructure resources.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Juan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0At the beginning of my professional career in the US, I got too many automatic distrust of professional \u201cdoubts\u201d because my college education was from a \u201cthird-world\u201d country where \u201chomes don\u2019t have real roofs and donkeys are everywhere\u201d (that was the phrase used by a co-worker at that time. It took them a short time to realize for themselves that my college education was top-notch. In fact, the professional credentials evaluation\/equivalence done by the US government on my credentials came back saying that my undergrad degree was similar to graduate school studies in the United States. I could have played politics or made connections who would vouch for me, but I decided to let them see the quality of my work. Working in the south of the United States was hard at the beginning because there is a lot of racism sometimes coming from people that don\u2019t even realize they are being racist with their actions, comments, or beliefs. My advice for newcomers is to not let these external factors opaque who you are, be you, and show your professionalism. Everybody knows that Latinos work hard, and you are not going to be the exception. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Juan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0My advice is always the same, work hard, give 200% and always be yourself. I have encountered a lot of professionals that only do what they are told to do and always \u201cstay in their lane\u201d. That\u2019s something I see that differentiates the professional Latinos where we don\u2019t only do what we are expected to do in our job description but always try to learn and improve other processes outside our job responsibilities. Latinos have that extreme curiosity and resourcefulness that makes us different. During that professional climb, try to participate in peer mentoring programs, not only for Latinos but for every other culture. The growth of the Latino population has impacted the face of college students of today, and you are part of it. Find and join Latinx organizations in your college and geographical region for peer networking, but don\u2019t focus just on those, networking also happens during cross-pollination with other cultures.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Juan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0Never forget where you came from. I am a first-generation college graduate as a Computer Engineer and later obtain two master\u2019s degrees in Computer Science and Business Administration. Learn something new every day and teach something new every day too. The road to where I am as a professional was not easy, try to make it a little bit easier for the new generations.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Juan Machado<\/strong>\u00a0I miss a lot of things from Colombia: my family, my friends, the people, the food, the flowers, the mountains, the weather, and especially my culture.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Juan Machado<\/strong> Just one thing: It is COLOMBIA, not Columbia <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Juan Machado is the IT Associate Director of Infrastructure and Security and has been with the University of Georgia for 23 years. His education background includes a MS in Computer Engineering and an MBA with multip certifications in Cloud, IT Security, and PMP. When he isn\u2019t teaching network telecommunications and IT security, he spends his time with his wife and dog, and enjoys watching his twins daughters compete in club volleyball.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat does a typical day or week look like for you as an Associate Director of Infrastructure and Security?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What\u2019s been your greatest professional challenge as a member of the Latino community, and how did you overcome it?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What is one piece of advice you can give Latino students and\/or early career professionals?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What would you consider are Hispanic traits or behaviors instilled by your family that has made you successful?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What do you miss from your country of origin?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What would you like to tell people about your country of origin?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
About Juan Machado:<\/strong><\/h4>\n