Welcome, Oscar Aguilar, Software Engineer!
We are so pleased to welcome Oscar Aguilar, Software Engineer, to the team. You can learn more about Oscar below.
Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?
I am originally from Mexico City, where I was raised until I was six years old. Our family moved to Madison, Wisconsin, in the late ‘90s, and we have made this our home ever since.
Where did you go to school?
I attended grade school in the Madison Metropolitan School District. While building my career in the workforce, I simultaneously enrolled part-time with the Madison Area Technical College to complete my Liberal Arts requirements. Once I satisfied these requirements, I transferred to complete my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
How did you get into software engineering? What areas of your field do you like to focus on?
I entered the workforce with a focus on client development, marketing, and business administration. As I progressed through college, I found that my career interests began to lean towards technology and software engineering. I assumed the role of lead engineer through my employer and effectively changed my major after transferring to UW – Madison.
I enjoy helping small organizations build innovative solutions for real-world problems that would normally be exclusive to large corporations with extended budgets. And I thrive in being able to use my experience in business administration to provide effective solutions through software engineering.
Do you have a code of ethics or a mantra that you live by when doing development work?
I believe transparency is the most important aspect of software engineering. In order for teams to be truly agile, there must be transparency surrounding scope definition, team capacity, blocks, and assumptions the team is making when working towards a deliverable. This level of transparency helps business leaders and clients make informed decisions that impact prioritization, target dates, and scope of work.
How do our core values (collaboration, initiative, ingenuity) align with your own?
I believe a team is strong when it utilizes all resources at its disposal, maximizes individual strengths, and exploits weaknesses as learning opportunities for iterative improvement.
I think collaboration depends on individual initiatives that take the team closer to the goal and identify the steps needed to accomplish the task at hand.
Finally, my experience has taught me that in order to be truly innovative, one must always be willing to learn and grow from experiences, particularly bad ones. It is at this point that one’s ingenuity kicks in to turn experiences into opportunities for growth. Buckeye Interactive holds these values in high regard. It’s a true joy to see every member of the organization embody these traits every day.
What do you want to learn in the next 12 months as a software engineer? What do you want to learn about the web development industry?
My goal is to expand my expertise with different technology stacks and learn about different methods of software integration. In my short tenure at Buckeye Interactive so far, I have already learned a great deal about different stacks and development practices, which has given me a wealth of knowledge and tools I can use in future projects.
What is your favorite book & why?
Although I don’t have one particular favorite book, I enjoy reading news updates in space technology, clean energy, and environmental initiatives. I love staying updated about technological breakthroughs that have the potential of changing our society in a significant way.
What is the one thing most people don’t know about you?
I am a bona fide Star Wars geek amongst my closest friends and often have to be redirected back to the original conversation as I can go on a rant about why Han shot first! However, I’m not the traditional fan that amasses collectibles or wears Star Wars on my sleeve. So, if I talk about Star Wars with someone, it usually means I’m very comfortable around them!
We are always up for connecting with individuals to talk about working at Buckeye Interactive. If you think you’d be a good fit, please take a look at our careers page and reach out!
