Latinos Who Tech

In this special episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Nikki Barua, Interim CEO of Latinas in Tech and serial entrepreneur. We talked about AI, leadership, legacy, and the upcoming Latinas in Tech Summit, happening May 28–30 in San Francisco, CA. If you're in the Bay Area (or need a reason to visit), this is one to show up for.

We made it to episode 50! Thank you for sticking around. I share the story of why I left a very lucrative, very toxic, tech job, some perspective from having achieved my FIRE number, my personal values, and how I like to make career decisions at this point of my life. It's been 1.5 years since I left that corporate gig, and I find myself so much at peace right now. Walking the Camino de Santiago in May 2022 was instrumental to reconnecting with myself and my values, I do recommend it if you ever have to overcome any major life changes OR if you honestly enjoy long walks with your thoughts :) Will this be the last season of Latinos Who Tech? I honestly, don't know. I DO know that I love making podcasts and connecting with tech professionals like you. I started hosting meetups virtually and in-person with other Latino professionals and I find it incredibly rewarding. You can find out when the next virtual meetup will be by joining my mailing list. https://lwt-email.ck.page/1fc5dbebbc## Show Notes- Join my mailing list to find out about virtual meetups (and other projects). No spam, ever. https://lwt-email.ck.page/d3749616a6- Connect with me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugocastellanos/- Twitter https://twitter.com/HugoCast_## Resources- How to retire forever on a fixed chunk of money - https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2018/11/29/how-to-retire-forever-on-a-fixed-chunk-of-money/- Book: I will Teach you to be Rich: - https://www.amazon.com/Will-Teach-You-Be-Rich/dp/0761147489- Course: Finding a fulfilling career with "What color is your parachute?" - https://www.udemy.com/course/the-eparachute-introduction-to-your-career-and-job-search/- LWT Episode: "How to retire before 40 (by working in STEM)" - https://player.captivate.fm/episode/0532d338-2148-4446-a7fb-c7755032c66c

In this episode we spoke with Gino Ferrand. Founder @ TECLA a company that helps tech professionals in LATAM get the tools they need to work with U.S. companies remotely. Sign up for our meetup in Salt Lake City during the SHPE 2023 Conference: https://forms.gle/Eg2pz58udkS2CVN59Sign up for our online speed networking meetups here: https://lwt-email.ck.page/1fc5dbebbc

Do you enjoy this kind of format? Let me know your thoughts via LinkedIn clicking hereWhat content do you want to hear in the podcast? Fill out this 2 minute survey and let me know clicking hereDo you want to attend virtual speed networking meetups with other latinos in tech? Sign up for our mailing list right here ## ConnectConnect with Hugo Castellanos https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugocastellanosFull transcript of episode available at LatinosWhoTech.com

What content do you want to hear in the podcast? Fill out this 2 minute survey and let me know

In this episode we spoke with Gabriel Golczer-Gatti, PhD about his experience going to graduate school at Tufts University, choosing a career in industry instead of academia, the day to day of a data scientist on a biotech startup and his volunteer work for the Universidad Simon Bolivar Alumni Association of America Inc.## SHOW NOTESFor feedback or business inquiries reach out to hello @ latinoswhotech.comIf you enjoy this content and want to support, you can buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hugocastellanosFor Feedback or Questions, you can reach out to me via LinkedIn. I read every message. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugocastellanosSign up for our mailing list: https://lwt-email.ck.page/d3749616a6Connect with Dr. Golczer-Gatti: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ggolczer/Support AlumnUSB's cause: https://alumnusb.org/es/becas/

Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hugocastellanosFor feedback or business inquiries reach out to hello @ latinoswhotech.comConnect with Hugo Castellanos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugocastellanosConnect with Kevin Sandoval: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksandovaldev/---Sign up for our mailing list: https://lwt-email.ck.page/d3749616a6Fill out our survey on future topics for the podcast: https://forms.gle/fyzqrAREgFTTBHik9Join our Discord: https://conexiones.captivate.fm/discordytInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinoswhotech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/latinos-who-tech/Check us out on YouTube: https://latinos-who-tech.captivate.fm/listen

Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hugocastellanosFor feedback or business inquiries reach out to hello @ latinoswhotech.comFollow Us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinoswhotech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/latinos-who-tech/Follow Hugo:https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugocastellanosSign up for our mailing list: https://lwt-email.ck.page/d3749616a6Follow Stephanie:https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsstephaceves/Stephanie's website: https://www.stephanieaceves.com/How to break into Cyber Security https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI13Btw42jg&ab_channel=It%27sStephAcevesAsk for future topics: https://forms.gle/fyzqrAREgFTTBHik9Discord: https://conexiones.captivate.fm/discordytCheck us out on YouTube: https://latinos-who-tech.captivate.fm/listen

Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hugocastellanosFor feedback or business inquiries reach out to hello @ latinoswhotech.com***Disclaimer*** : I used the wrong settings for my mic, so the audio wasn't the highest quality, my apologies. Luis's audio worked out great though. Thank you for your patience :) Follow Us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinoswhotech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/latinos-who-tech/Follow Hugo:https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugocastellanosSign up for our mailing list: https://lwt-email.ck.page/d3749616a6Follow Luis:https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisenriquedelgado/Ask for future topics: https://forms.gle/fyzqrAREgFTTBHik9Discord: https://conexiones.captivate.fm/discordytCheck us out on YouTube: https://latinos-who-tech.captivate.fm/listen

Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hugocastellanosFollow Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinoswhotech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/latinos-who-tech/Follow Hugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugocastellanosFollow Natalie:https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-marquez-solorzanoAsk for future topics: https://forms.gle/fyzqrAREgFTTBHik9Discord: https://conexiones.captivate.fm/discordytListen to the Audio Version: https://latinos-who-tech.captivate.fm/listen

Welcome to a new episode of Latinos who tech, my name is Hugo Castellanos. This a podcast about the stories of latinos working in the tech industry and tools to help you take your career to the next level. In this episode we spoke with Gabriela Garcia, a Civil Engineer turned Sr. Analytics Consultant at Google in London. We spoke with Gabriela about her day to day as an analytics consultant, must have skills for the job and how to land a role in data science and analytics. -------

Welcome to a new episode of Latinos who tech, my name is Hugo Castellanos. This a podcast about the stories of latinos working in the tech industry and tools to help you take your career to the next level. In this episode we explore the FIRE Movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and what does it mean to retire before 40.I spoke with my friend Lennis Perez, a chemical engineer and speaker that achieved financial independence after working 16 years in the industry.The kicker: she achieved it while making less than six figures a year. Imagine how fast you could do it with a six figure tech job? -------

Shownotes:Connect with Carolina Baquero on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugocastellanos/Connect with Hugo Castellanos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinabaquerovJoin our Discord Community: https://latinos-who-tech.captivate.fm/discordSign up for our mailing list and attend our next virtual networking event: https://latinos-who-tech.captivate.fm/emailTimestamps:0:00 - Intro and catching up after a hiatus3:46 - Interview starts4:19 - Carolina's background: Ecuador, DR, NYC6:08 - Is Remote Work isolating? Does it have to be that way?10:21 - Hosting meetups and ways to build community11:40 - Getting Hired as a remote worker13:25 - Why Carolina is so passionate about remote work: a personal story19:25 - Is Silicon Valley overrated in 2023? Do you need to move there to work in tech anymore?22:33 - Different company sizes for different experiences23:54 -The Miami Tech Community27:58 - Return to the office and conflict30:56 - Productivity and salary stagnation32:57 - How to find a remote job in 202336:08 - RemoteOK and async jobs38:00 - Working at Twitter vs working at LinkedIn or a startup40:39 - How to deal with imposter syndrome44:09 - The brag sheet - a tool to help you remember your accomplishments

Aileen Tapia is a daughter, a sister and a nieta. She is a first-gen industrial engineer and currently serves as a Strategy & Management Consultant @ Accenture. We spoke during the first Virtual SHPE 2020 Convention in October. She told us her story breaking into the industry and gave us an intimate look and the […] The post My SHPE Story feat. Aileen Tapia / Latinos Who Tech #37 appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

Are you feeling stressed out because of remote work? Do you feel there is a blur between your personal life and work life? Is it hard for you to close your laptop at the end of the day?  Don’t worry, you are not the only one In this episode I spoke with Jose Paz Castro, […] The post Microsoft : Remote Work and building a career in HR feat. Jose Paz Castro / Latinos Who Tech #36 appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

Cristina Costa is a learning and development professional and career coach focused on humanizing tech.  She hails from Boston, Mass and has been part of organizations like Drift, HubSpot and Women With Purpose.  We had a very enriching conversation about the human side of tech. She told us her story and how networking helped her […] The post Career Coaching for Tech Professionals feat. Cristina Costa, Outco Inc appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

Getting Ish Done: Making time for all the things that matter  @ishverduzco is one of the hardest working people I know. Wether he is at his day job as Director of Growth & Marketing for @craveitsf , DJing, podcasting, writing or doing community outreach via webinars or social media. He likes to keep busy and […] The post Getting Ish Done: Making time for all the things that matter feat. Ish Verduzco | #34 appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

Do you remember the last time you had to give a presentation for work? Do you think you could have done a better job? No worries, you are not alone.  Public speaking is not easy and in our current reality even less so. Not only do we have to overcome issues like bad wi-fi or […] The post Delivering Great Virtual Presentations feat. Zoraida Martinez, Programmer Analyst @ Foster Farms appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

Latinos Who Tech is back! After a couple months of hiatus I want to welcome you back to our newest season. We have 10 episodes ready for you exploring the intersection of Latinos, Technology and Authenticity. Fall 2020 is going to be an interesting time for higher education to say the least. In this new […] The post The Future of Higher Education feat. Vanessa Diaz, PhD / Latinos Who Tech #32 appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

About Sebastian Anaya Have you ever wondered what companies use Salesforce for or how to break into consulting? Then this episode is for you. Sebastián Anaya is a Salesforce Consultant for Accenture, a top consulting firm. He specializes in Einstein Analytics and AI, and enables these tools for the world’s largest and most innovative companies. […] The post Building a Career as a Salesforce Consultant: Sebastián Anaya appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

About Karin Ulloa Karin Ulloa is a Peruvian working at Amazon, the largest American e-commerce and cloud computing company. She is working from home as a Project Analyst for the human resources department and daily works on all the hiring standards. Karin comes from a marketing and retailing background. She has vast experience in start-ups […] The post How to Bounce Back After a COVID-19 Layoff: Karin Ulloa, Project Analyst for Human Resources at Amazon appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

About Javier Cortavitarte Javier Cortavitarte is a Venezuelan with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Broadcom Inc., a global infrastructure technology company that focuses on technologies that connect our world. Javier has several years of experience as a senior engineer and an IT professional in many technologies of various SaaS corporations and startups. […] The post Understanding Customer Success in Saas: Javier Cortavitarte, Customer Adoption Manager at Broadcom Inc. appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

About Pamela Martinez Pamela Martinez, is a Mexican-American with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at Snowball Wealth. She is a first-generation college graduate. Pamela started her professional career right out of college as a Program Manager at Microsoft and was involved in the launch of Xbox One. In search of building things and […] The post Helping Millennials Tackle Student Debt: Pamela Martinez, Co-Founder and CTO at Snowball Wealth appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

About Marcos Ciarrocchi In this episode, I spoke with Marcos Ciarrocchi, a Venezuelan electronics engineer turned product manager. Marcos is a partner at Graphite, a boutique digital marketing firm that builds scalable growth engines for consumer technology companies. Customers include Ticketmaster, Thumbtack, MasterClass, and Honey. Additionally, Marcos is the co-founder of the Code for Venezuela, […] The post Breaking into Product Management: Why SEO is Alive and Well: Marcos Ciarrocchi, Partner @ Graphite appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode I spoke with Lauren Valdez. A native Californian, entrepreneur and public health expert. She is cofounder of Forte Labs an organization that helps people become more productive than they ever thought possible. Lauren is a digital nomad. Along with her partner, Tiago Forte, they’ve managed to build a business that is run […] The post 26 | How to Become a Digital Nomad with Lauren Valdez, Cofounder @ Forte Labs appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

Cyber Security is a field that is often misunderstood. It seems that there is a massive data breach every other day and that our personal information is common knowledge to hackers. In 2018 alone, there were over 1200 massive data breaches affecting 174 million records. However, we seldom hear from the thousands of data breaches […] The post How to build a career in Cyber Security: Diego Alvarez Molina, Manager @ Deloitte appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, I spoke with Brianne C. Martin, Senior Manager for Membership Relations at Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). Brianne is one of the most authentic persons I know. She has a passion for career development and growth that is impossible to ignore. Brianne is a mechanical engineer, musician, and speaker. She has […] The post How to Be an Ally to Women in STEM: Brianne C. Martin, Senior Manager for Membership Relations at the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode I spoke with Joaquin Delgado, PhD a Venezuelan-American Engineer and Head of Music Search-Applied Sciences at Amazon music. Joaquin is a veteran from Silicon Valley Startups and tech giants such as Oracle, Intel, Yahoo and was a cofounder for Lending Club. We spoke about his experience and the advice he has for […] The post Fireside Chat with Joaquin Delgado, PhD @ Code for Venezuela 2020 Hackaton appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

Happy 2020! We kick-off our first episode of the year touching on what we accomplished on 2019 and the systems that helped us do it. We also talk about one of my favorite habit-tracking apps, everyday.app This episode is brought to you by Code for Venezuela: a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together technologists and […] The post How to make 2020 your best year yet, building systems and Everyday.App appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, I spoke with Yuri W. Ramirez, Puerto Rican, with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de Puerto Rico, and an M.B.A. in Operations and Technology Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Once Yuri graduated, he came to the US in search of a Ph.D., and with the enthusiasm of knowing what […] The post Life of a Program Manager: Yuri Ramirez, Technical Program Manager @ Intel appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, I spoke with Mariana Briones, Incoming Hardware Program Manager at Microsoft and Alejandro Davila, FDSE at Palantir Technologies, both born in Mexico and raised in the north of the country. They share their experience as international students studying in the US and crossing the border every day to go to UCLE in […] The post How We Built This: InternMakers: Mariana Briones and Alejandro Davila appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, we catch up with my favorite Cuban American engineer, Emily Anne Vargas. Emily is an Industrial Engineer and a 2nd year PhD student in materials sciences and engineering at the M.C. Gill Composites Center at the University of Southern California. We previously talked with Emily about mental health for high achievers in […] The post The PhD Chronicles: Year 2 with Emily Anne Vargas appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, we spoke with Rosa Delgado, a Civil Engineer & Sr. Project Manager. Rosa is a 1st generation engineer and shared with us her challenges and key learnings as a woman in STEM. We spoke about civil engineering, productivity and the art of having difficult conversations. Notes: Follow us on IG: @LatinosWhoTech and […] The post The road to Engineering & How to have difficult conversations appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

First-ever live episode! Over 150 people attended a panel we hosted at the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. The SHPE National Convention happens every year and over 9k students and professionals converge during 4 days to network, attend workshops and find career opportunities. In this panel we explored the question: “What […] The post LIVE from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Convention – #SHPE2019 appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

I recently got back from my 11th SHPE Conference. This particular one was held in Phoenix, Arizona where 9000+ professionals, students, and STEM advocates gathered for 4 days of workshops and networking. A big highlight of the conference is the 200+ companies that attend to recruit talent. Attending as a professional is different. Granted, you […] The post SHPEtina Origins – Igniting Latinas in STEM appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, I spoke with Aaron Ramirez, Mexican American, Technical Solutions Engineer at Google. We spoke about how he got to Google and how being a SHPE member helped him with the interview process, his role at Google and his definition for Googliness, advice on how to get prepared for an interview and other […] The post Life @ Google: Aaron Ramirez, Technical Solutions Engineer at Google appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode I share with you a conversation I had with Adriana Flores Ragade, Social Entrepreneur and host of the podcast LatinxAmerica. She asked me about my story and my journey from Electronics Engineering to Technical Marketing. We also spoke about how I got to Silicon Valley, my involvement with SHPE (Society of Hispanic […] The post From Engineering to Technical Marketing: Hugo Castellanos, Product Marketing Manager @ Intel appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode I spoke with Jimmy Galvez, a Project Manager @ Sherwood Design Engineers. We spoke about his journey coming from Guatemala to the US, his experience managing civil engineering projects in California, Texas and overseas and his involvement with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineer (SHPE). Connect with Jimmy vía : Linkedin: Jimmy […] The post Keeping It Civil: Jimmy Galvez, Project Manager @ Sherwood Design Engineers appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, I spoke with Dushka Zapata, Executive Communications at Zendesk, writer, and author of seven books. We spoke about writing as a part of her life and how she captures ideas to do so, her work at Zendesk, Quora and her seven books, the process she goes through to write a book, and […] The post Thriving as an Introvert: Dushka Zapata, Writer and Executive Communications @ Zendesk appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, I spoke with Carlos  Sarmiento, Software Engineer at Facebook. Originally from Venezuela, Carlos joined Facebook in 2017. We spoke about how he got to Facebook, the company’s recruiting events and engineering bootcamps, his day in the life as a software engineer, and all about referrals.  Connect with Carlos via linkedin: Carlos Sarmiento […] The post Life @ Facebook: Carlos Sarmiento, Software Engineer @ Facebook appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, I spoke with Angela Romero, Principal Manager at Coursera.  We spoke about her experience working in a PR agency, cold calling and her role in sales at Google, Duolingo as a startup with an e-learning environment giving people practical and fun learning opportunities through technology and access to better jobs, all about […] The post Transforming Lives Through Learning: Angela Romero, Principal Manager @ Coursera appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, I spoke with Erika Torres, PhD., a Product Manager and Social Scientist, Marketing Officer at Prospanica Sillicon Valley. Erika has a PhD. in Clinical Psychology from Alliant International University. We spoke about her path to a PhD, her work as a professor and in hospitals, the 100 career discovery interviews she had […] The post How to Become a Product Manager without a Tech Background: Erika Torres, PhD appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, I spoke with Ismael Verduzco III, aka DJ Ish, Social Marketing Lead at LinkedIn. Ish graduated from ​the University of California, Merced​ with a B.S. in Management. We spoke about life at LinkedIn, how he found his way into tech and his role as a Social Media Lead. Connect with Ish via […] The post Summer Special: Life @ LinkedIn: Ismael Verduzco III, Social Media Lead @ LinkedIn appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

Everyday 1 billion people take at least one pill that was manufactured by Gilead Sciences. A company devoted to manufacture antiviral drugs that treat HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and influenza.  One of the many researchers at Gilead Sciences is Liliana de la Paz, PhD. A Bay Area native with Mexican roots. She has the […] The post The Way of the PhD: Liliana de la Paz, PhD, Research Scientist from Gilead Life Sciences appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode I spoke with Juan Lopez Marcano, Software Engineer at Uber. Over the last 2.5 years Juan has doubled his income by switching tech companies 4 times. In this conversation we spoke about his strategy, the in-demand skills he has developed, how he preps for technical interviews, salary negotiation techniques and the 3M […] The post How to Double Your Salary in 2 Years: Juan Lopez Marcano, Software Engineer @ Uber appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, Hugo welcomes Amir Abou Baker, an American Lebanese-Puerto Rican Industrial Engineer with a masters in Engineering Management and Business Strategy working at WhatsApp Inc., as the Head of Global Markets. He is a technology and operations executive with skills in retail, operational transformations and scaling strategy for global operations that has travelled […] The post Leadership at Scale: Amir Abou Baker, Head of Global Markets @ WhatsApp appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, Hugo welcomes Rocio Mendez, a Mexican American industrial engineer at Tesla. Rocio was fascinated by engineering early on and earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. #GoMustangs! Rocio shares her journey from her first job at Covidien, a medical device company that was acquired […] The post Living For The Mission: Rocio Mendez, Industrial Engineer @ Tesla appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, Hugo welcomes Frances Coronel, a Peruvian-American software engineer for the Customer Acquisition Team at Slack, a collaboration hub that brings the right people, information, and tools together to get work done; connects teams and unifies systems to make businesses go forward. Frances was born and raised in Norfolk Virginia, and studied in […] The post Latina at a Silicon Valley Unicorn: Frances Coronel, Software Engineer @ Slack appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.

In this episode, Hugo welcomes Roxana Ruvalcaba, a Mexican-American industrial engineer born in LA, working as an operations finance specialist at Intel Corporation. Roxana went to Berkeley University to study industry engineering and operations research, and at the time, had her first exposure to business school in an intense summer venture at Harvard Business School. […] The post To MBA or NOT to MBA: Roxana Ruvalcaba, Operations Finance Specialist @ Intel Corporation appeared first on Latinos Who Tech.