Pablo Cordenons was born in Argentina and studied geological sciences at Universidad de Buenos Aires, where he got his PhD. He worked as a geologist at the CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas) and as a university teacher assistant in his home country.
At a certain point in his career, an old but ever-present passion paved its way back to his life and took the center stage: technology. In 2021, he was referred by an Avaturian friend and joined Avature as part of the Integrations Services team in Palermo. Becoming an Integrations Analyst was his first time working in the tech industry.
Today, Pablo lives and works from Madrid and, outside Avature, enjoys going for walks, hiking, playing tennis, composing music, and spending time with his three (adorable) fur-friends — lucky you, the aim of this article is not to show pics of Pablo’s dogs because, if it was, there would be a cuteness overload!
Pablo’s story is engaging and vivid proof that our academic background and work experiences do not limit our career development, but rather open up doors to new and exciting roads, if we dare take the chances. Have a look!
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When and how did you decide to switch your career from geology to technology?
Since I can recall, I’ve always been very intrigued about how computers worked. For the kid version of myself, the transition from 0s and 1s to what you see on the screen seemed almost magical. As years went by, that fascination remained inside me, but life was going to take me elsewhere when it came to my academic studies: I pursued a degree in geology. However, technology always finds a way, and it was precisely while I was starting my PhD that I had my first serious encounter with informatics.
It was around 2012, I was studying and had a lot of blank pages and raw data to process, and struggled for months to shape my thoughts into concrete questions that I would try to solve with the data. That’s when software became an essential tool for me and I got the taste of it. I was fascinated by the way you could create routines from scratch for a purpose that was never thought of before and answer questions no one ever asked. It felt like clay that you could model into anything you imagined.
After I got my PhD from Universidad de Buenos Aires, I started studying computer sciences, moved by this passion, but had to leave my studies halfway. Still, technology would find its way back into my life (once more!) when Gonzalo Bello, a former colleague who was working at Avature, told me about the company.
Long story short, we talked about integrations analysis and the company's values and culture, and I realized Avature was special right away. He referred me, I had the best interviewing experience ever, and, by April 2021, I was part of the A-Team as Integrations Analyst, an exciting journey which even included a relocation to Spain in March 2022!
Was this your first time working in technology? How was the experience? Did it meet your expectations?
Yes, it was my first experience and it met all my expectations, at least regarding informatics. So far it's been great, and everything tells me that it will continue like this!
There are two fundamental traits I've noticed working in IT: constant novelty and openness to share knowledge. I never get bored because everything is so dynamic and there’s discovery on a daily basis — as a curious person, that is wonderful. Apart from that, the fact that everyone is always available and eager to help and share solutions, experiences, resources, etc. really makes you feel you’re part of a team in which the engine is collaboration, empathy, and solidarity. In my experience, Avature can be considered a referent for these core values.
Do you think the things you learned as a geologist and your previous experience have an impact on your current role? Why?
Totally, and I would even say that probably any person that has a similar background will be equipped with the same transversal skills. For an analyst role, I've found that, besides high logical-analytical skills, a creative and broad mindset is also useful. On many occasions, we need to put ourselves in the customers’ shoes and analyze everything from different perspectives. This can imply:
- Gathering and analyzing information with different characteristics (some technical, some about their processes, some even commercial or strategic in the business realm.)
- Evaluating multiple scenarios and their possible outcomes, pros and cons.
- Being able to communicate these options so that the optimal solution can be reached.
In my case, my teaching experience and expertise as a scientific researcher and communicator provided me with most of the skills I need as an analyst. The specific technical knowledge of any position can be learned, and, actually, you never finish learning.
What would you say to someone who’s about to start their Avature career and comes from a totally different background?
I would tell them two things: "you won't regret it" and "pace yourselves.” The learning curve is steep and it can make anyone feel nervous at first, but this is Avature, meaning you are not alone and we've all been through the same. Teamwork and constant support are some of the things that let us all enjoy the Avature experience, even if the tasks are challenging and beyond our comfort zone. They are also the building blocks for creating bonds with our colleagues and feeling this is home.