E115 - Ruud Pieterse at DXC Technology

On this episode of The Route to Networking podcast, our Infrastructure and Cloud Consultant Francesca Denoon was joined by Ruud Pieterse at DXC Technology. Ruud is an Enterprise Architect/Coach, Mentor, and public speaker for DXC. He is an experienced Architect who helps companies drive their business to a higher digital level. It was interesting to learn about his thoughts on emerging technologies in the space including cloud and artificial intelligence.

Ruud started working at a bank in the Netherlands where he did all sorts of jobs. It wasn’t IT as we know it now, everything was quite ad-hoc. He slowly started to move into an information analyst role before the company was outsourced to EDS. They then moved to DHC, which is where he moved into the architect role.

The idea of the role was always appealed to him because he’s always looking to explore new things and having that natural curiosity is why he has succeeded so well in the Networking space.

Ruud not only is an Architect but has also gone down the coaching and mentoring route which came very naturally to him as his role progressed. Through his role, people began to ask him questions about specific areas they were struggling with, and it came naturally that he was good at teaching what he knew. He ended up joining a group called ‘hello mentor’ for students that were seeking help, which got his foot in the door to coaching professionally.

DXC…

His days as an Enterprise Architect, Coach & Mentor at DXC usually start at home these days, with a hybrid model of 4 days at home and 1 day in the office. For Ruud, there isn’t a day that passes where he isn’t learning something, whether that’s something tech related or talking to people to get different insights on things. This is what he finds so great about his role because it feeds into his passion for continuous learning and curiosity. He speaks with a lot of people from different backgrounds and cultures, which is amazing but can also come with challenges too. There’s always something you need to find out but at the same time, this always drives them towards a solution.

As the industry evolves and the amount of new and emerging technologies is on the rise, it’s hard to keep up with it all. This is equally exciting and scary, with the possibilities quite literally endless. Eventually, the integration of technology and the networking space as a whole will be extremely positive for future generations. For example, they have recently brought out glasses for deaf people that enable them to see subtitles when someone is speaking to them. Technology like this is a true game changer and will shape the future.

To those next-generation aspiring Network Engineers, Ruud’s advice is you need to look at 3 things. The first is watching and learning. Certifications are where you will learn but more importantly, watch what people are doing because you will learn things that they might miss out on in the certs. The second is to be curious. Without curiosity, you won’t get far. Ask questions such as Why does it work like that? How does that work? Always ask for the why in everything.

Tune in to hear the full episode now!