Tony Pecora joined the Managed Solution team as Technical Account Manager on November 23, 2015. Tony started working in the managed services provider (MSP) space seven years ago and never looked back. He has experience working for larger companies including schools, Cardinal Health, Houghton Mifflin, etc. but prefers life in the MSP world because he loves the comradery and the ability to wear "multiple hats," while being able to make significant changes in a client's business.
Tony's favorite job before MSP life was tutoring at his first alma matter, Mira Costa College - he even still keeps in touch with the tutoring coordinator. Tony tutored introductory English, Physics, and a range in Mathematics from Pre-Algebra through Calculus III.
Tony grew up in Virginia and moved to San Diego when he was fifteen. After eighteen years in SoCal he moved to San Francisco but plans on moving back to wonderful San Diego in a month. Tony is an active person and enjoys softball, the gym, the shooting range and paddle-boarding. He's been on several competitive softball teams but says he stays away from tournaments because of the attitudes a lot of people bring.
Tony exploring the outdoors at Valencia Peak
Along with several co-workers at MS, Tony is a motorcycle rider and has strong preferences for.. and against food. Tony says he's not a picky eater, but he can't stand bacon, cheese, salt, cilantro, or any kind of salad dressing, although he recently made peace with sesame vinaigrette. He's never had coffee and isn't a fan of caffeine so doesn't think he's missing out. He does say there is no such thing as too much garlic, or sugar, or BBQ anything (sauce, meat, BBQs, etc.)!
We're excited to have Tony on board, please join us in welcoming him to the Managed Solution team!
At Managed Solution, we strive to be the best technology based company by investing in our top assets; our people - CAREERS
With 22 years of experience working in the IT industry, Brian Lacey joined the Managed Solution team as the Director of Technical Services on Monday, November 16, 2015. He started his career as a Tier 1 service desk analyst for a company responsible for providing support to NAPA auto part dealers. From there, Brian had roles such as lead programmer, project manager, implementation lead, and subject matter expert. Brian comes to Managed Solution from Accenture where he spent the last 13 years managing application outsourcing contracts and staff responsible for delivering the service.
Brian was born and raised in a small town near Peoria, IL. He attended college and spent the first 16 years of his career in Illinois as well. In 2009, Brian jumped at the opportunity to transfer within his company to manage an application outsourcing contract with a client based in San Diego, CA.
Brian is married with two small children and one dog. His son is four and his daughter is two, which keeps him entertained as well as on his toes constantly. His dog, Harley, is an escape artist as he somehow finds a way to break free from any type of containment which includes opening doors.
When Brian isn't in the office he enjoys spending time with his family and watching and participating in sports. Brian is a die-hard Chicago Cubs, Bulls and Bears fan. He also enjoys learning about investing and monitoring the stock market but as of now he seems to be good at only losing money.
Brian has had the opportunity to travel extensively. His favorite places he's visited are Australia and Argentina and the most interesting was India. Another fun fact about Brian, he has a twin brother who also lives in San Diego.
Please join me in welcoming Brian Lacey to the Managed Solution team!
At Managed Solution, we strive to be the best technology based company by investing in our top assets; our people - CAREERS
More Women Are Choosing Software Development Jobs
More and more women are choosing software development jobs- but how can the IT industry keep them there? As written by Jennifer S. on nhsocal.com
It's not much of a secret that the IT world is a bit of a boys club. This is even more true for software development and programming. A Bureau of Labor Statistics study in 2014 found that more than 80 percent of American software developers were male. That's not just a small majority; that's an enormous gender inequality problem.
More women breaking the glass ceiling
But despite this extreme imbalance, more women are choosing programming careers. Although the entire industry is about 80 percent male, 42 percent of software developers with less than one year's experience are now women.
This survey of 855 developers, recently conducted by the Application Developers Alliance and International Data Corporation, also reported that this percentage of women as new-hires corresponded with female enrollment in computer science programs and corporate computer training courses. That means this isn't just a fluke, but rather a trend of more women being comfortable with going into IT.
What are the hurdles and how should women overcome them?
Although this trend of more women going into software development is certainly good to see in terms of gender equality, there's still a long way to go. Women seem to be leaving the industry in droves, much more than their male counterparts. The Harvard Business Review reported on a Center for Talent Innovation study that found women working in science, engineering and technology are 45 percent more likely to leave the industry than the men in these particular fields.
So why are they quitting? The CTI study also states that 44 percent of women in SET fields feel that without female role models in executive positions, they must "behave like a man" to move up the corporate ladder. Along with problems in advancement, women in technical jobs also don't seem to be happy with their pay. About 30 percent of women leaving the industry are doing so because of work conditions such as low salary and no advancement.
That being said, there are greater numbers of options for women to earn more and get promoted to a position where they can become a role model within IT versus other fields, especially when they have IT certifications.
A joint survey conducted by Network World and SolarWinds in 2011 found that out of 700 IT professionals, 56 percent stated that a certification lead to a salary bump while 28.8 percent said it leads to a promotion. This survey showed that any woman who wants to earn more and advance higher in the world of IT should seriously consider a computer-based training certification. New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Southern California is a great place to find education ranging from basic computer training all the way to specific training like CompTIA certifications.
