NOTE: After 2 years with Accent, Joshua has moved on to another opportunity. We wish him the best!
For the dedicated professionals who work in the IT industry, cutting corners and skipping ahead does not bode well for successful outcomes or satisfied clients.
A robust IT plan requires careful consideration, thoughtful insight, and a well-constructed and executed design.
It’s something that Accent’s Professional Services Engineer, Joshua, fully understands. That’s why he always does his homework and is prepared for any challenge that might come his way.
“Josh is always fully engaged in a project and will go the extra mile to adhere to best practices,” said his supervisor Chris, Accent’s Professional Services Manager. “He’s really good about documenting his footsteps, building a foundation, and sharing that knowledge with the rest of the team.”
Even when he needs help from another team member, Joshua never asks a question unless he also has an idea about what the answer may be. His coworkers value his sound reasoning, engagement, and solid input, and they can always count on him to offer his perspective or potential solution to a client problem.
“I enjoy being challenged, and that’s what I enjoy about my position overall,” said Joshua. “It’s exciting when I’m exposed to new things, new types of programs, and new types of problems.”
No Two Days Look the Same
Joshua’s debut in the IT industry was an accident. He actually went to school and earned a degree in Computer Science, which involves programming, not IT. When he landed a job at a small company right out of college, his employer put him to work on IT-related projects. The experience he gained from that position helped him find another IT job with a different IT managed service provider and eventually land his current role at Accent.
Now Joshua has been a valued part of Accent’s team for almost two years.
“As a professional services engineer, I do project-based work,” Joshua explained. “Once a project goes through the sales, review, and planning process and is signed off by the client, it gets passed off to me and my team.”
On any given day, Joshua may assist with Office 365 deployments, new server deployments, upgrades, installations, setting up new software or hardware, developing a project plan, or doing research. Occasionally he also steps in to help the service teams.
With such a wide variety of day-to-day tasks, no two days look exactly the same and there are always new challenges to solve.
Getting Experience on the Cutting Edge of New Technology
The unique challenges that Joshua encounters in his role at Accent tie into his favorite part of his job, which is learning new things. Accent regularly encourages its employees to pursue continuing education opportunities that expand their knowledge and help improve their performance at work.
Joshua is currently working on his Azure Architect Certification, which is a relatively new IT certification focused on cloud-based solutions design.
“The Azure Architect Certification is relatively new, and I’m pretty excited about going for it,” Joshua said. “The company is looking to move into this area in the future, and being at the front of that movement is a great opportunity for me. It’s a lot of work knowing very detailed things in order to earn the certificate.”
Even though he acknowledges that earning a new certification like this is a big challenge, it’s worth it. To Joshua, learning new things is like opening a door to new opportunities. It helps him gain the ability to change and evolve while advancing his professional growth and career development.
Meeting tough challenges head-on also allows Joshua to make an impact not only within Accent, but with the numerous clients he serves as well.
Building Loyalty During a Pandemic
What is it specifically about Accent that has inspired Joshua go the extra mile as he works to solve a plethora of IT problems for his clients? Just like his work, it’s a variety of things.
It’s a flexible work environment that allows Joshua to maintain a decent work-life balance.
“I do have to be flexible with my own personal schedule in order to accommodate project work, like cut-overs and migrations that need to happen after working hours,” said Joshua. “But then if I ever need a doctor's visit, for example, I’ve never had any issues taking care of that and then coming back into work.”
Joshua recognizes the effort that Accent has made to keep its employees connected through the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual happy hours, virtual movie nights, and the monthly all-hands meeting show everyone on the team that their work is appreciated and their input valued. This show of unity and cohesion has always been an integral part of Accent’s organization, but it has been especially important over the past 10 months.
Joshua appreciates that Accent is able to give its employees room to grow. As one of the larger IT companies in southern California, Accent is better positioned to help team members expand their personal skillset and advance within the company. That encourages Joshua to do his homework and show up to every meeting confident and prepared.
“In our department meetings, I can always count on Josh to offer his perspective on things,” said his supervisor Chris. “He's really engaged and wants to see the team succeed.”
Prepared for the Next Challenge
The way that Accent empowers its employees while pushing them to expand their potential makes the company a good fit for Joshua. He has not only grown his professional skillset but he’s grown personally as well.
With the support he receives from management and his team, Joshua is able to tackle the variety of different challenges he encounters each day. That has led to fulfillment and satisfaction in his professional life and balance with his personal life.
“Here at Accent, I’ve been able to do a lot more of the work that I wanted to do,” Joshua said. “The longer I’ve been here, the more opportunities I’ve been given, and I’m very thankful for that.”
With the support of Accent behind him, Joshua feels like he’s prepared for any new challenge that the future might bring.
