Behind the Screens- Meet Kevin
Meet Kevin, a seasoned Project Engineer out of our San Luis Obispo office with six years of dedicated service at CIO Solutions (time flies!).
Born on the island of Honolulu, Hawaii, at the age of 4 Kevin moved to Perris, California. He spent much of his life in the Inland Empire, then after college, he bounced around places as far as Niagara Falls, NY. Eventually, he settled in on the Central Coast to be back with his family. When he’s not working during the week or at one of the paintball fields in Central California on the weekends, he hangs out with his 2 little white fluffy dogs, adopted in 2022.
In his role as a Project Engineer, Kevin is responsible for building new servers and networks, along with managing that infrastructure through various projects. He and the rest of the project team do a little of everything, from patching urgent security vulnerabilities to migrating applications and email platforms. “There’s actually very little technical stuff I can think of that we don’t take on in this department.”
Armed with a trifecta of CompTIA certifications—A+, Network+, and Security+—Kevin’s expertise extends beyond the norm, boasting a deep understanding of Linux systems that he cultivated after spending a long time as a community contributor to various Linux distributions before embarking on his IT career.
He loves playing with embedded systems like off-the-shelf routers, NAS, or set-top-boxes and is proficient in C++, Ruby, and various shell-scripting languages. With a knack for diving into the intricacies of technology, Kevin is a true example of the blend of technical mastery and relentless curiosity that drives innovation!
Read on to learn more about Kevin!
What has been your proudest moment at CIO?
Probably winning tech-of-the-year and rookie-of-the-year in 2018. Talk about a surprise. Who knew interns could even be nominated for such things?
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?
“You have to dress for the job you want, not the job you have, and you have to start doing the work you want to be doing.” along with “Fake it ’til you make it” memes. I’ve found a lot of truth in similar advice over the years from my parents and mentors that you just have to: believe in yourself, persevere every day, and keep your eye on the goal.
What was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve had?
I managed a cell phone accessories kiosk in the mall to support myself through college. You learn a lot about persuasion, pitching, and haggling in that kind of job. I laugh at it now, because that’s not at all what I thought I’d be any good at.
Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room? Why?
Funniest. I think people who can entertain and resonate with others’ sense of humor have an incredible gift. To gain favor through interaction is a lot of what leads to successful outcomes in whatever the case may be. Funny people have that going for them.
If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be?
Paintballs. If you know me, you probably saw that one coming a mile away.
What’s something you’re planning on doing in the next year that you’ve never done?
Travel to Europe. Need to knock that off my bucket list. Everyone says it’s amazing.
What do you pretend to hate but actually love?
Cooking. Truth reveal: I pretend I don’t like it because I don’t want to cook for you, in case you don’t like it. But I actually do cook a lot and hardly go out to eat.
What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten? How was it?
“Balut” it’s a Filipino delicacy. Google it. It’s like chicken broth in a shell if you eat it with your eyes closed.
If your life were a movie, who would play you?
For the lulz, Werner Herzog. I think it would be hilarious to see him play anyone in a biopic. Just look and listen to the man in any interaction.
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Bonus: What 3 words would you use to describe CIO Solutions?
Excellence, Organized, Fun
We are proud of our team of skilled and friendly individuals. It’s a unique group of collaborators and innovators who share a common “can-do” mentality paired with a fondness for gifs and puns.
Looking for opportunities to join our team? Visit our Careers page to see all open positions in our Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Fresno offices!