27/03/2023
Alum Borja Pérez Guasch explains how IE University helped him blend business and technology to transition from computer engineering to his current role at AWS.
Borja Pérez Guasch loves technology and its ever-evolving nature. After gaining academic and real-world experience in software coding and development, he realized that he wanted to take this passion one step further by adding business skills to his resume. This desire led him to the Master in Computer Science & Business Technology at IE University, a disruptive program that teaches students how to bridge the gap between business and tech. The result is a highly in-demand set of skills that any well-rounded professional can use to navigate the ever-changing biztech world.
A technical start
According to Borja, “99% of businesses today wouldn’t be able to operate without technology.” The fact that tech powers almost everything nowadays is one of the main reasons why he chose to pursue his Bachelor in Computer Engineering.
Borja completed several internships in the course of his undergraduate program before joining Accenture, where he held a full-time position as a computer engineer for one year. Though he liked the challenge of complex coding, he was unsatisfied: his role didn’t allow for any direct interaction with customers, nor did he have the chance to participate in the planning phase or come up with requirements for products.
“I realized that perhaps I was lacking the tools to be able to work in a different position that was more customer-facing,” he says. While his bachelor’s degree and work experience gave him a solid foundation in various technology tools, it didn’t teach him how to apply his knowledge to business operations or strategy.
Expanding his skill set
So Borja went on a search to find the nexus between business and tech, determined to learn more than just software. He wanted to become skilled in new technologies such as cloud computing, big data, IoT or ML (machine learning)—something he wasn’t exposed to during his bachelor’s degree.
While conducting his research online, he came across IE University’s Master in Computer Science & Business Technology and soon discovered it was exactly what he was looking for. What’s more, he had plenty of reasons to consider studying this disruptive program. “On one hand, it teaches you the knowledge needed to start a career in cloud engineering, machine learning or data analytics,” says Borja. “On the other, it combines these lessons with presentation skills and more business-oriented topics.”
Delving into biztech
When he first started his Master in Computer Science & Business Technology, Borja didn’t quite know exactly what he was looking for in terms of his ideal role. It was only during his third term in the program when he took a course on cloud computing—which he knew nothing about before—that he realized he was really interested in the field.
Borja says that, for him, the most valuable part of the program was the hands-on skills he gained through doing case studies.
“I was able to learn from real businesses and understand not only the product that they offer to their customers but also how they operate.”
Kicking off a new career at AWS
During the program, Borja started the selection process to join Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS provides cloud computing services, which is the on-demand delivery of IT resources over the internet under a pay-as-you-go model.
IE University recently joined forces with the AWS Academy—e-commerce giant Amazon’s cloud computing training program that aims to better prepare students to gain accredited certifications that will boost their careers and make their resumes more appealing for cloud-related positions.
Three months after graduating from IE University, he joined AWS through its graduate residency program known as AWS Tech U.
“The program consists of six months of technical training where they taught us about the breadth of AWS services and when to apply each one to what scenario,” says Borja. “Afterward, you then join your destination team and start having meetings with customers and engaging with them one-on-one.”
He now works as a specialist solutions architect at the company, assisting customers to build applications using AWS cloud services. As a specialist in compute—as opposed to analytics or machine learning—he helps them reduce the cost of their workloads while building their flexibility and overall resiliency.
A passion for his work
What Borja likes the most about his work is that every day presents a new challenge that only serves to broaden his knowledge and expertise. Most of his customers approach him with problems he’s never seen before. He then has to engage in deep learning about the relevant technology in order to present them with viable solutions. “It requires an understanding of not only AWS services but also various open-source tools that customers might be using and integrating with those services,” he explains.
Borja recommends that any student who’d like to take on the Master in Computer Science & Business Technology, but lacks a strong background in programming software, should get familiar with the basics so that they feel more comfortable when starting the program. And that although it is quite demanding, the program will give them the skills to be successful in a wide subset of careers that are very in demand right now.
For Borja, his main takeaway from the program is this: “Your previous successes are somebody else’s objectives. Don’t take for granted what you’ve accomplished or think it doesn’t have value because that could be somebody else’s next step.”
