Chris Najera
Director of Innovation and Technology
Willdan Group Inc.
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
My father was an engineer, so I was fascinated by engineering and technology from a young age.
My first job out of undergrad was with a structural engineering firm.
I foresaw the bust in the housing market and my own layoff, so I looked for new opportunities.
I ended up interviewing for my current job, where they asked me if I could build an enterprise app.
I replied "yes," (even though I didn't know how to build the app), got the job, then figured it out.
That was a defining moment in my life: realizing I couldn't be fearful, I just needed to say "yes."
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Director of Innovation and Technology
I lead the company in thinking about different ways to solve very common engineering problems.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Technology
Teaching / Mentoring
Day to Day
The typical day-to-day work is mostly operational, making sure servers and systems are up and running, etc. But my high-level work is all about problem-solving, usually revolving around implementing a particular system, or designing a new approach that will solve a very difficult problem for our clients. My company is domestic, but I travel extensively to meet with stakeholders, VPs, CEOs, and to walk them through different systems that will help them solve their business problems.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for middle school students
You need a natural curiosity - technology by its very nature grows organically through curiosity, through people taking an interest in a tool, and then figuring out more innovative ways to use that tool. You need to look at something and be thinking, "Is there a better way to use this? Is there a different way to think about this?" That's the very basis of how development evolves.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"You're too young to get my respect."
