Meet James

Describe your educational background. Where did you study, what degrees did you receive? 

I have a BA in Computer Science, and I am presently 3 credits shy of a MS in Telecommunications. 

Describe your career history. What have been your professional experiences prior to your current position? 

Before working full time at Random House I was the Systems Support Coordinator at Harlequin Books, and Director of IT at SciMedMedia. I was also a substitute teacher for a public elementary school in the Bronx.

What are your current roles and responsibilities? 

I played a vital role in the XP migration and presently I’m involved with improving customer satisfaction with Information Technology. I also analyze various software and hardware issues.

Describe a typical day at your job: 

My job changes daily depending on the work flow. In addition to working on the system support side, I am part of the remote team. For the remote team, I work on blackberry functionality problems and laptop issues. On a good day I could be researching how various software interacts with each other and on the hardware that we use. Typically you can catch me running around the building working on assigned computer issues or answering questions that are randomly thrown at me.

What attracted you to your company and position? What is your favorite thing about your job? 

I was originally an intern at Random House, so this let me experience the bond that many of the employees have with each other. The benefits are great, and I am able to learn something new everyday. I love to soak in knowledge and the IT team at Random House allows me to quench that desire.

What has been your most memorable moment (so far) in your job? 

My most memorable moment was when I realized how well the XP migration was going. Once my boss told me what a great job I was doing, all other troubles just faded away.

If you could meet anyone from history, living or dead, who would it be? 

Michael Jordan because he was told he could not do the things that he did. He is my motivation!

If I were a cartoon character, I would be… 

The Brain, from Pinky and the Brain because he was always determined to take over the world even when he failed!

What qualities do you feel are necessary to be a successful employee at your company? 

You have to live for success--if you fail, you have to get over it and continue.

Have you had the opportunity to travel as part of your job? 

I was asked to travel to Westminster for work but due to a new addition to the family I have not been able to. I am sure that the opportunity will always be there, and I intend on taking advantage of this as soon as I can.

Do you feel you have a good understanding of Bertelsmann and its corporate culture? 

Yes I do, Bertelsmann promotes hard work but also family values. At Random House not only do I work on computers, I am also able to play for the company basketball team. Also, I have formed many bonds with people that I respect and admire. Here I am able to learn something new about other cultures every single day. Everyone at Random House works very hard but are also able to live an outside life, which means they are able to live a normal life consisting of friends, family, and fulfilling other desires.

My favorite book, movie and artist are… 

Dante’s Inferno, too many favorite movies and artists to single one out.

Finally, please write a paragraph or two about yourself, your interests, hobbies, goals, meaningful life experiences, role models, memories, etc.:

My main hobby was playing basketball with friends. Now my hobbies consist of seeing and hanging out with my family as much as possible. I lost a great friend and this made me notice that family is a very important part of my life. Since I know we all won’t live forever, I try to spend as much time as possible with the people I love. Besides that, I am currently pursuing the third stage of my ultimate goal to finish my Masters and continue learning. The first two stages consisted of getting my Bachelors degree, and having the feeling of great accomplishments. I guess the kid from the Bronx has come a long way and will continue to strive for success!