Welcome to our first edition of Rocketeers Recognized – where we get to know one of our own a little better.
Our first spotlight is on Brian Nguyen. Brian is confident, competitive, and decisive – at least that’s what his friends would say about him. He’s got a passion for coffee, sushi, and watch collecting and he knows how to have a good time. What does Brian do to de-stress, and what does he think about the question, “where do you see yourself in five years?”.
Read on to find out and to delve a bit further into Brian’s life to see what makes him tick!
What three words would your friends use to describe you?
The three words my friends would use to describe me are confident, competitive, decisive.
Outside of work? Passions, hobbies, interests?
Outside of work, I like trying out new sushi restaurants and travelling to different places with my wife. I also like to taste different kinds of coffee and learn about making coffee. I am also into watch collecting. It can be an expensive hobby, but a lot of watches can be affordable if you know the style and brand to look for.
Morning or evening routine?
My morning routine is making lattes with my espresso machine and experimenting with different coffee beans and recipes along with breakfast with my wife. Then my day starts with stand-up and checking emails.
What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?
My favorite way to spend the day is with a trip to my favorite coffee shop, Paper Planes in Montclair, NJ, Pizza at Ralph’s Pizzaria in Nutley, NJ and playing video games with my friends. I also like to travel when we can as much as possible to new places.
What do you do to de-stress?
If I am stressed out about something, I need to sleep. After a good nap, I can refocus on a task or have a more enjoyable day.
Would you say you’re more of an extrovert or an introvert?
I am an extrovert by heart. I enjoy being sociable with new individuals who I can learn from and be honest with.
If you could only eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If I could only eat one dish for the rest of my life, it would be blue fin tuna. One of my goals in life is to make enough money to eat blue fin tuna every day.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I love to develop complex and unique solutions for our customers. The challenge can be very rewarding and you grow a lot faster when you tackle tough projects and succeed.
What is the key to achieving success in your role?
I believe there are multiple combinations of keys to be successful. The first key is overcoming complacency. The second key is excelling at where your strengths are and finding a skillset that makes you stand out from the rest. The third key is being ahead of the curve in learning new technologies or skillsets.
What is your go-to work productivity hack?
My go-to work productivity hack is to put on headphones and listen to music while working. It gets me into my zone so I can focus on the task.
What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute to your success and why?
I believe being a people person attributes most to my success because by talking to successful individuals, I was able to learn their success recipes and mold them to myself. You must find the correct individuals though, because some “successful” people don’t align with your values or strengths as a professional.
Do you believe in having a five-year plan?
I think having a five-year plan is great on the caveat that it is generic and not specific to a job. Honestly, in 5 years, I don’t know where my career will take me. So, I base my plan on points such as, income, skillsets achieved, leadership position, etc. An example of a past 5-year plan I had was being a healthcare administrator for a skilled nursing facility. Not achievable now because of where my career shifted, which causes your five-year plan to change or expire.
What advice would you give to your younger self, from a professional perspective?
Take the unknown path, it is well worth the risk.
What’s the career highlight you’re most proud of?
I implemented a custom login portal solution for a Fortune 500 company.
Professionally speaking, what’s something you’re excited about right now?
I am excited about moving to the next level in my career which is Delivery Architect.
What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?
Working on all the skills needed to become a Delivery Architect.
