Meet Byron Escobar, a Software Engineer based in Colombia, who’s been with Modularis for the past two years.
Byron is one of the most self-driven people I have ever met. He’s actively focused on overcoming his own challenges, he takes ownership of them, and exhibits our values very well. He is a quiet person—a man of few words—but also one with tremendous potential. –A.J. Singh, Modularis CEO
What is your role at Modularis?
I’m a software engineer, working mainly for one of our longest-running clients, Sensata Insights. They provide telematics, video, and AI analytics of IoT data across the supply chain.
What does delivering value for your customers mean to you?
Delivering value, for me, is all about meeting the business needs and expectations with each new initiative for the client. Something essential to achieve this, for our Sensata Insights work, has been our deep engagement and open communication with the client. This helps us to truly understand their needs, and find ways to work technically together to deliver a final product of quality and value for their business.
How long have you been at Modularis?
I’ve been working at Modularis for almost two years. I’m confident that I’m in the right place, because at Modularis, each of our corporate values is lived every day. I’m happy to be part of this great family, and I hope to be at Modularis for many more years.
How did you hear about Modularis?
I first heard about Modularis from my friend, Agustín, who I met at university. We were classmates. Agustín had worked at Modularis for several years and told me about his incredible experience there.
Initially, this job seemed unreachable for me. But I had this great opportunity to become part of the Modularis family and I feel fortunate that the company came into my life.
What made you decide to take the job at Modularis?
I was connected to Jaime Marcial through my friend Agustín. That was my first experience with the company; that initial introduction and first conversation with Jaime.
I shared with him my background and experience. I knew that I needed to strengthen my English communication skills and improve on a few aspects of software development. But Jaime gave me the confidence to take on this great challenge. I felt a lot of fear in the beginning; this job opportunity was a significant career change for me, and I worried that my skills might not improve fast enough, or that I might not fit in.
When I met with A.J. and Jaime in person, I realized that I’d made the best decision for my professional and personal growth. Because they are truly living examples of our corporate values. They are great people!
The amount of growth Byron has shown is tremendous. He’s an effective communicator, he’s tackled ever-more complex software challenges and truly taken hold of the goal and doing the work to be the best possible software engineer he can be. –A.J. Singh
What did you do before joining the Modularis team?
I started my career working in the Colombian National Police. It was my first major challenge in my life because I had to combine my studies in technology with my full-time job. It was very satisfying when I graduated as a systems engineer with a great academic record. So at that point, I decided to change my career direction and focus on what I was genuinely passionate about: technology.
I had previously worked on topics related to cyber security. And after leaving the Colombian National Police, I had another technology job at KPMG doing technology audits. But I knew that something needed to be added. I really have a love for software development, and I wanted to do more with that.
And then I got the opportunity to meet the Modularis family and take a significant step in doing my best to meet the daily challenges. A.J. always promises, “At Modularis, you’ll never be bored!” And it’s real! I love the work that we do at Modularis because we always have new challenges to grow professionally and personally.
Where did you go to school?
I graduated from Universidad Libre in Cali, Colombia with a degree in Information Security and Data Science. I am working on additional studies to become a Certified Tech Developer, as part of an educational initiative co-created by Digital House, Mercado Libre and Globant. The goal of the program is to train developers to the highest industry standards. I’ve completed the first part of this program, and now I’m working on additional specialization in back-end developer skills.
What motivated you to study Information Security and Data Science at university and have a career in technology?
Technology was my first passion. When I was a child, I had a lot of curiosity about computers and technology. I liked to experiment with different parts of my computer to see how they worked behind the screen and try different programs. It was fun to figure out how the computer operates; I just wanted to learn everything.
When I graduated from high school, I took my first job opportunity with the police. But I was always thinking about having the opportunity to study something related to technology, and while working with the police, I was able to make progress in my studies and I decided to keep studying that. It was difficult to earn an engineering degree while working a full-time job, but I was able to finish successfully, and that’s the best goal I’ve achieved in my life!
What is your favorite project you have worked on at Modularis?
Since joining Modularis, I’ve worked for Sensata Insights as my main client. And I’m happy to be here because I have met great people who’ve helped me strengthen my communication skills and we’re growing every day. We’re facing daily challenges but we have a great team, we accomplish a lot together.
For Sensata, we work on the SmartAPI. That technology is so important for Sensata Insights and their customers because the SmartAPI is the bridge between devices and dash cams and vehicles and the users. We need to make sure that the communication between devices and the user is successful and that the user experience is the best it can be.
Ever since I started working at Modularis, I’ve experienced significant progress in my professional growth, especially with my communication skills. When I started at Modularis, it was difficult for me to speak with my colleagues. But our team has been so supportive, and has helped me build confidence, and now I try to continue improving each day in these areas.
Tell us about your life outside of work. Family life? Hobbies?
I live with my wife Angela and we have two daughters, Danna Sofía who is 7 years old, and Mariana, who is 3 years old.
My favorite hobby is spending quality time with my family. I enjoy going for walks and spending my weekends with them. I also love continually learning new things. So I dedicate some of my free time to studying new technologies or other new skills and knowledge that help me grow personally and professionally.
He’s one of the most selfless people you’ll ever meet. He’s truly embraced the why of our company and has focused his efforts squarely on lifting up all those he touches, in addition to himself. He’s not just interested in his personal growth; he wants to help those around him grow—the growth he’s chasing isn’t just for himself but for everyone. –A.J. Singh
What are your personal values and how do they help you in your work at Modularis?
First, I am a persistent person who is always willing to learn. I consider myself to be kind, helpful, and respectful. I always strive to fulfill my responsibilities and complete tasks successfully.
Since I’ve begun working with Modularis, I’ve sought to apply each of these values in my daily life. Our leaders trust us to take ownership of our assignments, be committed, be productive, and act in line with our company’s core values.
I feel very grateful to Modularis because they take our well-being into account. They treat us like family and they want us to put our families first, too.