Fusing Tech With Business Know-How

Sooner or later, everyone has that “a-ha” moment for their career. Whether it’s a complete career change, an opportunity to advance a certain skill set or learning something new to augment current responsibilities, it’s this moment that can be transcending.

For business analysis certificate graduate Dany Bonaventura, that moment came when he saw a long-lost 1995 interview with Steve Jobs by Bob Cringley for The Triumph of Nerds TV special. In 2011, the master tape from this interview was recovered and released as a 70-minute feature film. Dany—who is not shy about saying that Steve Jobs is one of his biggest heroes—quickly found that film online and was engrossed.

Why?

Since 2010, Dany’s entire professional career has been based in tech—electronics, circuits, hardware and software solutions, you name it. His technical chops are first- class, buoyed by a networks and communications engineering degree from Universidad Tecnológica del Centro (UNITEC) in Venezuela. His work is truly global in nature, from engineering roles in Venezuela, Italy, Qatar and his current residence in Spain.

In fact, it was after completing his role as an intelligence transportation systems lead engineer working on two state-of-the-art projects for Qatar in its road to the FIFA World Cup when Dany remembered that Steve Jobs interview.

“As I was returning from Qatar, I considered complementing my professional career by learning about how businesses deeply work,” he reflects. “All of my curiosity and inspiration came directly from Steve Jobs because he created one of the most important IT companies from scratch as a self-taught person. Since the moment I saw this interview, something inside me knew that I had to learn about business analysis and I had to do it at a remarkable university. I want both technical and business prowess as a professional.”

Business analysis is an interesting field in that it can include both technical and business-operations perspectives. Why did you choose our certificate?

UC Berkeley is one of the best universities in the world, and Extension has an amazing history since its foundation in 1891. I was not willing to negotiate on the prestige of where I wanted to be educated.

I found the business analysis certificate by doing an exhaustive online investigation, then studied my financial options and then dove right in! With this certificate, I was looking to learn about how businesses are structured, how they decide to undergo a project or hire a third party, how they plan, how they manage the internal and external relationships, et cetera, so this certificate fit me like a glove.

You were—and continue to be—living in Spain while you were taking classes. How was online learning for you?

The overall experience was very good; the courses were well-organized and structured. I had very good interactions with fellow students and the instructors. To highlight an anecdote, I particularly remember instructor Anthony Minstein being very supportive of me. He took time out over a Zoom call only for me to explain his class in more detail. That is priceless, honestly.

I met a lot of good people who shared their points of view and I felt comfortable to share mine. This was an enriching process, not only as a professional but as a person.

"This certificate opens an enormous door that will skyrocket my professional career as an AI expert."

Since completing the program, you’ve continued in more technical roles.

At the end of my last course, I was working at an amazing company called Nfq Advisory Services as a consultant for Banco Santander Spain. Now I’m working as a software engineering specialist at Santander. My work mainly focuses on IT project management for diverse projects in the payment methods area.

I have had great colleagues who supported my ideas and trusted and believed in me while I was studying for the certificate. We are currently working on a new concept called “Tribe,” where business, operations and technology—my area—work hand-in-hand like a family to organize and complete all our goals. This style of management and environment allows a shy person like me to be able to offer the learnings from this certificate in service of these projects and makes me rest assured that my voice and ideas are heard.

What does earning this certificate mean to you?

A lot, in just a few words.

It was a goal, a real-life challenge and a lot of dedication to complete the certificate because I was studying simultaneously for an M.Sc. in artificial intelligence from Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR).

As a professional, I feel that I have both technical and business skills, which is amazing. From my perspective, even when life has been pretty hard, this achievement is a reminder that everything is possible with willingness, dedication and passion.

Your drive for success and growth is self-evident! Where do you envision yourself in five to 10 years from now?

My goal is to be a director of AI, and I am working hard on meeting this goal. This certificate opens an enormous door that will skyrocket my professional career as an AI expert. I am in love with what I do and my passion about IT will never cease, so I see myself leading state-of-the-art AI projects in the future.

And to instill that same drive to others—what advice do you have for our future students?

Be willing to sacrifice a lot of your leisure time for something bigger; in due time, you will understand that the end justifies the means. Follow your dreams and be passionate—passion will keep the light of curiosity lit in your minds and keep you moving forward in the hardest time.

Ask your instructors and classmates anything—no question is trivial as there is always an opportunity to learn from the experiences of others.

Be organized and structured and never let your homework accumulate.