Meet Fatah, a Cloud Application Support Engineer at Kion, who discusses his time with the team, learning new tech, and the importance of family.
How long have you been at Kion, and how did you find the company?
It's been ten months since I joined Kion. I was receiving occasional job alerts from LinkedIn that I mostly ignored. But on this day, June 6th, 2022, to be exact, I received one from Kion, and it caught my attention. I reviewed the details, read about the company, and immediately felt it would be a good fit, so I applied, and Juliana Pignotti responded. The rest, as the saying goes, is history!
Tell us about your role at Kion, what you're most passionate about, and the tools and skills you use in your role.
I am a member of the Delivery & Support team. My primary role is supporting our valued customers, ensuring that each interaction with new and existing customers is an opportunity to turn them into fans of Kion.
What I am most passionate about in this role is the way I am empowered to own each customer interaction. An interaction might start as a simple request around using our solution, and end as an opportunity where we get a feature request that is uniquely tailored to meet their needs and, by extension, other customers' needs.
My role requires a combination of skills, from understanding not only our platform but its interaction with the three major cloud providers - AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. My most important skill is my ability to put our customers' needs front and center to ensure they are being taken care of in an efficient and timely manner. In so doing, I might need to lean on my knowledge of database queries, Linux command line tools, and extensive troubleshooting skills to help resolve issues that our customers might face.
What are you currently working on that you're excited about?
Because our platform interacts with all three major cloud providers, having a better understanding of those platforms should help me better support our customers. I'm in the middle of preparing for the AWS Solutions Architect certification, after which I plan to work on Azure and Google cloud platform certifications as well.
I believe these certifications will help position myself and Kion as a knowledgeable and effective technology partner for our customers.
What is it like working on the Delivery & Support team?
It has been an enriching experience working with the Delivery & Support team! For starters, I have a fantastic group of engineers I am working with, and my manager continues to provide me with the platform to showcase my skills and provide me with all the help to be a better version of myself. I am constantly learning new skills and receiving timely feedback, significantly raising my confidence.
What's been the most dramatic change you've seen in the technology industry?
We have all witnessed the rise of mobile devices and the Internet of Things. Still, the one thing that has significantly impacted all the advancements we have already seen is the role of Artificial Intelligence in the use of technology in general. It has spurred various debates ranging from ethics, morality and its potential replacement of human intelligence. These conversations are just getting started; as a company, we need to embrace the surge of AI and see where it enhances our ability to provide our customers with the best products and services.
What sets your role at Kion apart from previous positions?
Kion is the first startup company I have worked for, and unlike bigger and 'older' companies like Dell and AWS that I had worked with in the past, working for a startup company like Kion places me at a considerable advantage to be able to be a part of Kion's success story. I also get to wear many hats at Kion, which only enhances my portfolio.
It is significant that I learn new technologies and approaches to problem-solving that I wasn't exposed to. I get to be a part of putting in place work procedures like documenting best practices and creating FAQs for our customers.
Which benefits are your favorite and why?
There are many, but the flexibility that working remotely offers, the unlimited PTO, and the excellent healthcare benefits all contribute to a healthy work-life balance.
What's your favorite Slack channel at Kion?
My favorite Slack channel is the #random channel. Simply because you never know what to expect when you hear the chime from that channel. I get to learn a ton of new stuff from others.
What keeps you busy outside of work hours?
Caring for my ailing mother takes the bulk of my time outside work. It's especially tricky and challenging having to do it across continents.
What's your favorite way to unwind after a long week?
I make it a point to go outside and visit friends and catch up on my TV shows - The Blacklist and The Equalizer series.
About the Author
Ashley Camara
Ashley is a People Operations Specialist at Kion.
