Our guiding force at Sparq is our mission: to create high-quality technology jobs in Middle America cities where talent is often overlooked. Our Mission in Action showcases Sparq colleagues who represent how this mission impacts individuals and the communities in which we operate.
Ron Ostrander is a proud Buffalo native who’s lived in the area his entire life. “We have beautiful summers, colorful autumns and gorgeous scenery within a short drive of the city. Not to mention really, really good food wherever you go!” After we announced that Sparq was coming to Buffalo, Ron became one of our very first local colleagues. Learn about his career journey and how RSI has helped him grow in his profession.
Harnessing his talent
Ron’s path to working in technology has been full of twists and turns. While he realized in college that he had an aptitude for technology, and programming in particular, he didn’t graduate and began working in customer service at a local bank, then transitioning to an IT support role. While self-training in his spare time, Ron decided to go back to school for a formal degree in IT. He parlayed his hard work into a job as a programmer for an insurance company, but after five years the company downsized its IT department and he was let go. He landed on his feet and became a test engineer at a local technology company where he was able to put his skills to full use to learn QA and Agile practices.
An opportunity to grow
While he was doing well in his role as a test engineer, Ron wanted a position that offered further career advancement and training, which was tough to find in the Buffalo area. “I had almost given up on finding an opportunity like this until I saw a report on the news about RSI coming to Buffalo. I had my eyes open for a while and such opportunities were rare to say the least!” After joining the team, he found that he would have substantially expanded opportunities for personal growth and career development. “This role will challenge me to do things I’ve never done before and I’ll be able to use tools and learn technologies I never had the opportunity to before. It seems like no two projects are alike, which means even more opportunity to do new and interesting things. RSI does not appear to be an employer where becoming stagnant is something I need to worry about!”
Getting involved and staying connected
Staying in Buffalo has always been important to Ron and now with an elderly mother in the area, he plays a vital role in making sure she stays active and social. That’s why he’s happy to have found a fulfilling career in QA, while living where he can stay connected to family. And even though some of Ron’s team works out of other development centers, he still feels connected to and valued by his colleagues. “Every single person I’ve met has been incredibly helpful and personable, has had a positive attitude and is genuinely friendly. I feel that my manager and development center director are truly invested in my success.”
We’re hiring! To learn more about our open positions, head to our careers page.
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