Careers aren’t always predictable. As experiences, passions, and priorities change over time, they can open the door to unexpected pathways. Take it from Maria Vittoria Potestio, who transformed a non-technical background into a thriving career as an advanced support engineer with Generation Oracle. This is her story.
Discovering aspirations
When I started my career in technology, I didn’t have a traditional STEM background. I studied communication science because I wanted to be a journalist. Combining writing and traveling was compelling to any introverted bookworm girl, but year after year, I lost passion and became listless. I started to look around in search of something that could motivate me and ended up enrolling myself in a web design laboratory. This is what gently opened the door to technology for me.
I started my apprenticeship in the IT field and soon realized that as much as it could have been intimidating, my desire outweighed the fear of failure. I never saw my background as a gap or limit to my job or aspirations, but as something I could look at when in need of a different perspective or creative approach.
After two years of working in IT, I felt that I needed direction for my professional life. I wanted to find a place that could give me more chances to grow as well as the right tools to do it. I always wanted to be on the vendor side because while working in my previous job, I had the chance to meet them during some calls, and I was always fascinated by their knowledge.
Escalation of surprise
The interview process with Oracle was smooth and fast. My recruiter was very friendly; she knew that I had lost passion in my job and that I was searching for a place that took care of its employees. When she started describing the GenO offer, I couldn’t believe it was real. It was just too good to be true, especially for a non-STEM background candidate with only some years of work experience to put on the plate. The call with my manager was also very interesting and didn’t make me feel like I was out of place. It was an escalation of surprise.
Before the interview, I had to make a short presentation about an Oracle customer story, explaining why I picked it up and why I felt I was a good fit for the position. I picked up the CERN superlab customer story because CERN’s IT department head Frederic Hemmer’s quote spoke to me: “Having a strong partnership with Oracle is very important because we sometimes hit limits in our work that Oracle helps us to overcome.” Overcoming my personal limits has been my mantra and thinking that Oracle could have helped me overcome them was a tiny sprinkle of hope telling me that I was going to the right place.
Finding my way
This surprise escalation didn’t stop at the interview process, of course. When I was scared of being lost in a big company like Oracle, the GenO programme helped me and many others find our way. They gathered us as one single team in one virtual place and provided all the information everyone needed during our first days. During the onboarding phase, we had access to a live class introducing all the OCI modules with the best colleagues explaining them to us.
My team also gave me a great hand, especially my buddy and manager, who were always there to offer me guidance and support. They really put attention into my career development by giving me advice on what to do and in which direction to look when I had a special interest in something.
Renewed passion
I was hit by the great surprise (again) of being in a place where you could touch the passion people have for what they do. The best part of this is that the more they are passionate about their job, the more they want to show you what’s great in what they do or what they use. I never thought that being surprised every day at work for what you do, use, or see would make you feel that you are in the right place. It’s been three months already, and I get surprised every day like it’s the first day.
As part of the Advanced Customer Services team, I deliver not only support but innovation to our customers. Every innovation they make with Oracle products or with the insight we share is like a returned innovation for me as a person. Customer support supports the world.
I have the chance to broaden my knowledge and inspire a new Maria, as I was previously as a customer. One day, I can make a difference and silently direct her to do more, to find another solution if she feels that her aspirations are no longer met where she is.
When I wake up, I am surrounded by all the tools that can lead me to finally be what I have always wanted to be. Every day, I know that there is something new to amaze and interest me. I never feel like a machine that does the same things over and over; on the contrary, every day is a challenge to take, a new passion ready to meet me.
Do you want to explore unexpected pathways to your dream career? Apply to Generation Oracle now!