Celebrating 5 Years at DNSFilter: Daniel Areiza

Daniel Areiza is celebrating his 5 year work anniversary here at DNSFilter. He was also given the “Old Timer Award” at our first official award ceremony for all of his outstanding and dedicated work to the company. Read on to learn more about his journey here at DNSFilter. 

Tell me about yourself.

"I am a computer engineer and located in Medellin, Colombia. I got my bachelor’s degree in 2009 and started working as a developer in 2010. I started with PHP and MySQL with CRM. My dad also taught me web technologies as well." 

What made you pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering?

"Computer engineering was my first choice but my father didn’t allow me to take this course so I was actually an automation engineering student at first. It wasn’t the most challenging degree and I found myself bored most of the time; I didn’t see a future for myself in this industry. It was my fourth year when I had to make the difficult decision of switching majors but I’m very happy with my decision and I know it was the right choice."

What made you apply to DNSFilter for the position?

"I was at my previous company for about 5 years and in the middle of that, I realized I wasn’t loving the work and became very bored of my everyday work routine. That brought me to learning new programming languages. Golang, a programming language, was what made me realize I wanted to apply for a different job. I joined the Golang official slack channel and that’s where I saw Mike Schroll’s post about a job offer! I messaged him and was honest about my little knowledge of the Golang language but was willing to work for free so I could gain more experience. About a week later, they offered me a part-time job and four months later offered a full time position. Back then, DNSFilter was still a very small company and it was a risk leaving my previous job to come here. I was in a stable position that let me take care of my family but it was not a fulfilling career.  I only hoped to be in the DNSFilter position for at least 6 months, which wasn’t guaranteed but now it’s been 5 years and I’m so happy I took the risk." 

What has been going well so far?

"Well...everything! The main thing is how I learn new things every day, even after 5 years. Like I said previously, I tend to get very bored with my work but not here. Speaking to Michael, Brian, and Ken everyday really helped me with my English as well. It was very difficult working in a new job with a new language but I’ve learned so much." 

What are you looking forward to with the company?

"I’m really surprised to see how fast the company has grown. So it will be exciting to see the growth of the company. When I started working here, it was only Brian, Ken, Michael and me!" 

What advice would you give to new employees on joining DNSFilter?

"Remote working is so great but you need to manage your time and keep a good balance with your family and loved ones. If you’re looking for a remote opportunity, this is a really great place to work. Everyone that works here is very supportive as well!"‍‍

Any additional points you'd like to add?

"I’m so grateful for Ken, Brian and Michael for giving me the opportunity to work here. I know it was difficult communicating and me being in a different country but I appreciate it so much that they took a chance on me."