Meet Alexandros Gkargkanas – AT&T Team Leader, Brno, Czech Republic
NSC is an organisation of 2,500 people around the world, many of them working directly for our clients. Alexandros leads a team for AT&T, based in Brno where our Global Network Operations Facility is located.
Hi Alexandros,
You joined NSC in 2017. What brought you to our organisation?
A friend of mine was working for NSC, and he knew I wanted to work in the IT industry. He told me about the very good and positive working environment he experienced and the opportunity NSC gave him to work for a big telecommunications company like AT&T. So naturally I was very interested in being a part of an energetic and international team.
How did you find yourself working in the IT industry for a career?
I was working in the dining industry as a bartender and store manager for the last 12 years, and I decided to change my focus when I reached a point where I achieved everything I wanted to learn in that field, and wanted to find something new to expand my abilities and knowledge.
I have an associate degree in computer programing and network technician so it is something I wanted to do for a long time, however the opportunities in the IT field in Greece were limited and couldn’t compare to the opportunities that a multinational company with years in the IT field like NSC would offer, so I took the opportunity that NSC gave and moved to another country.
What are the most important skills a Network Support Team Leader needs to succeed?
I would say that soft skills and people skills is a must in any managerial position. Also, a leader must be a role model for the team and have the full knowledge of the service he/she supports. Fortunately, I had the work background as a store manager to develop those skills, also I was part of the team as an agent for almost two years before becoming a team leader and I think this helped a lot.
You have qualifications in animation and 3D art, does this help with day to day networking tasks?
The advanced creativity cultivated throughout the years of working as a 3D designer, and the “out of the box” way of thinking, have certainly helped me a lot when dealing with challenging circumstances and certainly there are a lot of them in the UA environment.
Working with so many people around the world, who are representing their culture, their way of thinking and are willing to help, support and learn from each other is a priceless opportunity
What advice would you give to those starting out as IT Engineers today?
Working in IT can be quite demanding sometimes, however the teamwork and management support helps a lot overcoming those and also provides you the opportunity of mastering your skills. My personal experience was more than I ever expected, which eventually led me to take the decision and take a step forward and become a team lead.
What tech network innovations excite you the most?
I like the work that is being done now with optical wireless networks I am pretty curious to see how it will be 10 years from now.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Working in everyday basis with so many people around the world, who are representing their culture, their way of thinking and are willing to help, support and learn from each other is a priceless opportunity.
What do you enjoy most about working in Brno?
Brno is a lovely city with amazing places to visit and learn so many things about central Europe. There are several parks for nature lovers, museums and galleries for those who feel more artistic. Also, I’d be a liar if I didn’t mention the beer also.
And, finally, what do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy playing video games online, rides with my motorcycle and getting together with my D&D group once or twice a month for some pen and paper role playing games.
Thanks Alexandros!
