Inside GE Digital: Meet Carlo P., A Site Reliability Engineer At Our Cincinnati Office
What is your GE Digital story?
I joined GE Digital about four months ago. I was actually made aware of the opportunity through a friend, who recently got a job at GE Digital. Before that, I actually never heard of Predix, and so GE was very distant for me. I never thought of GE as a place to work, because I always had this perception that GE was very industrial, and my background was in computer engineering.
But as I started talking to more employees here, I realized that GE Digital had strong visions for combining both the digital and industrial world. That was very exciting to me, and I wanted to be a part of that. I thought the idea of all these machines suddenly becoming integrated into the digital world, there was a huge opportunity for this company, my team and myself to be successful. It was an offer I couldn’t pass on.
I think what also got me excited about working for GE Digital is the scale and exposure to all these different industries that I don’t think you can get elsewhere. You’re talking about a company that goes from making wind turbines to jet engines and healthcare equipment. Jumping into a company with a digital perspective on a wide range of machines and industries is pretty amazing I think.
What does your day to day look like?
As a Site Reliability Engineer here at GE Digital, I really don’t feel like there’s a standard day-to-day.
On some days, I could be driving technical change from a design or operations perspective. If through an audit or review my team is leading, I see something that I believe is a concern, I drive that change. And that process is very soft-skills based, with me trying to explain the business need for that change. Because with every change comes with a cost for the business, and ultimately the customers. It becomes very soft-skills based on that side.
But on the other side, my job is very technical. It’s about developing the tools and capabilities for my department, so that we can find those reliability issues and drive change even faster, more proactively and cost effectively.
How do you feel like you’re making an impact through your work?
So I work for the CoreTech organization here, and what we do is that we provide the IT infrastructure for all the other GE businesses. We provide the solutions that make sure things stay reliable, resilient and truly drive value and cost efficiencies for the business and our customers.
Take a jet engine as an example, where my role comes in is that I help provide the infrastructure that lowers operational cost and allows the engine to be designed and manufactured more reliably, which reduces costs further, and that’s how GE can stay competitive in the jet engine market. And that’s why we fly on planes that have GE engines in them.
So when you talk to people about why GE jet engines have such a strong name in the aviation industry, I think it’s because of the work we do in the background. You may not be able to point it out, like a button on a website, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not making an impact.
What’s your favorite part of your role?
Not having a typical day is definitely something I like about my role. It’s a very dynamic job and I enjoy that. At every turn, I’m learning something new, and we’re building something new that has never been done before or tried before. I think continued education is a big thing for me, and that’s what I really love about my role. I get so much exposure to continuing education because we’re constantly pivoting and trying new things.
If you could only use 3 words to describe your manager, co-workers and team culture, what would they be? Why?
Ambitious. Helpful. Understanding. I use those three words together because, my team, we’re very ambitious about what we do. That may not be something that everyone would enjoy. But for me, as a young professional in particular, that ambition pushes you and gives you an opportunity to make a name for yourself. And you do that by hitting the ground running, and work on things that maybe not everyone is prepared to tackle.
Helpful is important in that ambition because you can only do so much alone. You likely can’t solve all the problems yourself. So while my team is ambitious, there’s this strong collaborative, helpful culture at the same time. When I talk to my co-workers and ask if they can help me with a roadblock or problem, they’re very quick to help me or find the right person who can help me.
I think my team is also very understanding on a personal and professional level. We’re a very diverse team with different cultures and backgrounds, and I think that understanding comes with those attributes.
That understanding creates a very trusting environment, both personally and professionally. Professionally, I know we can openly share and receive honest feedback, with the understanding that it is to help improve our work, and not personal attacks or office politics. And personally, I just feel comfortable with the people I work with and know that they understand who I am.
What is something people may not know about working at GE Digital?
Before I started here, when you hear GE, the first that probably comes to mind is Corporate America at its finest. But the second I got here, even with that perception and hearing that stereotype from my social circles, I was completely wrong. Even with our size and history, Corporate America is not exactly what we are, especially in GE Digital. We have the best things of an established company, with the best of a growing company.
What was something you hadn’t expected when you started at GE Digital?
I think one of the things I hadn’t anticipated was the empowerment and autonomy you’d get here, and how GE really allows you to champion what you think is right when it comes to your work and your role. GE, being as large as it is, means that, for example, your manager isn’t going to be able to manage every interaction you have at work, so you’ll have to dive into it yourself at some point. It can be overwhelming at times, but it also challenges you professionally and allows you to really drive your own career here.
What do you like about working and living in Cincinnati? Why do you think someone should consider relocating to Cincinnati for work?
Cincinnati is one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest. So on top of working for a growing company, you’re in a growing city, and for me that’s just a win-win. In terms of the city and metropolitan area, I’m not sure you can go anywhere else, short of some place like San Francisco or New York, and get as much as you want there.
There’s honestly not something I wanted to do that I couldn’t find in Cincinnati. Whether you’re talking about art, theater, or outdoor attractions like a national park or skiing resort. I just can’t say that I found one thing outside of my GE Digital life that I couldn’t find in Cincinnati. And coupled with the fact that the city is growing, there have been lots of interesting nightlife areas popping up, if that’s something you enjoy. So there’s something for everyone here.
There’s also not a huge saturation of tech talent here yet, compared to other popular tech hubs. So the thought process there for me was, do you want to go where everybody is going, or do you want to go to a place that’s growing, that has strong presence and has a need that you know nobody is filling yet?
And that’s exactly what I see Cincinnati as. The city is growing and there are lots of great changes happening here. You have an opportunity to make a name for yourself here, with a great company. From a career perspective, I think you want to be there before something big happens. And I think Cincinnati is like one of those places.
What’s your favorite spot you like to visit in Cincinnati?
This is a very cliché answer, but I really like the Fountain Square area. You can visit the contemporary art museum, go ice skating in the winter, visit the Carew Tower and see the city, have dinner, and then visit a local bar all in a square block. It’s a cliché answer because everyone goes there, but I truly enjoy that area, especially in the winter. And in the summer, they even do live music and salsa in the square.
We’re hiring! Join the GE Digital team in our Cincinnati office!
Staff Infrastructure Architect
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