I worked for RECF for 4 years AMA

vexvoltage · May 25, 2019, 4:52pm

Hi my Name is Dillon Lee, I worked for RECF for 4 years so lets do this.
VRC MS- 5015
VRC HS 1200F: ZFense
RECF 2015-2019 - IT Specialist
5th largest foundry in US - Automation Technician
UWO Present - EE
Mentored SMC 1200

GBHS_VEX_Member · May 25, 2019, 6:37pm

Okay, completely random question that popped into my head right away:
Do you get to know next year’s game before everyone else?

Thanks for doing this AMA, and I might think of a better question later, but I just want to know.

vexvoltage · May 25, 2019, 6:39pm

Nope, I know the game maybe a few seconds early when the website is getting updated.

I also appreciated this because then the worlds ceremony would not be as special to me.

The GDC Team works very hard keeping it a secret to make it special for staff and competitors alike.

3034 · May 25, 2019, 9:10pm

Is there anything with your job that bothers you?
What do you think was the most balanced vex game overall?
What’s your favorite color?
Do you like sushi?

Anomaly · May 25, 2019, 9:22pm

What are the best and worst parts of working for the RECF?

Freshscott · May 25, 2019, 9:44pm

What does it take to work for the RECF?

vexvoltage · May 25, 2019, 9:53pm

@3034

What do you think was the most balanced vex game overall?

i really liked gateway back in the day for two reasons, one small robots could use the gate as a protection from larger strategies, and more advanced teams could score over the wall

What’s your favorite color?

Green

Do you like sushi?

Yes, I really do enjoy it, do not eat it as much now that I am in Wisconsin, but given opportunities I do still eat it.

@3034 @Anomaly This will be put together of the two, since it falls in the same category IMO.

Is there anything with your job that bothers you? / What are the best and worst parts of working for the RECF?

I first want to make this VERY Clear I left RECF I no longer work there, that is why I titled it worked for, had to start with that statement.

Working for the RECF was an amazing opportunity, it taught me so much about data analysis, IT systems, Help Desk, Project Management, and working with Teams (Employees specifically not competition teams). Moving to Texas taught me so much about working in more corporate world of things, how companies (especially a non-profit) runs from the operation side of things. It was just amazing, to top it all off I got to work with some of my best friends. Brad Lauer is an amazing Mentor that I still can not thank enough, then just getting to work with IFI’s IT team was a blast also.

The worst part about RECF was never the job, I left a happy employee honored to be given that role, but I did not like where I was living, and I missed being close to home. Then to top it all off I started thinking about going back to Industrial Controls (Which my degree is in) and started down the path of moving on from RECF. I got a job at a new company which is helping me with Tuition reimbursement for my EE, they helped me move back home to my family and to top it all of I am getting married in a month which is also in Wisconsin. I wanted to be home and moving to Texas solidified that.

Hopefully that answers what you were looking for, if not let me know.

vexvoltage · May 25, 2019, 9:55pm

This one I can not answer, every position is different, the company is always changing and it could be different from when I left and again in two months. This is a normal thing in the world of company’s only filling what they need and it changes every day.

If you are interested work with your local RSM, they might be able to give you a better picture of the regions needs.

goin_nil · May 25, 2019, 11:28pm

Coke or Pepsi?

Mac or PC?

eBooks or real books?

vexvoltage · May 25, 2019, 11:36pm

Pepsi (pretty popular in Wisconsin)

PC, I come from IT managing mac in corporate environment is a huge pain without a dedicated person. If you want to know personal preference for hardware I recommend Lenovo, ThinkPads are great laptops, and Thinkcenters are great desktops that are easily upgraded.

Real books for personal reading, ebooks for college or educational books (all hail ctrl + f).

DrewWHOOP · May 26, 2019, 12:58am

Is mexican food as good in Wisconsin as it is in Texas?

Gear_Geeks · May 26, 2019, 12:59am

I can answer that one!

Foster · May 26, 2019, 1:00am

Is Dave Flowerday and the other WAB software team as cool as they seem? They make software that “Just Works”. As someone that had to integrate with their software, how hard/easy was it to meld it into the one site?

vexvoltage · May 26, 2019, 1:39am

@DrewWHOOP Not even close, but we are not known for it, so it makes since. We have Cheese, Brats, and Adult Beverages…

@Foster DWAB is an amazing group of guys that I enjoyed getting the pleasure to work with. They are as cool as they seem. Even when I would get DB files back from TM, most of the time it was a simple copy paste mistake and nothing was ever really wrong with anything in the software, sure bugs come up, they are just few and far between (unless people are not reporting them).

The systems they use to integrate into Robotevents in very robust and over the past year the strength between RE and DWAB I hope has grown a little bit before I left ( I hope). @Dave_Flowerday and @Mike_Soukup May have other views about me and all of my emails but that is up to them and the rest of the great team to decide.

I do want to put this out there, DWAB always went, and still goes above and beyond the asks of them. They have produced amazing solutions to unique problems. For Example we have RPI, they are beta testing Wireless RPI, the control fields and monitors, and at VEX worlds the LED’s on the fields was an amazing solution to what was originally “Wouldn’t be cool if”.