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Career Downloads

Career Downloads

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Manuel Martinez hosts the Career Downloads podcast where he interviews a different guest each episode to learn about their individual and diverse backgrounds, job history, and techniques they use to manage their career. So plug in and download the knowledge.Copyright © 2024 by Career Downloads All Rights Reserved. Economía Exito Profesional
Episodios
  • From Division I Athlete to Senior IT instructor with Art Green III | Ep058

    From Division I Athlete to Senior IT instructor with Art Green III | Ep058
    Feb 3 2026
    Episode Information Show NotesSometimes the career you’re meant for finds you through the most unexpected path.Art Green III, Senior IT Workforce Programs Instructor at Tech Impact, joins Career Downloads to share his journey from college athlete to tech instructor helping disadvantaged students launch IT careers. His story is a masterclass in resilience, adaptability, and finding fulfillment through service.Guest Background:Art Green III spent his early years as a Division I athlete with dreams of professional sports. When a career-ending injury shattered that identity, he moved to Las Vegas searching for a fresh start. What began as a random job at a travel agency became the unexpected gateway to a 20+ year technology career.Today, Art leads Tech Impact’s IT Works programs in Las Vegas, teaching students from challenging backgrounds the technical and professional skills needed to launch successful IT careers. He also supports instructors across Tech Impact’s locations in Philadelphia, Delaware, and Nashville while developing cutting-edge curriculum including AI training programs.Episode Highlights:Identity Loss and RebuildingArt opens up about the devastating experience of losing his athlete identity after a career-ending injury. Sports had been his entire life since childhood — there was no Plan B. The transition forced him to confront who he was beyond the field and find new purpose.Accidental Entry Into TechNeeding work after moving to Las Vegas, Art took a job as a travel agent. During downtime between calls, his natural curiosity led him to explore the computer systems. He discovered a backend coding interface and taught himself to completely redesign the booking process. That curiosity opened the door to his tech career.The Power of Being the WorstWhen Art started at Dell technical support, he was the worst performer out of 300 technicians. Rather than quitting, he committed to learning. This experience taught him that being the worst in the room is often the best position for growth — a lesson he now shares with his students.Finding Purpose Through TeachingArt’s first taste of teaching came when he trained new Dell hires while traveling the country. He discovered he loved teaching as much as troubleshooting. That seed planted years ago led him to his current role transforming lives through education.Nonprofit vs. For-Profit EducationWorking in for-profit education admissions left Art conflicted. He could spot students who weren’t ready for $80,000 programs but was told to enroll them anyway. The ethical struggle drove him to seek nonprofit education where mission aligned with impact.Tech Impact’s MissionTech Impact’s mission, leveraging technology to create social impact, resonated deeply with Art. The organization serves dislocated, disenfranchised youth, many from difficult circumstances including homelessness. Watching students go from shelters to IT engineering roles at major resorts makes every day meaningful.Student Success StoriesArt shares powerful examples of transformation: students who started the program homeless now working as IT engineers at Las Vegas resorts. The mentorship component brings industry professionals into students’ lives, creating relationships and opportunities that extend far beyond technical training.Authentic Recruiting PhilosophyArt’s approach to student recruiting shifted from begging people to enroll to presenting genuine opportunities. He shares his background and knowledge without selling — creating space for students to make informed decisions about their futures.Key Takeaways:– Your painful experiences often prepare you to help others facing similar challenges– Being the worst performer is an opportunity for accelerated learning– Financial compensation alone won’t sustain you without meaningful work– Transferable skills from past roles apply in unexpected ways– Finding work that creates social impact changes everythingAbout Tech Impact:Tech Impact is a nati...
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    1 h y 16 m
  • From Art Student to IT Manager with Mike Green | Ep057

    From Art Student to IT Manager with Mike Green | Ep057
    Jan 27 2026
    Episode Information Show NotesMike Green didn’t start out planning a career in technology. As a passionate art student in small-town New York, he faced a tough decision: pursue a field he loved with uncertain job security, or pivot to the growing computer industry. He chose computers, and 25+ years later, he’s never looked back.Today, Mike manages the Digital Services Division for Clark County, Nevada IT, leading four distinct teams that deliver enterprise platforms and applications. His journey from a 16-week network technician program to IT leadership wasn’t smooth. It was filled with layoffs, career pivots, and hard lessons about professional communication.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:Mike shares the moment he realized art might not provide long-term security and decided to explore “a job in computers” (they didn’t call it IT yet). He got his start through a 16-week certification program that included a two-week unpaid internship and recruiting support. His first placement was at a telecom company that eventually became part of Verizon.One of the most memorable parts of Mike’s story is how he learned professional communication the hard way. His first few consulting deliverables at a shipping and transportation company were torn apart by his manager. He was using colloquial phrases, plain language, and missing the professional tone clients expected. The feedback stung, but it transformed how he wrote and communicated with leadership.Mike discusses the value of personality assessments, particularly DISC, which helped him understand not just his own working style but how to adapt to people with different personality traits. This skill became crucial when working with elected officials and diverse teams at Clark County.His commitment to giving back shines through his work with Tech Impact, a Las Vegas organization where he mentors students entering technology. His perspective: “If what I had then got me to where I am now, if I help them with this program now, they will be so much farther ahead of me by the time they’re my age.”KEY TAKEAWAYS:Career transitions require honest assessment of long-term security vs. passionChanging jobs every 3 years built diverse technical experience across systems administration, networking, and leadershipProfessional communication skills separate good technicians from great leadersPersonality assessments (like DISC) provide valuable insight for working with diverse teamsKeep your resume updated and practice interviewing regularly, even when you’re not looking for a jobCommunity involvement and mentorship create lasting impact beyond your own careerThinking two steps ahead helps you spot opportunities before they passAdaptability doesn’t mean losing your authentic self — it means understanding how to work effectively with different peopleService to others provides meaning and helps you work through your own challengesABOUT MIKE GREEN:Mike Green is the IT Manager for Clark County, Nevada, where he oversees the Digital Services Division with four teams focused on enterprise platforms and applications. Since starting in IT in 1998, Mike has built expertise across networking, systems administration, and IT leadership. His career has included roles in telecommunications, education, shipping and transportation, and public sector technology. Mike is actively involved in the Society of Information Managers (SIM) and serves as a mentor for Tech Impact, helping shape the next generation of technology professionals in Las Vegas.CONNECT WITH CAREER DOWNLOADS:New episodes release every Tuesday. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform to learn from technology professionals sharing their career journeys. The good, the bad, and the lessons learned along the way. TranscriptionManuel Martinez: Welcome, everyone. My name is Manuel Martinez and this is another episode of Career Downloads. Each episode I basically hit the refresh button, bring on a different guest to learn more about ...
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    1 h y 26 m
  • From Rock Bottom to Tech Leadership with Ray Freeman | Ep056

    From Rock Bottom to Tech Leadership with Ray Freeman | Ep056
    Jan 20 2026
    Episode Information Show NotesThe Week That Changed EverythingRay Freeman’s tech career includes a chapter most people would rather forget. After the 2008 financial crisis, Ray lost his job, his wife lost hers, and their six-bedroom Houston house became a financial prison. Eventually, Ray spent a week sleeping in his car while working contract IT jobs.Today, Ray is President and Chief Strategy Officer of RTS Premier Solutions, serving government agencies with AI and cybersecurity solutions. His story isn’t about avoiding failure, it’s about what happens when you refuse to stay down.What Makes This Episode DifferentRay doesn’t tell the sanitized version of his career. He shares the real story: blowing through money faster than he made it, losing everything in five days, and the humbling experience of living out of his car with a George Foreman grill and a rice cooker from Goodwill.But he also shares how those experiences built the resilience, communication skills, and leadership mindset that drive his success today. You’ll hear about getting fired from AT&T for challenging leadership and then being called back by the CTO who vindicated him completely.Key TakeawaysOn Building Confidence:Ray discovered he was smart by accident. After struggling in traditional school, he took Microsoft certification exams on a whim and scored perfect. That moment changed everything. He learned that finding the right way to learn matters more than fitting into someone else’s system.On Resilience:When Ray lost everything, he didn’t call for help. He bought a styrofoam cooler, found a Dollar General, and figured out how to survive. One week later, he had his first paycheck and could rent an apartment. The experience taught him that survival builds character.On Leadership:Ray got fired from AT&T for going over his manager’s head to warn about a critical infrastructure problem. Weeks later, the CTO called him back, saw the problem immediately, and gave Ray’s company a contract. That experience taught Ray to speak truth to power, no matter the personal cost.On Communication:Ray studied DISC and Emergenetics, psychometric assessments that taught him to recognize how people think and communicate. He learned to modify his tone, pace, posture, and words based on his audience. This skill became the foundation for his ability to simplify complex technical problems for executives.On Goal Setting:When Ray was sleeping in his car, he broke survival into daily goals. Make it to Monday. Get through the week. Get the first paycheck. Find an apartment. This approach of breaking massive goals into manageable chunks became a career skill that serves him to this day.On Business Ownership:Ray used to think owning a business meant doing all the work himself. Learning that business ownership means assembling people, processes, and tools not doing everything personally, transformed how he thinks about scaling and creating opportunities for others.About Ray FreemanRay Freeman is President and CSO of RTS Premier Solutions and co-owner of Win-Win Operations. With over 20 years in technology and a background that includes music production with major artists, Ray brings a unique perspective to tech leadership.His journey from sleeping in his car to leading government technology contracts proves that setbacks don’t define your career, your response to them does.Connect with Ray on LinkedIn or learn more about RTS Premier Solutions.Listen & SubscribeCareer Downloads releases new episodes every week. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss a conversation.Visit careerdownloads.com for more episodes and resources. TranscriptionManuel Martinez: Welcome everyone, my name is Manuel Martinez and this is another episode of Career Downloads. For each episode I basically hit the refresh button, bring on a different guest to learn more about their background and their experiences to help you uncover any actionable advice that you c...
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    1 h y 29 m
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