Meet Shanti Mitchelson, VP of ACS Delivery based out of our Jersey City, New Jersey office. Read on to learn about his AvePoint story, challenges he’s encountered and overcome in his career, what he’s gained from his experience at AvePoint, and more!
What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered and overcome in your career?
I started my career doing clerical work for a small business. At the time, everything was paper-based and hours could be spent filing and assigning request forms. These requests were the backbone of the business, as they dictated employee schedules, the materials they needed to produce, and how billing was processed. Something as simple as misplacing materials could net hundreds if not thousands of dollars of loss.
Motivated by the technology available at the time, I opted to spend off hours modernizing as much of the process as I could. Within weeks fax requests were being fed into an OCR driven system, which allowed the remaining steps to all be managed electronically. Throughout my career I’ve tried to carry this momentum with me (whether or not I was familiar with the underlying technology or industry norms). My motivation to learn and do is always driven by my desire to challenge standard practices.
What advice would you give to people that aspire to attain what you’ve accomplished?
In some ways, AvePoint can be akin to a “choose your own adventure” story. We have never prescribed to a single approach in problem solving and empower those that seek to forge a path forward. If you have strong enough convictions, we are always open to listening and encourage you to share your vision.
What are you interested in accomplishing next in your career?
If opportunity permits, I would love to devote more time to initiatives that allow technology to be applied to a greater good. When there is a quantifiable environmental or social impact, the outcome is far more fulfilling. I have entered this year with a conscious desire to put action behind these words.
What drew you to AvePoint?
Many years ago I was at a job fair, waiting to share my resume with another company. The waiting line was so long that it bled over into a neighboring booth. Ironically, I never got my resume to the other company, but did strike up a great conversation with the company who’s booth I was blocking—AvePoint.
What I’ve always found compelling about AvePoint is the sense of community. It’s not uncommon for a day of interactions to span teams, departments, or even regions. We seldom get to choose who we work with, so being able to share a space with equally open-minded and driven individuals makes the experience that much better.
What have you gained from working at AvePoint?
Confidence. Everything can seem daunting if you’re unwilling to give it a try. Traversing uncharted territory in each role has made me more confident each step of the way. Having started in Support, I couldn’t have fathomed working on the projects I do today, let alone managing a team delivering on the same scale. As your vantagepoint changes, so does your perception and the threshold of possibility. In 2021 I’m unafraid of pushing this boundary further.
Describe the sacrifices you’ve made to get to where you are today.
Working at AvePoint has allowed me countless opportunities to work in other territories. Just shy of ½ of my time at AvePoint was spent outside of headquarters. While this was a fantastic experience, it was also one that involved a ton of flights and many occasions where I felt like I was starting somewhere new.
Over the years, these experiences have offered me great insight into how our business operates. It has also instilled in me the importance of valuing different perspectives. Our surroundings and cultural differences can influence our approach to work, but all bring something unique to the table.
What’s the most important advice you have for those seeking careers within technology?
Question everything! As a kid, I’d continually ask why things work the way they do. As an adult, I look back at many of these queries and still find validity in them. Technology has long been an effector of change; funneling this power into anything you’re passionate about is a step in the right direction.
