I first heard about Rackspace® before I left South Africa in 2003. I was sent a link to their website by a friend and told that the Rackspace UK office was looking to employ people with my skill set.

After landing in Heathrow (my first time overseas ever), I realised that all the “so called” experience I gained over the last couple of years, meant absolutely nothing.  During my interview at Rackspace’s first UK datacenter, it became clear that I was in way over my head.  I was neck deep in technology that I had never seen before:  the birth of a relatively new concept of outsourced hosting, and Rackspace’s mantra of Fanatical Support®.

It was at that moment I decided to commit myself to what I believed, and still believe, is one of the greatest companies to work for, and basically became a sponge.

It was a time of great development in my career.  Learning, growing… learning some more… growing some more.  This process repeated until I could finally see the big picture.

Since joining Rackspace, I’ve moved to 3 countries with my family and have been able to still work.  This has not come without some challenges and adventures.

One of my proudest moments took place in a small town in Oman, in the Middle East.  The hotel I was staying at had a business centre, so I set up my laptop and phone system and spent the whole day fielding calls and emails.  I was the only person using the centre for an extended period, so the concierge got really chatty at one point.  She asked me what company I worked for.  I told her, and to my absolute surprise and delight, she said she knew of Rackspace.  Her brother was a developer in Muscat, and their company hosts with Rackspace.

It was then I realized the extent to which Rackspace influences people and our customers.

I should probably back up though.

In the middle of 2007, I decided to leave London after 5 years and move to Dubai, where I was able to continue my role in a remote capacity for a 6 month period while Rackspace was looking for a replacement.  After 6 months, my role was so effective that the business decided to employ me as a permanent remote employee.  I spent 2 years in sunny Dubai, working some of the oddest hours due to the time zones, and eventually relocated to Cape Town, South Africa around a year and a half ago.

I remain a RES/Intensive Solutions Engineer resource to the teams in the UK and Australia.  In addition, I help Rackspace investigate the market trends in South Africa and, once in a while, dabble in Sales when the need arises for me to visit current customers or new prospects in the African/Middle Eastern region.

I remain a loyal employee of Rackspace, and intend to remain one for many years to come.

More about Chad:

Chad Rodinis is a RES/Intensive Solutions Engineer based out of Cape Town, South Africa.  He serves as a resource to Rackspace teams located in both Australia and the UK.  In addition, Chad investigates market trends in South Africa and, every once in a while, gets involved with sales in the Africa and Middle East regions.

Explore technical careers with Rackspace.

South African Flag Photo Credit, babasteve

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