Meet Keylor, an avid artist and loving father who wears many hats. As Director of Strategy, his inspiration, passion, and hard work have helped not only shape our growth, but also our vision.
Who is Keylor?
I’m an artist with a little confusing, but interesting career path. I’ve been many things but above all, right now, I am a proud father, a loving husband, and a loyal friend. In the past 10 years I worked in several IT, learning, communications, marketing, and administrative roles. At Oceans, I am the Director of Strategy, which means I mainly do two things—find opportunities, and tackle challenges; how I do that changes every single week. One thing I’d say has been consistent in my career is that I try to use creativity to solve problems.
What was your first impression of Oceans?
That’s a bit hard to answer considering I was there when it wasn’t more than an idea. But I can say my first impression of Eder (our CEO) was that he had a dream, the will to stop at nothing to achieve it, and the values to make it a net-positive in the world. His passion inspired me to join this endeavor and be a part of what it’s become today.
What is it like to work at Oceans?
I’ve been blessed with never having to work in toxic environments, I am thankful for every job I’ve had, and I can still say Oceans is unlike anything I’ve experienced, maybe it’s the openness, or the trust, or the warmth. One thing that’s for sure is we do everything in our power to ensure every person that joins this project can feel the same way.
Tell us about something you’re proud to have accomplished at Oceans
There is a long list. But rebranding the company from its former name “Oceans Consulting Firm” to “Oceans Code Experts” is definitely up there, the change brought an exciting concept that clients and professionals could relate to, it was bold and exciting, and it continues to shape the way we think about our company and how we do our work every day.
What’s your daily motivation?
Leaving a footprint. When I was younger, I wanted to change the world, as time went on, I realized there are many ways to do that, and they aren’t all flashy or dramatic. I go about my days trying to drive impact in positive ways, no matter how small.
I still kind of want to do something flashy and dramatic someday though.
What are your career expectations?
I’d love to pursue a PhD. I had lots of trouble picking a university career back when I did in 2013, not because I didn’t know what to study, but because I wanted to study it all. I may come across a similar challenge when I decide to choose a higher degree, because there are still so many things I want to learn and so little time. I’d also like to write a book at some point but I feel there’s still a long journey left for me before I get there, right now—to quote good ol’ Socrates… “All I know is that I know nothing”.
What do you enjoy the most about remote work?
It has changed how I perceive work. At first adapting was a challenge, I loved the office! Especially with so many distractions at home. But as time went on, I gradually came to appreciate the comfort and flexibility that remote work brings, I found multiple ways to balance life and work, and now I can’t imagine going back.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
I have a daunting number of hobbies, and never enough time to pick them up. I love art; sketching, drawing, and painting are things that I’m not half bad at, but haven’t really done a lot of lately. I also love reading, but not unlike art, is something I am not nearly doing as much as I’d like to these days.
Lately I’ve been into grilling, it’s something you bring loved ones over for, connect over, can learn a lot about, and end up with something delicious to enjoy at the end, what’s not to like?
I’m also a bit of a geek, I enjoy videogames and tech gadgets, I am currently on a quest to “smartify” our house, which my wife has now found as amusing as she initially thought was uncanny.
Of course, I make it a priority to spend time with my wife and daughter, we do everything together, from making errands, to shopping for stuff we definitely don’t need, to going out, and I hope whatever happens in life, we’ll continue to be this attached.
