My 20-Year Career Anniversary: Milestones, Memories, and Motivational Forces
Join us in this special blog where Tony looks back to help us commemorate the 20th anniversary of his inspiring career at CDI.
As a 25-year-old fledgling, Tony Daniello first fluttered through the doors at the Norwood, NJ office as employee #34 nearly two decades ago. “I was taking a chance here, and eager to explore the world of consulting,” says Daniello, currently Director of Infrastructure Services. “I wanted to find the right growth opportunity with the right company where I could be part of something special.”
Did I just spend almost half my life at the same company? Really? Even after the following dot-com bubble-bursting mantra made its way across the country from Silicon Valley to Einstein Alley:
“Never stay at the same company for more than three years!”
I have yet to settle the debate as to whether I’m old or seasoned as I look back at what turned out to be a fantastic journey. But there was no certainty. No guarantee. It was 1998 and two decades of technology and innovation had not yet occurred:
- Microsoft was just starting to make a name for itself.
- Novell Netware was the undisputed mainstream network operating system and it cruised along on blazing fast 10 Mb/s wired networks.
- You could almost achieve 1.0 Mb/s on new wireless networks if you were skilled enough to aim the antenna properly!
- Game enthusiasts spent most days playing DOOM. If you shrunk the screen for better performance, you would see a message urging you to buy a 486 processor. Back then, your CPU was available with or without a math co-processor (SX/DX).
- The dial-up modem was king as stores sold out of 56.6 Kbps units purchased by customers upgrading from older models. Everyone knew T1 lines were faster, but you were lucky to get DSL, or even your very own ISDN line over standard copper telephone wires!
- The biggest movies in the country were Titanic and Saving Private Ryan.
- Inflation had not yet jumped up 55 percent to where it is today. A gallon of gas averaged $1.06 that year.
- A little more than three out of five U.S. households had absolutely no internet connectivity whatsoever, and for the 39 percent who did, their top destination was AOL.
- Microsoft was the biggest corporation back then and Google was just a start-up! (Don’t beat yourself up over missed stock market opportunities. Hindsight is always 20/20.)
Ahh, technology and Moore’s Law. It is amazing how things have progressed over 20 short years. And it is equally hard to believe that I am coming up on my 20-year career anniversary at Computer Design and Integration. For that 25-year-old kid, CDI was only my second job out of college. I only knew how my old employer operated. CDI would be a totally new experience for me.
As a leader, it’s important to point out that there have been many challenges, both personal and professional. Younger readers take note—there are going to be many ups and downs along the way. I sometimes miss the freight train that would go by at 2:00 each afternoon, but it has been replaced by the thunderous roar of airplanes landing at Teterboro Airport.
Maybe you have been with your current employer for some time and are beginning to eye other opportunities. You might be wondering what factors influenced my decision to stay the course. Whether you decide to stay or go, ask yourself how the following factors resonate with your current situation:
A Positive Company Culture: CDI provides a culture where it is easy to share ideas, present opinions to challenges, and collaborate in an ego-free environment with other team members. Our culture encourages social interaction on a professional and a personal level. It is a culture of team work, inclusion, and learning. Even though the business has grown significantly, we still maintain a small, family vibe where the owners make it a priority to get to know as many employees as they can. This culture recognizes the knowledge and experience of our employees and treats them like the assets they are. In fact, I know of at least a dozen co-workers with 15 or more years of service at CDI. And we are strong and growing because there’s no such thing as too much tenure!
Technological Advancements: Among the most compelling reasons I chose to stay, were the advancements in technology. I enjoyed working in a steady stream of innovative excellence. The company is always evolving and advancing with exciting new technology from industry-leading vendors. This helps keep the engineers and other team members constantly learning and providing new and exciting career paths that may not have existed months ago. This also provides a challenging environment where staff were motivated to continue learning and building new skills.
Amazing People: Without a doubt, the most meaningful reason I chose to stay, was to continue working with the people I valued so much. I have had the sincere pleasure of meeting some amazing people during my tenure, including the executive team, senior leadership, my current and former mentors, and especially my co-workers and staff. And with CDI, client relationships were not exclusively all-business. Some clients have given me the distinct honor of counting them among my good friends. And I know that they can call on me in the same way. When I look back at some of my first customer assignments, I’m most proud of the ones that turned into long-term relationships. I have shaken hands with many people and look forward to shaking hands with many more.
Across all facets of the company, energized people are responsible for creating and sustaining the company culture. At CDI, our people encourage employees to rise up to the challenge and constantly strive for the next level. Our people, all working as one, share a collective vision for digital transformation and how to get there.
While I still question certain decisions in my mind from time to time, the one thing I do not regret is the choice I made 20 years ago.
A sincere thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way to get me where I am now and a pre-emptive thank you to everyone that will continue helping me along this journey.
I am humbled by the experience and hope that I have helped others in much the same way.