For Manuel Albornoz, landing a contractor job with T. Rowe Price's data center team has led to fulfilling, nearly decade-long career. "My first role involved day-to-day but highly detailed tasks like installations, removal, on-call, and monitoring inside the firm's various data centers," he says. Now, as an Infrastructure Engineering Senior Manager at the firm, he's part of the group responsible for the automation and monitoring strategy for the Data Center and Network Services team.

Personal qualities like curiosity and ambition have helped to spur Manuel's career growth. Shortly after joining T. Rowe Price, he immediately sought out the top performers to learn more about the challenges they were facing. "I've always been intrigued by the reasons why things go wrong," explains Manuel. "I know that, in failure, there's always a chance for development, innovation, and improvement."

Manuel also credits his manager, who connected him with highly complex projects involving travel, with quickly recognizing his resourcefulness and problem-solving skills. "Even if I didn't have all the skills required, my supervisor knew I had the potential to develop them through new and challenging opportunities," Manuel says.

First, Manuel went to Colorado Springs and then embarked on an international trip to Switzerland. "Getting the chance to go to Zurich gave me a big boost in confidence and helped me develop new skills that resulted in increased team contributions." It was also the start of future projects, both domestic and international, that prompted further collaboration of various cross-functional teams and eventually provided Manuel with even more opportunities for growth.

Manuel also recalls how an early misstep during his first months on the job further solidified his positive relationship with his supervisor. "After making a mistake, I opened up to my manager and was ready to accept any consequences." After having a candid conversation, however, Manuel learned that both courage and trust in his manager were core values for a strong team. "Starting that day, we began to build a solid relationship based on sincerity and honesty," he says. "We knew that we had each other's backs."

According to Manuel, who moved to the United States from Colombia nearly 20 years ago, that kind of support was an essential component to his success. Having a different background than most of his colleagues was a bit intimidating at first. "It's easy to assume that you'll have a more challenging road ahead of you compared to your peers who may have more experience," he explains. It can even diminish your confidence during the early stages of your career.

His fears quickly evaporated, however, due to the strong encouragement of his team. "When I started working at T. Rowe Price, even though it was a little intimidating at the beginning, the support I got from my manager, my peers and the inclusive culture helped me to accomplish what I have in my career." Today, however, Manuel views his Hispanic heritage as an asset. "Coming from another culture teaches you humility and the importance of looking at things from different points of view," he explains.

Succeeding in his nearly decade-long career has taken considerable focus and persistence. While Manuel was traveling internationally for work with the firm, he was also attending night classes to earn his Bachelor's degree. At the same time, he and his wife, who also works, were both caring for their children. "She's always been supportive of me, and I could not be where I am without her," he says. Ultimately, life for Manuel is all about family, passion, and hard work. "I'm trying to give my kids opportunities to do what makes them feel passionate," he adds. "That's my driver; I'm doing it for them."