Last week, two employees from Spigot’s sister-company, Eightpoint Technologies, participated in a seminar to discuss the software and product development industries as part of Nova Recruiting’s “Ask The Experts” series. The seminar focused primarily on what it’s like to work in Cayman and how to get your first job in the tech industry.

We got to listen to Eightpoint’s Yasmany Corcho and Laurentiu Gruia discuss their unique paths to the tech and computer science world and how they ended up working for Eightpoint in The Cayman Islands.

Yasmany Corcho is a C++ Software Engineer at Eightpoint Technologies. He first became interested in software engineering because it allowed for his interest in mathematics and computing to overlap. Yasmany shared that the technology space is so exciting because it is changing very quickly, which allows him and others to constantly look for new ways to solve problems and use new technologies.

Laurentiu Gruia is a Product Development Manager at Eightpoint. He has been in the tech industry for more than 10 years. He started as a support engineer and then took on bigger roles on the product management side of the business. Laurentiu explained that working with multiple platforms (like Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android) has helped keep his job exciting by presenting new topics to learn about on a regular basis.

What is the most important skill in the tech industry?

One of the biggest takeaways from the seminar was Laurentiu and Yasmany’s view that the most important skill in tech is problem solving. If you’ve been hired as a software engineer, obviously it’s important to have skills in coding and different programming languages, but you’ll likely spend a lot of time solving problems. If you’re a fast learner, you can acquire the skills you need on the job so having the ability to find new solutions for problems is a very important trait.

Another reason that problem solving skills are so valuable is that the tech field is always changing and new technologies are always emerging. Even if you’re trained in a given language or technology, you’ll experience new ones on a regular basis. You’ll have to use your existing knowledge to find solutions on the new platform or with the new language. Want to get hired in tech? Show that you’re capable of solving complex problems.

Working in Cayman

Eightpoint Technologies is based in the Cayman Islands. Both Yasmany and Laurentiu shared that Cayman presents some exciting opportunities for people looking for new careers in the tech world. Cayman had been an attractive locale for businesses in the banking, finance and legal industries, but has recently seen a boom in tech companies moving to the island.

Remote Work in Cayman

Another reason that Cayman is attractive for workers in the tech space is the ability to work remotely from a beautiful island in the Caribbean. COVID has now made remote work a viable option for most employees in the technology field.

In 2020, The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (CIDOT) launched a program for digital nomads looking to work from Cayman. This program, called the Global Citizen Concierge Program, allows travelers to stay in the Cayman Islands for up to two years while working remotely.

There are a number of other perks to working in Cayman, including the country being a tax neutral jurisdiction, which means we don’t pay income, capital gains, property or inheritance tax. This can make a big difference in making your job in tech even more lucrative.

Cayman Code Academy

One way to develop your skills in software and web development is to enroll in a code academy. If you are located in Cayman already, or are relocating soon, the Cayman Code Academy can help you learn the skills you need to get hired as a developer or software engineer.

The increase in tech companies working in Cayman has created a need for high-quality tech professionals on the island. Cayman Code Academy is helping to fill that gap by training people to write quality code and solve high-level problems that one might come across in a software job.

Working at Eightpoint

One of the final points that Laurentiu and Yasmany discussed was that Eightpoint and the tech industry as a whole really wants to make work a fun and enjoyable experience. Eightpoint offers some awesome perks to its employees to reward them for the great work that they do:

• Company paid insurance premiums for health, dental, vision, and disability coverage.
• Unlimited paid time off for employees to enjoy time away from work and recharge.
• Competitive compensation & pension contribution plans making planning for the future easier.
• An awesome office in George Town, Grand Cayman with ocean views.
• Fun-filled and casual work environment.
• Catered lunches on Mondays & Wednesdays.
• A fully stocked fridge with beer, drinks & snacks.
• Break room with a ping pong table, gaming console, and darts.

If you want to learn more about Spigot and our subsidiaries, connect with us on LinkedIn!