Get to Know Learning Systems Administrator Eddie Tirado

Eddie is a learning systems administrator and aspires to have a net positive impact through acts of kindness for people and our planet.

“Eddie is a delight to know and work with,” said Jennifer Huggins, visual communications manager. “He cares deeply about his work and how others experience technology. We’re so fortunate to have him on the Talent Development team. Not to mention he has the best snack game in the building!”

In the Q&A below, learn more about Eddie’s career at McKinstry and his passion for helping others.

Learn More About Eddie’s Experience

Tell us about your background and your career path at McKinstry. What is your role at McKinstry? What do you do when you’re not working? What life philosophy or guiding principles do you follow?

Tell us about your background and your career path at McKinstry.

I went to college later in life while working full time, graduating from the University of Washington in 2018. I’m a first-generation American and the first in my family to graduate from college, which is one of my greatest accomplishments in life. At the time, the company I was working for recruited me into a tech support role because of my intuitive problem-solving skills, my love for helping people, and my overall technology knowledge. At UW, I studied physics because I’m passionate and curious about the nature of our reality and love learning about the natural world we live in, but I continued working in IT because that was the direction I wanted to take my career.

I’ve been at McKinstry for about four-and-a-half years. I started as a senior helpdesk technician until I was promoted to learning management system administrator last year. I’m grateful for the opportunity to take on this role, especially since I didn’t have system administrator experience. Luckily, my technical troubleshooting background and ability to learn quickly made it possible.

A big part of why I like working at McKinstry is knowing that I work for a company that’s leading the way toward a sustainable future. The people are also supportive, inclusive, and care about their work, which makes for a really great company culture.

What is your role at McKinstry?

I work on McKinstry University (McKU), managing users, enrollments, troubleshooting issues, updating the framework, making improvements and all things on the tech side of the platform. Tech is my strongest skill, and I’m fortunate to work in a position where my skills can help people reach their goals and help solve their problems. McKU is a platform that helps people learn and grow and stay constantly curious, and it plays an important role in the onboarding process. My favorite part of my job is making improvements to the McKU user experience, making the platform easier to navigate and more intuitive to use. My latest project has been the launch of a mobile app for McKU, which I’m excited about.

What do you do when you’re not working?

I play online chess a lot. I love watching the Seahawks, Mariners, Kraken, UW Huskies, and college football, but I think my biggest passions are in philosophy and ethics. I love writing and hearing about different perspectives on moral and ethical dilemmas and the choices we face as humans. I also like to paint, sketch ideas, hang out with friends, go on urban hikes, and play foosball (I’ve won a tournament before!).

What life philosophy or guiding principles do you follow?

My goal is to have a net positive impact on the world. Everything we do has an impact, including the food we eat, the things we say, and the kind of waste we produce. I try to reduce my negative impact as much as I can, even if it’s something small, so I can cause a chain reaction of good. Everyone has their own story and struggles we might never know about, so something as small as a friendly note or a sweet treat goes a long way. That’s the kind of world I want to live in.