I remember sitting in my car outside a property I was about to show. It was early morning, and I was rehearsing my pitch in my head when my phone buzzed. It was my client, the one who had just put down earnest money on a beautiful home. “Raul, the seller just backed out. The deal is off.” My stomach dropped. I felt that familiar knot of panic that comes with crisis—something that, as a real estate broker for over 15 years, I had become all too familiar with.
Fast forward to my life now as a Senior Software Engineer at Dell Technologies, and that same knot appears when I’m on-call and a production issue hits. Debugging in the heat of the moment takes on a whole new meaning, and I can’t help but draw parallels to my days in real estate.
Staying Calm When Everything is Broken
When that deal fell through, my instinct was to breathe deep and stay calm. I had clients relying on me to navigate the chaos. Similarly, when a critical service goes down at work, I channel that same calmness. One particular night, I remember my phone lighting up like a Christmas tree with alerts. A critical application was down, and teams were scrambling. I took a breath and reminded myself that panicking wouldn’t fix the problem.
In real estate, I learned that emotions could amplify a crisis. I had to reassure my clients that we would find a solution. In tech, I do the same with my team. I take a moment to gather my thoughts, assess the situation, and communicate clearly. “Here’s what we know, here’s what we are doing, and we’ll keep you updated.” Keeping that calm communication flowing helps everyone focus on solutions rather than spiraling into chaos.
Communication is Key
Once, I was in the middle of a closing when the buyer’s lender dropped the ball. The closing was scheduled for noon, and it was 11:45. I had to inform my clients that we might have to push it back, but I didn’t have solid answers yet. Instead of sugarcoating the situation, I got everyone in the room and explained the issue. “We’re facing a hiccup, but I’m on it, and we’ll figure this out together.”
Fast forward to a recent incident at work. A major service outage was impacting numerous clients. I worked with our engineering team and started a war room, keeping stakeholders updated every step of the way. I learned from my past that transparency is critical. It builds trust, and in both real estate and tech, trust is everything. When clients feel informed, they’re more likely to be patient while we work through solutions.
The Backup Plan Mentality
In real estate, I always had a backup plan. If a deal fell through, I’d have another property lined up for my clients. This mentality carries over into tech, especially when it comes to incident response. I always think about what could go wrong and what I can do to mitigate that. I’ve learned to have those contingency plans ready, whether it’s a rollback strategy for a deployment or a secondary service to keep things running.
I remember a time in my early coding days when I failed to plan properly. I deployed a new feature without considering how it would handle unexpected data inputs. When it crashed, I was left scrambling without a backup. That moment taught me the importance of preparation. Now, when I deploy, I always have a rollback plan, and I can’t stress enough how critical that is.
Documenting Everything
One of the best lessons I learned in real estate was the power of documentation. Every contract, every communication was meticulously noted. When I transitioned to tech, I realized I was missing that crucial piece. I started documenting every step of my debugging process, every incident response, and every solution we implemented.
There was a particularly tough incident where we faced a recurrent issue. I felt like I was in a loop, revisiting the same problems over and over. It was frustrating. But when I finally sat down to document everything, I could see patterns emerge. That clarity helped me find the root cause and prevent future issues. Now, I document everything, and it has become a cornerstone of my work ethic. It’s like keeping a detailed log of every property I sold—essential for future reference.
Finding My Way
Transitioning from real estate to tech in my late 30s was no walk in the park. I had moments of self-doubt, wondering if I was too old to start over. But I held onto the skills that I had honed over years of working with clients, negotiating deals, and handling crises. My military background taught me discipline and focus, and those lessons have been invaluable in my career as a developer.
As I reflect on my journey, I realize that my unique blend of experiences has shaped how I handle crises in tech. I’ve learned to stay calm, communicate clearly, have backup plans, and document everything. And while the stakes may be different—real estate closings versus debugging production issues—the core principles remain the same.
So, to anyone out there feeling overwhelmed in their career transition, remember: your past experiences can provide valuable lessons in your new journey. Embrace them, and don’t underestimate the power of staying calm and communicating clearly, whether you’re dealing with a client or a critical service outage.