ReKina Owens, Senior Consultant

Based in Atlanta, GA

Tell us your story. What led to you joining Reveal Group?

To take you all the way back, my dad was in the military and my family was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska, where I was born. After having me, my mom said she is not raising two young kids in Alaska, so we packed our bags and moved back home to Georgia where I’ve been ever since. After moving around all over the place, I decided to attend Georgia State where I received a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and a minor in entertainment management. Once I received my degree, I had no idea what I wanted to do. No one really tells you how hard it’s going to be transitioning into the real world; those structured school days are over. I realized I needed to kick it into gear and really start making some progression into a career field I could see myself in. I decided to get my teaching license to share my wealth of knowledge and after passing the GACE’s, I officially became a language arts teacher.

After teaching middle schoolers for a short while, I quickly realized that I needed to go down a career path that was more my speed and I began to comb through LinkedIn job posts. I came across a job description, referencing RPA experience and I had no idea what that was. I wasn’t sure I’d be interested in heading down an “IT” career path, but this job was unlike any role I heard of. This job post was advertising a seminar where women could come, learn more about RPA, take an assessment to see how much they enjoyed the material, and join a group to learn about Blue Prism. We began work in the intelligent automation department at SunTrust Bank, and I was one of the RPA developers there. This experience gave all of us the time to teach ourselves a new software that was slowly gaining traction in the RPA space. After a company merger, my job was downsized, and I was back to square one – looking for a new home where I can harness all these new skills and knowledge I’d gained over the last few years. I was thrilled to be approached by Reveal Group regarding an open consultant position specializing in RPA. After getting to learn more about the company, I was all in! It’s been three years since my first conversation with Reveal Group and it’s only gone uphill ever since!

What excites you about the automation space and your role at Reveal Group?

There are too many projects to list that I’ve enjoyed working on. What keeps me interested in pursuing a career in this industry, is the fact that pretty much every day there is something new to do. You really don’t know what you are going to get each day when stepping into this world of RPA. The unexcepted nature of this role is what keeps me on my toes and coming back for more challenges.

Another aspect that keeps me glued to this role is being able to find solutions. I’m a solutions-driven person so, if you present me with a problem, I’m already thinking up the multiple different routes we can take to figure it out. RPA to me is nothing but solutions. I pride myself on the fact that little ole ReKina can help can solve the problems of huge corporations in a field I am an expert in. It’s a huge confidence boost for me and really rewarding at the end of the day. “I really feel like I am the Olivia Pope of RPA!”

If there is such a thing, can you describe a typical day for you?

It starts out with my typical morning routine of coffee, breakfast, & working out honestly! Once I’m refreshed and ready to hit the ground running, I log into my computer and always review my to-do list. I always have to have a list because there are always a lot of things to accomplish and to keep track of. Never a boring day in RPA! Depending on the project, my day is usually comprised of coding and working out different pieces of the actual automation either through Blue Prism, UiPath, or another software. The majority of the day is spent on building, testing, and figuring out what the logic looks like to you. There are a thousand ways to build the same solution so figuring out what the solution looks like to you, how you can make it work, and testing it to make sure it does what it needs to do.

On the flip side, if I’m not on a project, I’m usually focused on business development, asking myself “what assets do I bring to Reveal Group and how can I do my part to make Reveal Group even better?” For example, I curated the Black History Month Advent calendar to celebrate our fellow black co-workers. I am also focusing on our other company initiatives like SKIP and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). I’m constantly asking myself “What value can I bring to Reveal Group outside of being a Senior Consultant? How can I help Reveal Group grow?” I want people internally and externally to feel as though they can come to me with any problems or questions they may have because I know I can solve them all with a little smile on the side.

Are there any common misconceptions about adopting automation in the workplace?

Absolutely. Sometimes people think that automation is going to replace the workforce. Automation is more of a supplement. It helps the everyday operations run more smoothly and allows more time for workers to focus their energy on more pressing matters. It also saves your business money by giving your employees time to focus on higher-value work. I want to reassure the clients that we work with that we are only trying to streamline their business processes and improve the workplace by making mundane tasks more efficient. RPA is the future!

What advice would you give someone looking into a career in Intelligent Automation?

One important piece of advice I’d like to give is to be prepared for anything! Be prepared for anything good or bad. Be prepared to be on your toes. Be prepared when presenting in front of clients and/or your team. Be prepared for maximum brain capacity when working on certain aspects of the role. Be prepared to fully immerse yourself in all that RPA has to offer because RPA does offer a wide variety of opportunities.

Additionally, be open to trying a plethora of new software and skillsets. Try being a developer. Try working in sales. Try being the RG face when presenting to clients. Try process mining. Figure out what works for you and stick with it! That’s the key that will drive you to success. You won’t have to worry about if you’re doing a good job, you’ll just know you are the best person for it and it’s what you actually want to do. At the end of the day, be open to trying different things, find your niche, stick with it, and develop it. Reveal Group has given me the flexibility to grow and become a well-rounded consultant in every aspect of the word and has let me do so in the ReKina way. I can’t thank Reveal Group enough!

Interested in working for Reveal Group? Click here to view our current openings: Company – Reveal Group