Oscar pivots to a tech career in Maine
Oscar Castro Carrillo is gaining in-demand skills through the Roux’s Master of Professional Studies in analytics program.
A career crossroads
Oscar Castro Carrillo thrived early in his hospitality career. First he ran daily operations at a large hotel chain in Boston, and then he moved to California to take a new job as a consultant in the hospitality industry. But when the pandemic hit, everything changed.
In spring 2020, Castro Carrillo lost his consultant job, and he and his wife moved back east to Maine (her home state) where he considered his next move. “I realized I needed to make a career pivot and learn skills that could transfer to different industries and make me more nimble,” he recalls.
Castro Carrillo zeroed in on data analytics, after seeing firsthand how hotels use data to set room rates and manage inventory. As he checked out potential graduate programs, the perfect fit emerged right in his backyard: the Roux Institute, in Portland.
“The Roux’s vision to create economic impact in Maine inspired me. And being able to take this program here without having to relocate was a key factor.””
Oscar Castro Carrillo
Current Student
What drew him to the Roux
He instantly connected with the Roux’s ambitious vision to supercharge the local economy. “I’d just moved to Maine and loved it here, and I thought what Roux was trying to achieve was unique and remarkable,” he says. And when he found out about the generous Alfond Scholars program, he knew the Roux was the right move for him.
In fall 2020, Castro Carrillo enrolled part time in the master’s in analytics program. With the flexibility of evening courses, he could work full time in a new job as an analyst for the mega online furniture store Wayfair.
But the real game-changer was his experiential learning capstone course, where Oscar got to analyze data provided by a local bank to identify what products or services customers might be interested in next. Solving real-world industry problems like that, he says, opened his eyes to a host of new career possibilities.
New connection, new career
Then at a Roux networking event in summer 2021, Castro Carrillo connected with Arkatechture, a Portland-based data consultation and services company and Roux employer partner. That meeting ultimately led to a job offer at Arkatechture as a data analyst.
“I secured this new job 10 months into my program,” says Castro Carrillo, who expects to finish his studies in December 2022.
“My career is growing quickly, and the Roux helped make it happen.”