Meet Our Certified Developers - Anthony Camargo

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Welcome to our new community series “Meet our Certified Developer”! We're excited to bring you an insightful interview with @Anthony Camargo who has earned almost all Blue Prism Certifications to enhance his Intelligent Automation journey.  Join us as we hear Anthony’s first-hand experience, of his experience of taking Blue Prism certification exams and how these qualifications have enriched his understanding of Blue Prism Products and advanced his career!

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you started in Automation/SS&C Blue Prism.

I’m a consultant working with Blue Prism Products with over 6 years of experience in the automation industry. I started my career when I moved to Liechtenstein to study for my Master’s in IT and Business Process Management.   *RPA is a field where I can review and analyze processes as well as automate them using software. My first position was as an RPA Consultant with NEOOPS in the Czech Republic. This is where I really honed my RPA skills.   My time as a consultant allowed me to work in various organizations with different processes that interfaced with a lot of applications. I got to analyze processes, design, and develop solutions, manage a team of developers, help create a training academy, and support production environments.   My second position was with Princeton Blue where I was hired to help start up their Automation COE and partnership with SS&C Blue Prism. In this role, I was able to get more of the technical experience I wanted as well as leadership and management skills. I did a lot of the same work I did with NEOOPS but on top of that I worked on Statement of Works, Proof-of-concepts, and set up their COE and got them certified with Blue Prism as a Silver Delivery partner.  After this, I decided to create my own company, Virtual Workforce LLC, and offer consultancy services in all aspects of Blue Prism.

What is the most interesting automation you have created?

I worked for a pharmaceutical company that wanted a solution that could process and prioritize Safety Data files. These files came by email to two shared mailboxes and contained Excel, XML, images, pdf, embedded emails, etc. Our solution extracted and combined the information from the emails into one PDF using a PDF application. This consolidated PDF was sent out using an API to a machine learning solution which determined if the file was of low, medium, or high priority. After this, the robot uploaded the pdf file and the priority into a web-based solution and extracted a Receipt Number. Also, because the web-based solution did not provide access to additional fields found in the backend data tables the Digital Worker connected to the Oracle Database and updated other fields with more information. After this, the Digital Worker moved the emails to a completed sub-folder and changed the email subject to include the Receipt Number.  This was the most interesting project because of the number of touchpoints with other applications and because we were able to connect everything together using a Blue Prism solution.

What was the motivation to pursue the Blue Prism certifications in the first place?

When I first started using Blue Prism, I wanted to be the best at it. I wanted to learn everything I could. And after reading some of the documentation and guides I found the Robotic Operating Model. I printed it out and placed it on the wall by my desk so that I could see it every day. This provided me a view of the big picture and I saw myself as being within the Develop section of the model. I knew to be the best I would need to learn about all the other sections and grow my knowledge in each area. This is what led me to certifications. I knew I could test my knowledge in each area by completing each certification. My motivation came from my own desire to learn as much as I could about SS&C Blue Prism and be the best I could at it.

How do the certifications help you do your job?

The certifications or the pursuit of the certifications help me because of all the guides and documents that are required to learn within them. I constantly read and re-read everything I could get my hands on. I learned about different topics and different theories as to why and how to use Blue Prism Products. I could reference this information when I was on the job to enhance how I solved solutions or how to approach a problem. I didn’t remember all the information I learned but I knew where to find it. I knew that I read something similar, and I would constantly reference the guides and documentation to help me find answers.   Getting certified is great and passing it felt good, but the reading and re-reading I did was what helped me the most. Being able to apply that knowledge to my current projects was what really ingrained the information in my head. I didn’t study and pass the certifications like studying for a test in school. I performed the theory I read so that I truly understood it. That’s what I like the most about SS&C Blue Prism, I can read about the theory, and to work with it I just have to open the application or document and then test it out.

Which training course, technique, or tip, has had the biggest impact on improving your performance?

The Blue Prism Guides have served as the best reference for understanding anything with SS&C Blue Prism. I have used them for so long and I am always referencing them for any questions I have. I would say this is something everyone who wants to improve should have in their toolbox.   I believe there are levels of skill development with Blue Prism Products. I would say the first level is to read the guides and understand the product and how it is all connected and works together using the in-product capabilities.  To move on and improve then I would say is where it gets more complicated. I learned a bit about SQL Server management to understand how Blue Prism connects to the database and how to reference certain tables, etc. To learn more about code stages and VBA I did a Visual Studio tutorial to understand how to write code in Visual Basic .Net so I can better read the current code stages and develop new ones. And to see how Blue Prism is very similar to it but just more visual. I also learned regular expressions in order to extract specific text within a paragraph. All these additional components help me improve as a developer and the overall understanding of the product.

Tell us about a current hobby.

I’m currently interested in Triathlons, and I like the sport because of all the different sports you can do. I’ve been training a lot and like the challenge of each one. I try to bike and run 3 - 4 times a week and swim 2- 3 times a week.  I hope to improve over time and eventually run an Olympic distance. And then hopefully, eventually an Iron Man.

Tell us a surprising fact about yourself.

I really enjoy automation to the point that I incorporate it into my everyday life. I try to automate everything I can and am always looking for technologies to make things easier. From a robot vacuum to cut down on cleaning to a shower dispenser to make the extraction of liquids like soap, shampoo, and conditioner quicker. Very small things that you wouldn’t even think about. I like to do this because I like to have more time. And I believe in automation to give us back some more time.

Head over to the University's Certification page to find out more about SS&C Blue Prism Certifications and start your learning journey!

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