John Pryes, an Infrastructure Consulting Manager based in Washington DC, shares what advice he would give his younger self, and tells us that who you work with is as important as what you do when it comes to loving your job.

Q. What gets you out of bed every morning?

A. Knowing that I’ll be challenged and have an opportunity to prove myself and learn what I could do better the next time. Now that I am leading technical teams, it’s also the teamwork and interactions along the way that keep me energized.

Q. What makes Avanade different from other places you’ve worked?

A. The support I have received from all levels, in good times and especially challenging times. I’ve never felt stranded. Avanade has my back like no other company I have been with. Even when I was interviewing, I felt like we were just talking about technology and our roadmaps.

Q. What is your proudest career moment and why?

A. There have been many along the way, I think good moments and validations can be found at each project.

Q. What advice would you give to your younger self?

A. Get thicker skin now and network more. You can’t do it by yourself even if it makes you uncomfortable to be vulnerable and ask for help.

Q. What is your secret to making progress each day?

A. Accepting that most things are out of my control, building on past experiences and staying calm. Reflect on the ups and downs, don’t just move on.

Q. A typical weekend for me is…

A. Saturday at the softball field with my daughter, Sunday at the baseball field with my son. Wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Q. Tell us one thing people don’t know about you.

A. I was in Manhattan on 9/11, the day that changed everything. I had met my wife a couple of weeks before at an out of town wedding and she called me to see if I was OK. We stayed in touch from there and the rest is history.