Hi! I’m Jerry, and I am currently the Digital Marketing Manager here at OpenBB. As someone that grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, it surprises many people when I say OpenBB is my first time ever working in tech - let alone a startup with 20 employees scattered throughout the globe and no offices. It has been quite a transition coming from Wells Fargo, where I spent the previous six years performing various roles in strategy, research, and analytics. It is a totally different culture and pace, especially the fact that I can just hop in the car for quick drive and meet our CEO for lunch and some collaborative work.
Although it may be my first time working in tech, I have always been focused on and interested in finance and economics. My research and data interests are actually how I initially learned about OpenBB in the first place after seeing a Twitter thread about financial market data access software. And anyone who has done research knows how priceless it is to find free, quality data!
I originally started at University of San Diego as an engineering student. I was always interested in science and math, and thought that was a natural path for me to follow. However, my entire life changed the day I walked into my (required) general education Economics 101 class. It was like my brain was opened up to an entirely new field of fascinating information. My professor sat me down and explained that economics is a science just like engineering, and it is based in math and even some philosophy. I was hooked. I switched my major the next semester and never looked back - eventually going on to receive a Master of Economics from USC. My next trip to the bookstore and I had all the classics in my basket: Keynes, Mill, Smith, and Minsky.
As much as I love data and research, I also love music and the outdoors. Sports and nature are two of my favorite ways to get out of the office, away from my screens, and enjoy the fresh air with friends and family. As a kid I was a member of the Boy Scouts of America, and was able to have many great adventures backpacking, learning outdoors skills, making fires, and even sleeping in a snow cave a few times. In college and my early career I was often running to the beach with my surfboard before class or after work in San Diego to catch some waves before sunset. It is also very common for my friends and family to hear the sounds of my guitar from my room as I learn and play all my favorite songs from my favorite bands.
A common thread throughout my life has been a love of learning. Instilled in me by my parents, teachers, family, and role models. There is certainly no shortage of learning opportunities here at OpenBB! I look forward to applying everything I know to push this myself, this company, and our industry, into new territory.