2K Life: Supporting Others with Daniel Perales

When you join a new company, getting set up with all of the hardware and software you need to do your job is a crucial part of the onboarding process. One of the folks responsible for assisting with that here at 2K is Daniel Perales, who joined us in April 2021 as an IT Systems Administrator.

Daniel takes great pride both in ensuring that our new hires get everything they need, supporting colleagues with IT tasks big and small. "One of the most important skills to have in my role is knowing how to communicate with others," he explains. "Technology is constantly changing and evolving, but the one thing that remains constant is knowing how to properly and effectively communicate with your coworkers and customers."

Before accepting his first role in tech support at Pixar Animation Studios, Daniel worked at a farm-to-table restaurant for almost eight years. He befriended a Mexican family supplying organic produce to the restaurant, and when he learned that they couldn't afford to pay for professional help with their tech needs, he saw an opportunity to use his skills for good by doing tech support for them and their business.

Since joining 2K, Daniel's altruism has continued, and he now leads the company's initiative to donate excess hardware to good causes. We recently had an opportunity to talk with Daniel about his time at 2K; check out excerpts from our conversation below.

"I feel very fortunate that my job and life align on so many things to help me grow as a person and a professional"

Daniel Perales: If I’m completely honest, I’m not the type of person to go to protests, nor do I have the passion to be in politics to make a difference from that angle. But I realized a long time ago that I can make a difference with the skills that I have.

On Sundays I play soccer as part of a community that includes social workers, educators, political activists, and non-profit workers. Through that forum, I discovered there was a real need for technology, especially because these folks primarily work with low-income families. Working at 2K has opened the door for me to be able to make an impact on a wider scale by reaching out to so many schools, non-profit organizations, educators, and families in need of technology. I've been entrusted to do good with any hardware that's given to me, and I put in the extra effort to ensure that it's donated to the most needy.

"2K has put me in a position to take the lead on many things"

All the laptops, workstations, and peripherals we donate were either assigned to former employees or have been swapped out for newer equipment that meets our requirements. Previously we would gather up all of this hardware and donate it to an organization that recycles, rebuilds, and redistributes it within Marin county. We still donate to that organization, but I take most of the equipment and work with the community directly to get it into good hands.

I feel very fortunate that my job and life align on so many things to help me grow as a person and a professional. I’ve learned how to take ownership of difficult projects that have a widespread impact on how the business functions, which is definitely intimidating and a huge responsibility. 2K has put me in a position to take the lead on many things, which can be a little scary, but because I have such a supportive team, I feel like I’m in a position to succeed. 

The people here make it exciting to work at 2K. We have such a great community on our staff, and the final products we put out are just cherry on the top. Ultimately, it’s the journey I have with my coworkers—the daily struggles, challenges, failures, and little victories we have along the way—that I enjoy most, because I get to share those things with truly wonderful people. At the end of the day, once you strip away every distraction, all we have left is our connection with people, and that's what is valuable and exciting to me.

Interested in working with Daniel at 2K? Check out all the open positions on the 2K Jobs page and follow 2K on LinkedIn and Twitter for updates.