Alex Ladakos didn’t always plan for a career in tech. After graduating high school, he worked at a local gas station in Pennsylvania and enlisted in the National Guard, where he performed aircraft maintenance on KC-135s. It was his wife who encouraged him to go back to school for a degree in information technology.
Alex worked more than 70-hour weeks and maintained a full course load at Penn State University, and when he graduated a semester early, it was with a job offer at Booz Allen as a software developer. Now, Alex serves our clients’ meaningful missions—from managing government-provided funds to big data projects for law enforcement agencies.
We sat down with Alex to learn more about his work in the cleared tech space, his talented team, and the reasons he stays at Booz Allen.
What do you do at Booz Allen?
In my role, I lead an extract, transform, and load team. We’re responsible for acquiring data, producing a meaningful business product by transforming it into a new format or structure, and then loading it into a database. Right now, we’re working on a big data project for one of our law enforcement agency clients. The agency has a high volume of data from a variety of sources and we’re developing more efficient processes to manage the information. The work is exciting, and it’s nice to know we’re helping keep people safe.
What’s your team like?
I get to work with extremely intelligent, talented people who I learn from every day. There is great collaboration and the team benefits from the wealth of expertise brought in by a variety of experiences and backgrounds. When we work together, we have a fun camaraderie and a shared interest in solving the challenges we face.
What do you like most about Booz Allen?
I like how the firm cares for its people and takes work-life balance seriously. We’re offered a wide array of services and benefits, and our leadership is quick to respond to current events by providing additional assistance. The culture here supports and encourages career growth. Employees are encouraged to participate in networking groups and mentorship opportunities to help us grow professionally and collaborate with colleagues. And a career manager helps guide us if we’re uncertain about our path forward.
Ultimately, I’m here because I really believe in our mission and the ways in which we get to support our clients. I say I don’t go to work at Booz Allen—I get to work at Booz Allen.
