Alex Fernadez is the co-founder of VRBuffalo, supporting the positive and productive application of emerging, immersive technology like Virtual Reality. His career focus is on finding ways to improve the tools available to teachers and students, but more importantly effective integration. He is also hosting a Video Game Design Boot Camp this summer.
1) What do you do as the founder of VRBuffalo?
- Run all business, accounting, and marketing operations
- Design and maintain website and all social media
- Research and development to create or determine what apps to use
- Outreach and interface with new and potential clients
- Planning meetings with interested sites to determine the best fit
- Create all documentation for contracts
- Maintain all hardware and software on 10 headsets
- Deliver, setup, and clean all equipment for each session
- Create workshops age and experience appropriate linking to STEM or Career and Technology Education
- Facilitate all instructional and technical support needed during sessions
- Invoicing an any required follow up communications
- Connect with current developers to evaluate Alpha and Beta software
- Manage interns and relationships with higher educations
- Manage all interactions with K-12 institutions and community based organizations
- Tell us about your summer Video Game Design Boot Camp happening this summer ’25.
- The plan is to create a custom course for users of any skill level and 10 years or older
- Flexible scheduling
- Accommodations various budget ranges
- No Code or Low Code tools with all building done in VR headset
- Collaborating and learning various team roles
- Sign up at http://vrbuffalo.org
3) What was your educational background and your career path?
- Received an Advanced Graduate Certificate, Educational Technology and New Literacies; BA, International Business and AS in Business
- 2008 – Pre-K to 8th grade computer teacher and technology coordinator
- 2010 – Project Manager and Engineer working on Thin Client cloud computing
- 2012 – substitute teaching over 20 buildings
- 2013 – Engineering role at Yahoo!
- 2016 – Founded VRBuffalo
- 2017 – Product Management at Tech Startup
- 2020 – Engineering Teacher Charter School
- 2022 – Co-founded Nspire Create Labs
4) What organizations, clubs or internships were you involved in during college?
- Internships in another department of the company I was working for
- Always studying pursuing certificates
- Table Tennis clubs
- Volunteering whenever possible
5) Looking back, what, if anything, do you wish you would have known when you were just starting out?
- My interest in learning technology came later on in my career
- It’s OK that I learn differently (kinesthetic and tactile)
- Find what you enjoy doing and pursue something around that
- Ask Why constantly – Watch my talk (Flavors of Why)
6) What are the biggest challenges that you typically face in your career?
- Work life Balance and Burnout
- Not being challenged or appreciated
- Handling difficult team members
- Handling boredom in a constructive way
- Knowing your worth
7) What advice do you have for anyone that would want to pursue a career in working with educational technology or immersive technologies?
- Stay current and experiment constantly
- Connect with those impacting the areas you aspire to
- Don’t be afraid to fail
- Step outside your comfort zone and gain as much perspective as possible
8) If a UB student wanted to talk with you, what is the best way to reach you?
alex@vrbuffalo.org or https://www.linkedin.com/in/afernandez1979/
NOTE: if you are a UB student or alumnus who would like to connect with others to give or get career insights you can join Connect-a-Bull. Interested in sharing your career story with UB students by answering questions like Alex? Email Ed Brodka, UB Career Design Consultant, at brodka@buffalo.edu.
