Five Questions Friday with Alex Ruiz (The SolidWorks Geek)

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Name: Alex R. Ruiz 

Title: Blogger / Author 

Company: The SolidWorks Geek 

Hometown: Anaheim, Ca 

1) Why did you choose to do the work you do? 
When I was younger I always wanted to become an artist. Unfortunately, I was unable to get into any art class in high school so someone suggested I check out the drafting class. I instantly fell in love with the artistic and technical aspect of drafting. When I was asked by my peers when I was 15 years old if I would consider doing drafting for a career, I responded with a resounding “Heck No” but as my skill grew, so did my love of the industry. So when it can time to go to college I stuck with the engineering industry and I haven’t looked back since. 

2) What is your proudest career moment? 
It is not so much a career moment but more of a pre-career moment. When I was 16 years old, I went to a drafting competition at the Orange County fair. I was in a room with over 100 high school kids from all over the county and we were given the task of creating a drawing from a sketch. When it came time to begin the drawing, I discovered that I had forgotten my scales. Rather than panic, I used my compass to painstakingly scale the sketch to an appropriate size. It was slow going and I was sure that I wouldn’t even come close to winning the competition. I was crushed when the time was announced and I wasn’t finished with everything on the drawing since the process I took required more time. But to my surprise I ended up placing in the top five of the group. Even though I didn’t win, I knew that my quick thinking and determination kept me in the running and if I hadn’t forgotten my scales I could have won the competition. It taught me a couple of valuable lessons that I still use to this day. First was to always make sure that I am prepared for any potential surprises and second is not to give up even when the odds are stacked against me. 

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3) What goal do you have that inspires you most? 

I want to live forever. Since I cannot physically live forever I want my legacy to still have an impact on the industry I love so much. I want to be able to help everybody become better at what they do and any knowledge that I can share will only help to ensure that I, in sprit, will live forever. 

4) How has SolidWorks made a difference in your life? 
SolidWorks has connected me with a great community. Many of my closest friends I met through the SolidWorks community including users, bloggers and even SolidWorks employees. If it wasn’t for SolidWorks I probably wouldn’t have got involved with writing and I would never have connected with so many users worldwide. In real life I know maybe 5 people but in the SolidWorks community I have true friends in every country of the world. 

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5) What do you do for fun, and what’s your favorite food? 
What, SolidWorks isn’t fun? To be honest I live on my computer, I enjoy testing new software, learning new programming languages and learning more about technology in general. But when I am not on my computer, I enjoy the outdoors. Camping and fishing are great ways for me to get away from everything and recharge. Food? You ask a guy my size what is my favorite food? Is “everything” a good answer? If I had to pick one, I would say that sushi is my favorite but I am a very adventurous eater. I love trying new cuisines.

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Thanks to Alex for taking the time to talk. If there's anyone you want to nominate for a future week, leave a comment and let me know.

Matthew West

SolidWorks alumnus. I like plate reverb, Rat pedals, Thai curry, New Weird fiction, my kids, Vespas, Jazzmasters, my wife & Raiders of the Lost Ark. Not necessarily in that order.