Getting To Know Roundtable: Edwin Almaraz Employee Spotlight

This week, we sat down with Roundtable’s Edwin Almaraz to talk about his role, extended reality (XR) development, and industry trends he finds interesting.

What does your title mean? What do you do for Roundtable?

An XR Developer develops extended reality software, which includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) applications. As an XR Developer for Roundtable Learning, I work with a team of 3D Artists, Instructional Designers, and other XR Developers to create functional immersive training applications specific to our clients’ needs.

How did you get into programming/XR development?

I started programming as a hobby because I wanted to make video games. I began watching a bunch of Unity Game Engine tutorials. I also studied Computer Science with a concentration in Game Programming at Kent State. Upon graduating, I learned about the exciting opportunity to use my skills in the immersive learning space.

What is a trend in learning technology that’s exciting to you?

A trend in learning technology that is exciting to me is gamification. Using gaming elements makes learning a more fun and engaging process. Paired with VR and AR, gamification can make learning more interactive than traditional learning methods.

What would you say is the most important part of building a training program?

The most important part of building a training program for an organization is understanding the training objectives and vision that the organization has. This helps bring a training program to life in VR, AR, or any other reality we’re developing for.

Finish the sentence. Learning is essential to an organization because…

…learning greatly enhances the capabilities of an organization as a whole. A well-trained group of individuals will simply perform better than a group that is not well-trained.

What is something you have done in this role this year that you are proud of?

I’m most proud of my team and our organization as a whole for persevering through the many challenges that COVID brought us. Many of us were out sick due to COVID during one of the busiest times of the year, but we managed to hold things together through it all as a team.

What are some interesting facts about you?

-I was in the Marines for 15 years, so this is my second career.

-I didn’t start programming until I was 33 years old.

-I have visited 13 different countries. My first language is Spanish.