For Judaea Racquel Arana, known as Jude to her customers and colleagues, every challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow.
She finds inspiration in a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
As a network engineer turned VMware Cloud Foundation Senior Technical Adoption Manager (VCF TAM), Jude has blazed her own trail in tech. Her career has taken her across global industries and organizations, ultimately leading her to VMware Singapore two years ago.
The same drive that led her to explore network engineering continues to shape her work today as a VCF TAM, where she focuses on continuous learning, collaboration, and empowering her team and customers.
A career powered by curiosity
Originally from the Philippines, Jude discovered her interest in technology at Ateneo de Naga University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering.
After graduation, she wasn’t entirely sure which path to take but found herself drawn to network engineering. “I always thought network engineers looked cool,” she remembered. “They got to type commands into that black console terminal, which seemed almost mysterious at the time. Looking back, it feels like a bit of a silly reason, but it was what sparked my interest in the field.”
Determined to explore networking further, she pursued a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification and landed her first role as a network engineer at an end-user company in Singapore.
Eager to continue growing her skills, she later took on a contract role working with a large group of engineers configuring network equipment for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.
“That experience made me realize I was in the right field,” she noted. “There was something incredibly rewarding about unboxing new network equipment, configuring switches, firewalls, and routers, and piecing everything together. Troubleshooting felt like solving a puzzle, and I loved it.”
Following the SEA Games, she joined a systems integration company as a network engineer, broadening her expertise across virtual desktops and applications, load balancers, identity provider integration, and more. In 2019, she earned the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) in Routing & Switching — one of her major milestones since beginning her career in networking.
Jude credits two mentors at the company with shaping her approach to problem-solving, experimentation, and innovation early on.
“Whenever I faced challenges in my projects, they didn’t just hand me the answers,” she said. “Instead, they provided guidance and encouraged me to find the solutions myself. They pushed me to do labs, test, explore, fail, and try again. This approach taught me the value of learning through experience and finding my own way to improve.”
Her drive for continuous learning and innovation eventually drew her to a Technical Services Manager role, where she led a team of project engineers. Carrying forward the lessons from her mentors, she prioritized knowledge-sharing and hands-on problem-solving within her team.
“I love helping and guiding others because I know how much of a difference that kind of support can make in someone’s growth, just like it did for me,” she said.
From technical leader to trusted advisor
Working for a systems integrator company introduced her to VMware technology. She used VMware Workspace ONE to deploy managed iPads for commercial pilots, and seeing the real-world impact of her work sparked a deeper interest in VMware technology.
Looking to dive in further, Jude began searching for opportunities at VMware and was soon hired as a TAM. In preparation for her new role, she built her own lab to experiment with different solutions and deepen her technical knowledge.
“I’ve always loved learning new things and testing them out in the lab, experimenting through trial and error until I get things working. It’s even more fulfilling when the things I test and learn can help my teammates with their work,” she said.
Jude officially stepped into her TAM role in January 2023, working closely with customers to help them optimize their VMware solutions and navigate complex technology challenges. She has developed strong partnerships over time, deepening her understanding of her customers’ environments and long-term goals. These relationships allow her to deliver tailored, effective solutions that drive business outcomes.
She is particularly passionate about VMware Cloud Foundation© (VCF) Operations, which enables customers to streamline cloud infrastructure management. Helping organizations unlock the full potential of this technology has been a rewarding aspect of her role, aligning with her passion for problem-solving, collaboration, and delivering impactful solutions.
Jude also ensures she has plenty of time to experiment and learn. She continues to expand her VMware technology expertise through certifications, earning her VCIX in Data Center Virtualization and Network Virtualization. The skills she has built through certifications further strengthen her ability to guide customers through complex digital transformations.
Her impact has not gone unnoticed; she was promoted to Senior TAM in November 2024. In just two years, she has received three “At Our Best” awards, including the Customer Advocate Award, which recognizes employees who go above and beyond to support customers.
When asked what keeps her motivated, she emphasized the sense of fulfillment that comes from collaborating with customers and continuously growing her expertise. “It’s a role that consistently pushes me to improve and encourages me to keep learning,” she said.
Redefining what it means to be a woman in tech
Throughout her career, Jude has seen women in tech reshaping perceptions and challenging outdated expectations.
“Early in my career as a network engineer, when visiting customer sites for project deployments, I would often hear, ‘Oh, I was expecting Jude to be a guy,’” she recalled. “It always surprised them to see a woman configuring their switches, routers, or firewalls, but it was also a reminder of how we’re still breaking some stereotypes in tech.”
When asked what advice she would give to women considering a career in technology, her message was clear.
“I’d say go for it,” she said. “You don’t need to have everything figured out right away. One of the best things about the tech industry is that it offers so many opportunities to explore, try different things, and discover what you’re truly passionate about. Every difficulty you encounter is just another chance to learn and become stronger. No matter which path you take, always give your best in everything you do.”
Discover more
When she’s not exploring new technologies or collaborating with customers, you will find Jude watching anime, learning the ukulele, reading, playing Mobile Legends, and spending quality time with family and friends.
In honor of International Women’s Month, we are sharing the stories of several women tech professionals making an impact in the field. Check out our recent features on Rocio Oswald and Galina Nikolova.
