Cándido García

I was born on Saturday 5th October 1968 at 5 p.m. Why am I telling you this? October 5th is the patron saint of Lugo, the land of my family, and teachers’ day (coincidence?).   

I had one in the Barcelona of the neighbourhoods, in La Verneda, with food and the Galician language at home, first in a neighbourhood school, then in a Salesian school with only boys! Then the COU and another change, this time to the Institut Jaume Bofill with new friends, in a totally different social and cultural environment and where I discovered that the world is full of interesting people to meet.  

First I wanted to be an Air Traffic Controller (no idea why), then a Lawyer (I loved debating) … and in the end I said “I want something for 3 years with a secure job” … and that’s how Technical Engineering in Telecoms appeared … Well, what you call a lifelong vocation!!!  

When I was 20 years old, I got very good results in my degree with some provincial competitive examinations in the pre-Olympic Barcelona and I started working as a Technical Operator… When I saw the first power station I was astonished!!! What was that? Where I was waiting for NASA I found the Pentaconta relays!!! I had my first bosses, the military service, going out with friends.  And very, very far away was the University. I’m proud of finishing my Telecoms degree… although it took me my time, 10 years. I still have nightmares that all of a sudden I have more subjects left. The important thing is that I finished it, and it helped me to join Telefónica.  

Change to the Sagrera head office, change to the military service, change to the Internal Services department (precursor of Puesto de Trabajo), the first computers, the Banyan, the mail, the Office….. Life is pure change.  

I signed up for the Oposiciones para Técnico, those oppositions with more than 700 places…and in Madrid. So that’s where I went. Two months in Leganitos and 2 years in Ríos Rosas, in the MORE. And there came the first reports… Massive transfers and I was 34 for Barcelona, and 34 places were available!!! There was no AVE, but as if there were!!!! And Madrid was and is always in my heart.  

On my return, I spent a year at the Data Services Centre and I found out that they were looking for people for Senior Management Reports… I remember my boss Manel telling me “If you do very well they will know you, and if you don’t, then you have to try to do well! It was the dawn of ADSL and my first report was the monitoring of ADSL registrations. One day they told us that we were joining up with a department in Madrid that also did reports and Ulises was born, one of the projects that has left me with the best memories of my working life. How good it is to work with resources, with colleagues who knew the Latin for each service and with great bosses! How nice it is to feel recognised and valued as a person and as a group. It was there that I also started the “wally courses” and the development of my great passion, training.  

So I stayed for many years, until Ulysses died… and CIRCE was born, the project that I coordinate today and where I still have the same luck: to be surrounded by very good people and people who know much more than me.  

All this spiced up with Yammer and WorkPlace, since another of my passions is to share knowledge and learn from everyone…  

And today, 15 November 2023, we continue with the changes in Life… it seems that my working life at Telefónica may be coming to an end… It’s dizzying, it’s true, they say it’s cold outside… I’ll look for a warm place to continue learning and teaching, changing and changing and always enjoying myself.