JP Vega - A Character With Character

...because interesting people are more fun to work with

by JP Vega and Reagan Pugh on September 21st, 2012

I am a happy Costa Rican - LEGOs, soccer, and music lessons kept me busy from my childhood through my late teens. My parents were early adopters of home computers; knowing that the rise of videogames was inevitable, they mitigated the risks of turning their firstborn into a game addict by starting me off on educational games. This approach was about as effective as feeding vegan meat patties to a hungry lion. It took two stints in the realm of politics to convince me that my ideal job involved more human interaction. I believe there is something to learn from every person I meet - especially the ones whose lives follow a very different path from my own. This year I spent a month traveling alone through hostels in Europe, which now poses an interesting problem: I need a vacation to assimilate my vacation.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Early retirement! A beach house, a faithful dog, an endless music playlist and a massive library would also be nice.

What words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Typically” and “usually.” They are symptoms of my fixation about being precise in conversations, even when it is largely unnecessary.

On what occasion do you lie?

Never. It makes life too complicated – you have to remember which lies you told to which people, and I have a very bad memory.

If you were a household appliance, what household appliance would you be and why? 

Being a Costa Rican implies being addicted to coffee, so I would be a coffee maker. Not a Keurig though…I want the smell of wet coffee beans emanating from paper filters all day long.

When was a time you terribly wanted something and didn’t get it?

For most of this year I sported a four-inch fauxhawk hairstyle as part of my post-MBA celebrations. Many stories have stemmed from this phase of my life. Even a few Kalypsonians whom I had not met before have approached me just to find out if I was “that guy who had the fauxhawk.” Unfortunately, despite of all the fun extreme hairstyles bring to life, they don’t go well with management consulting.

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JP Vega is a senior consultant. Hiring Characters with Character is one of Kalypso's core values - click here to learn more about our values and firm culture.

Topics: Characters with Character, JP Vega, Kalypso Culture, Kalypso Employees, Kalypso Values, Keep Kalypso Weird

About the Authors

JP Vega, Senior Consultant JP focuses on strategy and the front end of innovation, serving clients in the high technology, retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries. Read more articles by JP Vega

Reagan Pugh, Raconteur Reagan likes to watch, read and tell stories. He often wishes he was Batman - you know, grappling hooks. Read more articles by Reagan Pugh