Men in Tech: A Journey from Mailroom to Tech Teams

Travis Keaton’s journey into the tech world is far from conventional. In his early 20s, he found himself working in a mailroom at a publishing company, uncertain of his future and feeling stuck. However, his natural problem-solving abilities and reputation for reliability quickly caught the attention of his colleagues. When a position opened up on the database team, Travis was encouraged to apply.

“I got the job and began learning,” he recalls. This opportunity marked the beginning of a career that would see him evolve from a self-taught web developer into a leader in the tech industry.

Travis didn’t set out with a burning passion for technology. “I’m not sure I was ever actually inspired to go into tech,” he admits. Instead, it was the practical allure of a field that offered strong earning potential without a degree requirement that drew him in. 

Once he began teaching himself HTML and Cold Fusion, he was hooked! Within six months, he secured a new job as a web developer, only to face a major setback on his first day—the company declared bankruptcy. 

“I consider this a milestone because the fallout from this is what led me to networking,” he explains. This unexpected twist revealed a new path where he discovered that understanding networks and how devices communicate came naturally to him.

Throughout his career, Travis has encountered numerous challenges, each one a turning point that forced him out of his comfort zone and into new opportunities for growth. One such moment came in late 2008, when he was working as a contractor for Verizon Business on their VoIP team. After a year, the company decided to eliminate all contractor roles, leaving Travis unemployed once again. 

“I ended up having to take a couple of steps backward in job title and salary,” he reflects. But rather than seeing it as a setback, Travis viewed it as an opportunity to refine certain skills that needed attention. This resilience and adaptability have been hallmarks of his career.

Another significant milestone occurred more recently, when after nearly 13 years with AOL/Yahoo, Travis’s position, along with his entire team, was eliminated. This period of uncertainty led him to explore new avenues, even trying his hand at sales. 

“I had decent results, but I kept feeling like something was missing,” he recalls. That missing piece, he realized, was his passion for leading teams and developing people—a passion that eventually led him to Klik Solutions. 

“These experiences all forced me outside my comfort zone and revealed things about myself that I didn’t know. Each of these instances propelled my career to new heights,” he adds.

Today, Travis is the Director of Centralized Services at Klik Solutions, where he leads five teams responsible for executing a vast majority of the support and engineering services offered to clients. His role is not just about managing tasks, but about nurturing talent and fostering a culture that can adapt to change. “I’m most excited about helping my direct reports develop as leaders and fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and transparency,” he shares.

Travis attributes much of his success to an ever-present curiosity and an innate desire to find solutions. “Candid communication is also key,” he emphasizes. He relies on AI tools and other technologies to stay ahead of the curve, but it’s his people skills that truly set him apart.

Reflecting on his career, Travis is particularly proud of leading significant projects like the configuration, deployment, and activation of network routers and VoIP services for 348 Ann Taylor stores—two weeks ahead of schedule. “Another proud achievement was helping to restart a defunct mentorship program at AOL. Through that, I was able to place five of my people in new roles with engineering teams,” he notes.

Mentorship has played a crucial role in Travis’s development. He credits Bill Lee, a government program manager at the General Services Administration (GSA), for pushing him to grow and eliminating excuses. “Bill told me he believed I was capable of more and that he was going to push me hard. He truly helped me to eliminate excuses and keep grinding until I found myself where I wanted to be,” Travis recalls. 

He also highlights Joe Tippets, his boss at AOL/Yahoo, who taught him how to implement leadership concepts in the real world and build a culture of trust. “Joe has probably been one of the most influential characters in my life,” he adds.

For those just starting out in tech, Travis offers a piece of advice rooted in his own experiences: “If and when you feel stuck, trust that feeling and get moving.” His journey from the mailroom to leading tech teams is a testament to the power of perseverance, adaptability, and the willingness to embrace new challenges. Travis Keaton has not only built a successful career but has also become a respected member of our Klik Team.