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Reflecting on the incredible professionals whose guidance shaped my journey.
Life is full of twists and turns, and how we navigate them often defines who we become. When we're faced with uncertainty, the choices we make can send us down completely different paths.
Many of our victories are owed to the mentors we have known throughout our lives, who have somehow helped us by guiding the path we have decided to pursue without asking for anything in return. They often do this subliminally, driven by a desire to see you overcome obstacles and succeed.
A simple gesture showing how something works, a minute suggesting a book, a word of encouragement, or advice on avoiding pitfalls—these are things many of us can do.
I remember, as if it were yesterday, the day I got to play with my first computer. I've always been a curious guy, especially regarding technology. My dad's friend helped me configure everything, and I started using and learning it all as much as possible.
For a long time, this friend helped us to format or reinstall our computer when it was slow or abducted by viruses (haha). That was when I started considering this as a profession.
I learned the step-by-step process of installing and configuring a computer from a friend, and it got me very interested in how everything worked. At eleven years old, I decided that I wanted to study way more than I was able to at that time. Nothing is easy when you're a fellow who lives in a small city, which is also located in a small state. Believe it or not, I could find myself waiting until midnight to start using the internet with my old-fashioned modem. I was the little IT kid on the block for many years, which never stopped me from having dreams about something more significant.
Sometimes I keep thinking about what would have happened if I hadn't met those people who certainly had a significant influence in my life to keep pursuing more knowledge. Have you stopped to think about where you would be without people like that in your life?
Nowadays, many people don't know what to do before starting a university degree. Usually, when they think about something, they are not really sure of what a profession really entails.
I have been influenced by people close to me, but not everyone is so lucky. I hope one day career guidance will be better integrated into our education system.
They say that developers acquire what's called Impostor syndrome throughout their lives. I can say that I had that even before I started. Even though people would say the opposite, I always thought anything I did was not good enough to show anyone. Often, even those close to me didn't seem to appreciate my efforts.
At my university, sometimes we got the opportunity to attend some programming events, and that was when I met one of my old friends, Juarez Filho.
Maybe he won't know this until he reads this post, but my first programming internship had some contributions from his actions in my university. I remember being very insecure about participating in a CakePHP course because I was not feeling confident in PHP and needed a little push (encouragement) to attend the class.
After this day, I never stopped. I've studied more and more and ended up getting two internships because of that workshop. Many people are responsible for many choices I made, many successful choices, but some very unfortunate ones. Nevertheless, it certainly contributed to how I make my decisions, helping me improve the way I can think about situations and how to choose a good path for my life.
If we had more guides like them, the community will provide better professionals with a better attitude. Attitudes can help other people with the "little push" they may need without expecting anything back. Something that, in the end, is extremely rewarding.
Nothing was easy. I was from another city, my internship was in the state capital, I had to move, and consequently, didn't know many people. Before that, I always had to go to college by bus, it was an average of 1.5 hours each way, which was quite discouraging.
I can say that one of the most decisive moments that totally contributed to my career was in my second internship. I was about seventeen. The company owners (now friends) were a cut above the rest. My internship assignment was far from trivial (haha). Stuff like: "Document this framework in object-oriented PHP, in English, then create a template system in Smarty and generate the framework documentation."
Just imagine, I did not know any English, I was beginning to understand object orientation, and finally, Smarty was all in English and very complicated at the time. I felt pretty discouraged at the time.
I spent hours reading to "decipher" what I was doing wrong. I worked with maintenance and computer networks for a long time, so I eventually considered giving up programming because I thought I was terrible at it.
Luckily, I was mentored by the two partners of the company, which made me better understand the whole process and how to do each task. Finally, when I finished, I felt very happy. I never thought I could do anything like this or work with a framework created by the company.
Sometimes I stop to think about what I would have done if my bosses had not helped me and understood I was having some trouble. Would I have continued with software development?
"Dang! This person leaves home to help folks in another city without getting paid". I've heard a lot of people say that, sadly.
People often underestimate the value of networking and listening to someone with experience speaking at events. Such people have gone through difficult times trying to solve a certain problem in a particular domain that will often save you from going down the same painful path.
At events, I met people who greatly contributed to the professional I am today. And luckily, they helped me land some really nice jobs (hehe).
So, get out of your comfort zone and invest in communication and learning, because if you are not seen, you are not remembered. Nothing will be easy if you don't leave your house to meet people and learn from all these experiences.
As one of the organizers of one of the biggest events in my state (Alagoas Dev Day), I know how difficult it is in Brazil to organize something like this.
So when I know of some interesting event that fits my budget I always try to go. At the events I attended, I found many opportunities to stand out, I met extraordinary people and consequently heard many very interesting stories I would never have heard if I had stayed home.
Keep calm and let’s go!
I'm happy that today (despite the challenges) programming communities have been growing a lot, and several mentors have been appearing every day. A simple gesture of help and guidance can contribute to a better career path for many people.
I try hard to contribute by offering career guidance to many friends and even in the life of those who have not yet decided what to do in life, showing at least what can happen if this person is in the programming area. Often with projects like the Remote Work Guide, or just with information on how I currently work.
Sometimes people just need that "big brother" talk about what's wrong and how to get better. I feel that a lot of them have grown significantly as professionals after that and in a way, it's very gratifying for me.
It is quite clear that I will not be able to create a revolution yet, but I am doing my part. So if you know a little, or have enough experience to help someone, do not hesitate to help! The feeling of seeing someone you helped succeed is indescribable. In a way, you are helping to create a new generation that will change the world!