10-Year Anniversary

This month marks the 10-year anniversary of my career in software development—not a personal record, as I’ve also played soccer officially for 10 years. Unofficially, soccer still wins by a landslide; I’ve been playing since I can remember and still do every week. But programming is definitely the second-longest commitment I’ve had in my life. And I still love it.

The First Memory

My first memory of feeling like a computer nerd or hacker—or whatever the 8-year-old me thought I was—was when I called my godfather, a computer technician, to ask how to “crack” the game Grand Theft Auto 2. Good times.

After that, my interest in computers only grew. I met a friend who guided me through my first computer format and installation of Windows XP when I was 10. I remember being thrilled to see the computer boot up and work again.

The First Website

Fast forward to 2006, I was 15 when I got an assignment in my “computers” class to do something we had learned as a final project for the year. Everyone mostly went with PowerPoint presentations, but I decided to create my first website. With the help of an older cousin, I learned HTML and CSS and built a personal website. It was simple, just a few pages and a Korn background, but I was so proud of it.

The Decision

That same cousin guided me through high school and helped me choose the path for my career. I’ve always loved technology—computers, cell phones, video games, even toys I would disassemble to understand how they worked (and rarely put back together). Since I didn’t have a specific field in mind, I chose Electrical Engineering, thinking it was broad enough to let me pick a specialization later.

That worked out just as I’d hoped. From day one in college, I found a love for programming, along with math and statistics, and discovered I was good at it.

The First Internship

For the final unit of my course, I had to choose between an internship or a final project. I went with the internship and started working as a software developer at a small company, where I had my first taste of the professional world of programming. My goal was to develop a driver in Lua for a third-party controller the company used for home automation. I ended up spending the summer there, and by the end, I’d delivered a solid project and received a job offer.

Ultimately, I didn’t take it, as I decided to join a government-subsidized internship instead, which was the more popular route at the time.

The Moment of Pure Luck

This was a pivotal moment in my career that I attribute entirely to luck and timing. The day I decided to sign up for the internship, one was presented to me, close to home, and nearing its application deadline. If the company didn’t find an intern, they would lose funding. This meant if things went well, I’d get the internship.

The role could have been anything related to electrical engineering: energy, communications, programming, etc. I quickly Googled the company and found out they specialized in electric motors but also had some energy products. I decided to go for it. As luck would have it, the internship was in the “Information and Technology” department, specifically for the programming team. They needed help with projects in C# and SQL Server. I’d never worked with either before, but I was up for the challenge.

The First Real Experience

Looking back, this was the best start I could have had. Since the company didn’t sell software, we had the flexibility to use any tools we wanted. The team was supportive, helping me whenever I needed it. Mostly, I worked on internal web apps in ASP.NET WebForms and MVC, and I even had the chance to work with hardware on small projects with Raspberry Pi.

Leveling Up

After three years, I felt it was time to push beyond my comfort zone and advance my skills and career. So, I decided to do two things: get a Microsoft certification and apply to companies that developed software. In about three months, I got the certification and a job offer from a leading software company in the Portuguese accounting market.

I vividly remember the interview process, the first day in the office, and how excited I was to start working there and learning from the best. Everyone seemed like an expert in their field. I learned so much in that first year that it felt like being in college again. This was when I realized that senior experience isn’t just about years in the field but about what you’ve accomplished and learned in that time. I learned more in that one year than in the previous three combined.

The Present

Six years later, I’m still here, still learning. I’ve worked on a wide range of projects, technologies, methodologies, and with different teams and companies. I’ve been through both good and challenging moments, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m happy with the path I’ve taken, the knowledge I’ve gained, and the people I’ve met. I’m grateful for the friends I’ve made and the person I’ve become.

Current Role

Last year, my tech lead left the company after 16 years, and I was promoted to tech lead. It was a big step, and I was honored by the trust the company placed in me. It’s been a challenging experience, especially in terms of people management, but I’m proud of the results and the growth I’ve experienced.

I still have much to learn—especially in managing people, which I know will take years, if not decades, to master. Nonetheless, I’m at a point where I’m beginning to feel comfortable and am considering my next career step.

The Future

Currently, I feel that the next step might actually involve a shift back to an individual contributor role. Not because I don’t enjoy my current role—I love it—but because it may be an easier path to achieving one of my life dreams: working in corporate America. As a European, the easiest route, in my opinion, is to work at a globally recognized company like Microsoft, Google, or Amazon, and aim for a transfer to the US. If a transfer doesn’t pan out, at least having a big-name company on my resume should make finding a job there easier. Ideally, I hope to be in the US within the next 3 to 5 years.

So that’s the plan for the next few years. I’m excited to learn new things and meet new people. I’m excited to see where this journey leads, and it will be interesting to revisit this post in a few years to see if I’ve achieved what I set out to do. Cheers to the next 10 years! 🍻