When we first met Alex, we thought of him as a reserved, curious developer. Little did we know he’d be full of surprises, we enjoy working with him and learning about him every day, and we’re sure you will too!
Who is Alex? And what is your role at Oceans?
People think of others as introverts or extroverts, I believe I’m some shade of grey in between. I’m ambitious to some extent, meaning I constantly strive to do a little better every day. And I’m a hardworking guy.
I also love music, it’s been a bridge toward doing a lot of the things I enjoy in life. Even programming brings me many of the feelings music produces in me, like playing an instrument and improvising; picture a musician playing some blues or jazz, you listen and you don’t expect what’s coming next but it comes naturally to them, I’ve found a way to look at what I do from an artistic perspective as well.
At Oceans, I am a .NET Full Stack Developer. I’ve always liked seeing the big picture as opposed to specializing on either Front-end or Back-end. I enjoy seeing how components come together and watching that flow from end to end, from the inputs to the graphic display.
What was your first impression of Oceans?
I realized people at Oceans were motivated by their jobs and focused on delivering quality. I found a great dynamic, where people understand and perform their roles very well.
Beyond that, the company is directly committed to you as an individual, the day I met them I felt that warmth and familiarity that gets lost in large corporate environments—where there are so many people that you become just another digit.
There is also the transparency, everything is done clearly and directly, they put their trust in you so it’s easy to be yourself, and put your trust in them too.
What is it like to work at Oceans.
I came from a big corporation, where your work becomes “invisible” —something that is increasingly common in the industry—so finding an environment where my work feels rewarding and appreciated really motivated me, I had forgotten what that felt like.
Within my team, Kevin takes on the ‘architect’ role, I started to appreciate him as a craftsman, who cares for his software and every single one of its details. I’ve been learning from him, about applying the best practices and quality standards consistently and taking initiative.
Tell us about something you’re proud to have accomplished
Being trusted to work independently by the team, not having to ask about everything, being accepted by everyone, and being able to present my work to the client directly and receive feedback, especially when their reactions are positive and can’t wait to show it to their peers.
What’s your main motivation on your day to day?
Probably my mother and her hardworking spirit, I want to be able to take her out of work and help her with her personal projects. She always taught me not with philosophies, but with examples, to show and not tell.
What is the next step in your career
I have a well-defined mental roadmap, but typically focus more on the next year or so. For example, my current goal is to earn my Master’s degree, then I want to teach at a university. Then, I’ll probably seek to certify myself in Cloud technologies.
In my professional life I’m constantly trying to be one step ahead.
What do you enjoy most about working remotely?
Many things, but first, my family. I used to have a spreadsheet where I tracked my time expenditure. Prior to the pandemic, it was less than 1% for them. Now, I get to spend so much more time with them, have breakfast and dinner with my mother and cousins, who live close by, and also with my childhood friends!
I also have some time to read every day and play soccer. I even get better sleep!
How do you spend your time outside of work?
Besides music, reading, spending time with my family, and playing soccer, I like to fish; which I get to do often enough since I live close to the beach.
I also have a telescope, it’s a pretty basic piece of equipment but it holds its ground, I like to take it to the mountain and find a good spot to take photos of other planets.
Sometimes when I’m done working I take my guitar to play somewhere and meet new people, it’s surprising how easy it is to connect with others through music, I love rock, blues, and reggae. I played in a band for several years.
I have a girlfriend who I like to meet new places with. And I also love videogames, I had a flight simulator I was using in hopes to learn something to become a pilot someday, but it turns out it makes me too anxious. I also like Pokemon and strategy games.
