A Videogame and an Open Source Dream Inspired a Young Talented Developer —Daniel Gallegos
Just like most things in life, things don’t really turn out as planned. A handmade crab costume turned out to look like a taco instead and shortly after, Daniel Gallegos became that_taco_guy at school, in Minecraft, and on Twitter.
Since he was young, he fell in love with computers and technology. Daniel Gallegos’ life went into figuring out how the internet worked, to then understanding how computer graphics were applied to the making of his favorite movies. Whenever something was broken, Daniel’s curiosity was present — he would immediately fix it himself.
Inspired by videogames, new software, and new hardware, Daniel’s interest in tech and startups didn’t start in the US, where he was born. It started in unexpectedly in a classroom in Ecuador. How did this even happen?
Hello World, Hello Coding and Designing
When Daniel started coding, he learned to create websites. His first test? Saying ‘hello world’ on a web server. After his first lines of code, he was hooked. Soon enough, he found himself working at the intersection of creativity and tech.
Gaming gave him inspiration to find new ideas, new aesthetics, and new design choices. As any great designer and developer, he knows that design isn’t only about about gorgeous UI.
“Functionality, usability, and implementation are factors that ensure the success of our projects. The process of creating great design is difficult and multiphased since it is so diverse. Exploring and questioning the reason behind how things were made when I was kid helped me develop the designer mentality. I became a healthy skeptic about why the people and product around me were the way they were.”
Applying Knowledge and Curiosity Into Work
A Ruby on Rails course in college from the software company devAcademy led to Daniel’s dream job. Unlike many students, he sat down in the front seat, coded, and was excited about the class more than anyone else. Little he’ll know that the teacher and also founder of devAcademy would offer him a job. “We talked for a bit during the break, and he offered me a place in the team. The rest is history.”
As a remote developer, Daniel doesn’t see his coworkers that often. But with tech tools that allow better communication and productivity, he’s been able to know the team in depth.
“devAcademy is an opportunity to learn and challenge myself — we are going places! I’m really happy with how we think big — we don’t want to position ourselves only in the Peruvian market, but we want to connect with the world. Our devhangouts have been an excellent way to reach out to people from Amazon, Facebook, and Google, learning new methodologies and technology.”
With only 20 years old, Daniel Gallegos has so many opportunities moving forward. His next move? Moving permanently to a larger tech ecosystem in South America and continue to do big things. As a huge fan of open source software and games, Daniel plans to keep developing and designing quality products with the goal of open communication and transparency.
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