From police officer to front-end developer at Yapoli
Today we begin a series that will tell a little bit of the story of those who are part of the day to day of Yapoli and help it — behind the screens — to grow.
Let’s start with the story of our front-end developer.
Marco Antonio was born in Santo André, in the ABC Paulista, but was raised in the Vila Prudente region. Marco didn’t dream of being a developer as a kid, but it’s safe to say that fate had something in this area reserved for him. Before that happened, Marco went through a series of other achievements to get here. We managed to talk a bit with him — Marco is a quiet person — and we discovered his curious and courageous trajectory. Check it out below.
– Marco, how did your professional career begin?
I always studied in public schools in the region of Vila Prudente, where I lived with my parents. At about 15/16 years old, I was already at the age to decide about college, career, those things. My father, a police officer, always encouraged me to follow his profession, but I was not interested. I have a cousin who at the time was already working in the IT area, as we were close I started to get interested and learn about computer maintenance and support. I fixed the machines of acquaintances, so I learned and could start to work in the area.
– And when you decided to go to college, did you choose IT?
No, I went into Electrical Engineering, believing that it would be a profession that would give me more opportunities. While I was studying engineering I worked in a metallurgical company and my father kept insisting that I should take the exam to Police Academy, he believed that was a profession with stability. College was very difficult, I couldn’t keep up. When I was about to drop out of college, I decided to take the police exam and passed. I was called almost immediately and started working at COPOM, which was located in ABC, and at the same time I left college.
– Did you start to like the profession?
No, quite the contrary. [laughs]
I stayed at COPOM for two years and that started to bother me. I almost didn’t need to think to do what was needed, that bothered me a lot, because I wanted challenges, I wanted to grow, I knew I had more to offer, but I saw that it wasn’t going to be there. I asked for my exoneration and ended up unemployed for a period, but I didn’t stop, soon I started to do a technical course offered by the Dilma government, focused on computer hardware and electronics. Then I started working as a bricklayer’s servant and also doing residential electrical services when I decided to apply for the Metropolitan Civil Guard and again for the Police Academy. Things were tight and I needed to get back to a steady job. I ended up passing both exams, but I was called for a technical support internship and accepted.
– Gee, there were 3 public tenders along the way!
And was it in this company where you started your internship that you got closer to technology?
Yes, that’s right, the company sold software. I was a support assistant, took care of the company’s infrastructure and also performed the installation of software and database, assembling networks for customers. In this environment I started to become a database technologist and had contact with SQL. This was my gateway to other programming languages, like C#, which was the language that sparked my interest in development. I began to delve deeper into languages, studying through videos on Youtube. In one of these navigations I discovered Ruby and realized that learning it could give me better opportunities in the market. It was already 2015 and the market was more heated in search of developers. I started taking Javascript classes, but I found it too difficult, so I went to React and realized I needed to learn Javascript first, [laughs]. I did several online courses to really understand and learn the language, until I won a scholarship at Digital House with Santander, it was a full stack web development course. I already risked looking for vacancies for developer in the market, I had no experience effectively, but I did personal projects at home, I was putting into practice what I learned in the courses, until the vacancy at Yapoli came up and I was called for an interview with Felipe Francesco, Yapoli’s CTO.
– How cool, Marco, your study journey was super autonomous until your arrival in Yapoli. And how has it been working here? What will be your next steps on this journey?
I learned and learn a lot at Yapoli, I have evolved a lot, but I don’t stop and last year I took the entrance exam for the Information Systems course at Univesp, I passed and now that I’m doing the course I consider switching to Data Science. As the first year is basic, only next year I will decide and start having specific subjects. I think the course will certainly bring me greater personal and professional growth.
– Really, you don’t stop. [laughs]
And what would you say are your biggest learnings so far in your developer career?
“Complexity is a matter of how we face it, and as we face it we become more mature. The simplest example would be the construction of software, which involves distinct areas of knowledge and involves people. So, we take the complexity and we break it into pieces for each person to solve. The problem is that each piece brings new challenges, and in reflecting on its resolutions we need to communicate with other people. This exchange of experience and reflections enriches who we are.”
– No doubt about it, Marco. How cool!
And finally, what’s your message for this new generation that is making choices and looking for opportunities in the technology area?
Study! The development world is amazing, the community is always open and you never feel helpless. There are numerous free courses that can help you gain the minimum amount of knowledge you need to start your career. But make no mistake, the community will help you but will not do the work for you. So study!
