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Summary

In this podcast episode, the host shares his journey into the tech industry, sparked by curiosity and the desire to enhance his gaming experience with mods for Counter Strike. He talks about his self-taught beginnings, the formation of a successful community, and his progression from amateur to professional. The host discusses his early struggles with understanding programming concepts, the importance of learning from the community, and the pivotal moment when he decided to formalize his education. He highlights the challenges faced during his career, the value of making mistakes, and the satisfaction of achieving senior status. The episode concludes with an encouragement to stay curious and understand the foundations of technology.

Takeaways

• 🕹️ The speaker's career in programming began out of curiosity, sparked by the desire to customize the gaming experience in Counter Strike.
• 🎮 He started by modifying game mods and plugins, which led to the discovery of programming and the creation of a community around a zombie plague mod in Brazil.
• 🛠️ Initially self-taught, the speaker learned programming by translating and combining mods, gradually understanding code and contributing to game development.
• 🏫 His formal education in computer science at a technical school in São Paulo helped him understand hardware and deepen his programming knowledge with languages like Visual Basic and Pascal.
• 🔍 The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning from the community, using platforms like GitHub, Twitter, and especially YouTube for knowledge acquisition.
• 📈 The transition from being self-taught to working professionally began with a recommendation from a classmate, leading to a job opportunity in a different tech stack.
• 🛑 He discusses the challenges of learning new programming paradigms, such as understanding callbacks in Node.js, which was a shift from his experience with C# and .NET.
• 🔧 The speaker highlights the use of tools like Resharper for code quality and the importance of performance optimization in early projects.
• 📚 He underscores the value of continuous learning, taking courses on platforms like Udemy and Train Web, and learning from experienced developers in the community.
• 🤝 The importance of teamwork is mentioned, suggesting that leveraging each team member's strengths and proactively seeking help can enhance productivity.
• 🗓️ The speaker reflects on the difficulty of estimating time for tasks, the need for flexibility, and the importance of setting realistic deadlines.

Q & A

What sparked the speaker's initial interest in programming?

The speaker's interest in programming began out of curiosity due to the desire to add effects and sounds to the game Counter Strike, which they couldn't do with their basic copy of the game.

What did the speaker discover that allowed others to modify games like Counter Strike?

The speaker discovered that 'adons' or plugins from a community called 'led mods' were used to modify games, making them more lively and fun.

How did the speaker's fascination with game modifications lead to community building?

The speaker's fascination led them to download and modify plugins, which they shared with others. This resulted in the creation of a successful forum community for a zombie game mode in Brazil.

What was the speaker's first programming language and how did they learn it?

The speaker's first programming languages were Visual Basic and Pascal, which they learned at a technical school in São Paulo known as Etec.

How did the speaker transition from modifying game plugins to professional programming?

The speaker was recommended for a job by a classmate who recognized their potential after they performed well in a programming competition. This job used ASP.NET MVC, which became a technology the speaker worked with for many years.

What was the speaker's first project in their professional programming career?

The speaker's first project was developing a pilot for a CSV spreadsheet that inserted data into the company's database, specifically numbers related to people who did not want to be bothered by Procom.

How did the speaker's early experiences shape their approach to learning and seeking help?

The speaker was initially very independent and rarely sought help. They learned from their own experiences and through community resources like GitHub and YouTube, which were their main platforms for seeking knowledge and updates.

What programming tools and languages did the speaker mention using during their career?

The speaker mentioned using ASP.NET MVC, C#, .NET, jQuery, Bootstrap, and later Node.js, JavaScript, and MongoDB. They also worked with Java for integrations with Oracle and learned about APIs and workers.

What challenges did the speaker face when transitioning to new programming languages or paradigms?

The speaker faced difficulties in understanding the programming models of new languages, such as the use of callbacks in Node.js, which was a departure from the synchronous model they were used to with .NET.

How did the speaker approach learning and mastering new technologies?

The speaker consumed a lot of content from various sources, including YouTube, Udemy, and Train Web courses. They also learned from experienced colleagues and by working on increasingly complex projects.

What advice does the speaker give for someone starting their career in programming?

The speaker advises being curious, seeking to understand the underlying development of the technologies one uses, and not being afraid to make mistakes or take on new challenges.