Hello, World!

Last modified: 2025-04-19

My name is Robson, and I currently work as a Data Engineer. Previously, I was a machining mechanic and a plastic mold toolmaker. I’ll share my journey and how I got here, marking this as my "hello, world" for this blog (every programmer knows that if you don’t follow this tradition, you won’t have good luck).

It all started with a simple search on my phone while I was at the central bus terminal in the city. I was a 16-year-old teenager, lost about what to do after finishing high school. I was waiting for the bus to go to SENAI, tired from waking up early for work and going to bed late the night before due to college. It was an exhausting routine that I didn’t plan to maintain.

By the middle of my first year of high school, I had already decided my profession, my college, and my future. However, I realized that choosing based solely on financial return would not be enough to guarantee my long-term happiness. I needed more reasons. I dove into numerous YouTube videos, learned about the difference between a technologist and a bachelor, the absence of a union, and how my course wouldn’t determine where I would work or my hierarchical level within a company. I understood the distinction between management and analysis and development. I was completely prepared for what was to come.

I remember my first contact with the data field, already in the third semester of college, through a course on Databases. It was practically love at first sight! I had already taken some programming courses on my own, as professionals in the field I interacted with assured me that college would not be the place where I would learn to code. In part, they were right. I learned only the logic and fundamentals of the subject. With that, I already had prior knowledge in Python. Upon researching the data field and understanding how essential the use of this language was in daily tasks, I deepened my studies. I created simple projects to practice basic syntax and then advanced to more complex topics.

Meanwhile, I worked at a family business as a plastic mold toolmaker. I saw it as a stepping stone to reach my goal. I worked during the day and studied at night, dreaming of my first opportunity in the tech field. It finally came when I could no longer bear my situation. I became an intern at a multinational company, where it was just me and the department manager. I was his first intern, and this was my first experience in this role. I met incredible people and learned valuable lessons, along with sharing many laughs. It was a great experience.

Although my internship contract was not renewed and I was not hired permanently due to the company shutting down its operations in Brazil, I soon landed another internship position, this time at a startup in the data field! A classmate recommended me to the company, which became a great family. I owe much to Even, its founders, Douglas, Arthur, and André, and my coworkers. It was there that I developed, initially as a data analyst, creating dashboards, spreadsheets, and case studies for the commercial team. Even was eventually merged with another fintech near the end of my internship contract. I was hired by the analytics team at Liber Capital, where I currently work as a Data Engineer, taking my first steps in Data Science, my great goal.

And this is my story so far in the IT field. It’s still in the first paragraph, with plenty of space to be filled with the experiences yet to come! For those in college now, looking for your first opportunity, know that the biggest challenge is the first one; the rest are consequences. Study, build a portfolio, and be ready for when luck knocks on your door, because it comes when you least expect it!