Allan Collier is a Java developer since 2014. Allan has been part of the Integer team since 2018, and currently works as a Full Stack Developer. On this programmer’s day, we invited him to answer some questions about his career path, how he would define what it is to be a developer, and what are his best pointers to be successful in this field.
Tell us a bit about your day-to-day life and how it has been the experience at Integer.
My name is Allan Albino Collier, I’m a Java Developer since 2014, I’ve been living in Lisbon for 3 years, I came from Brazil to work at Integer’s request. It has been a very rewarding experience!
Due to the pandemic, I am currently teleworking. My team consists of 4 people and generally my activities are focused on meetings for business definition, analysis, development, and testing. Although Integer is a consulting company, it is always present and concerned with my development, both in the project and on a personal and technical level.
How would you explain to your grandparents what your profession is? How would you define what it is to be a developer?
I would say that I work on the development of technological solutions, through computer systems, that are present in the everyday life of the population, from a private organization to a public entity. In this way as a computer programmer, my work is largely about solving problems to make people’s lives easier.
What suggestions and advices would you give to someone who wants to pursue this area?
a) Do some research on the computer science area and the skills needed to understand if there is any affinity
b) Talk to professionals who already work in the area, to get an idea about the job market
c) Study and take courses in the area
In your opinion, which skills cannot be absent in a developer, both on a technical and personal level?
Within a professional environment, one of the personal skills that I believe to be of most valuable is responsibility and organization, as they smooth the day-to-day life of a developer in their project. A developer should always keep in mind that it is necessary to have an organized, clean, and documented code, this combined with good programming practices will always be useful in any project. Good communication is also essential during any project.
What should be considered when choosing a project and a company to work with in this area?
Companies that can involve you in challenging projects will always be a great choice! I think that companies that are well rated are usually the best place to work. No doubt that a company that tries to be present in the life of its employees makes a difference.
In the programming universe the innovations never stop and there are always new things happening. How do you keep up with all this and evolve professionally?
I always try to take improvement courses, participate in events about technology, this allied to the development of personal projects, makes me updated of the new tendencies of the market. It is worth mentioning that I can count on Integer and its initiatives to improve my knowledge, for example Meet Ups organized by Integer, which allow me to increase my network with other members of the company, courses available through the Integer/Udemy partnership, and language improvement through Integer/Speexx.
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