From street dancing to software development, meet Alex!

Meet Alex. He joined the FXBITS team more than a year ago as a backend developer and has been killing it ever since! He is now an essential teammate with a lot of experience in web applications, focusing on code quality and cost-efficient solutions for all clients. When he's not at the computer, he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, holidaying by the sea, and having a good BBQ with his friends.

Learn more about Alex's career path—and how he made his way from a secret street dance club to software development!

Alex giving himself a break after a successful release.

Why did you join FXBITS, and what has kept you here?

Curiosity. Previously, I worked mainly for product companies, where things usually get comfortable after a while. Having already gained experience in sales, I kind of missed the "action" and wanted to interact with customers in some way so that I could put my other skills to good use and see how the outsourcing business model works from the inside.

Professionalism. During the recruitment process, I met Paul (the CEO) and I liked his honest and direct approach during the interview. He asked all sorts of questions and convinced me that he cares about the company culture and the type of personality you bring in. I liked that.

Experience. During the technical interview, I met very experienced developers in the areas I was interested in, from whom I could learn a lot afterward. I also loved the assignment and the fact the company hires people on actual proof of code and not just some discussions. That was a nice experience.

Commitment. I like the family-like approach at FXBITS. Everyone helps each other out and it's a fun environment where you are always faced with new challenges.

What is your role at FXBITS?

I’m one of the key backend developers for my client's project. Besides my usual coding tasks, I also wear the hat of a Release Manager and coordinate our team's efforts after each sprint to successfully deliver the new functionalities to our end customer.

I’m also responsible for improving our agile and development processes. I am detail-oriented and like things done well. Except for steak.. That should always be medium-rare.

How do you describe your work personality vs. your home life personality?

I don't think they are two different personalities because my work environment allows me to be myself. I believe this is also true for my colleagues. We often talk about things like family, hobbies, or holiday plans—things that are not necessarily related to work.

Although I work remotely as an integrated part of my client's team, we have very good communication within our team that allows us to do this. We’re a nice mix of people from different cultures, and I like the fact that we grow stronger together, even when we face bigger challenges.

Alex in his “work from home” environment.

How do you define success in life?

I once read somewhere that the worst thing that can happen to you at the end of your life is meeting the person you could have become. With that in mind, I believe that a successful life would mean meeting the same person, but in the mirror.

Before working at FXBITS, what was the most unusual or interesting job you had?

Probably the most interesting job I had started when I joined a small hip-hop dance class during high school. The initial idea was to form a small group of people and enter all the dance contests in our area for publicity and make some money doing shows for private events. We didn't know where this would take us.

I became good at it and after a couple of months, the instructor asked me if I wanted to join him and start a non-profit organisation. I said yes, and for a few years, I was one of the leading choreographers, participating in all kinds of events and competitions.

At our peak, we had close to 100 students a week in our classes. We even organised the first National High School Street Dance Cup, which was a great success. We gained a lot of attention in the local media and brought even more students to us.

What made you choose software development as a profession?

I've always had a thing for technology. I liked the idea that you can create almost anything with a few lines of code. It gives you the power to innovate and create business solutions that can reach and help a lot of people. It's one of the few fields where you have that kind of opportunity.

I had a lot of friends in my inner circle who worked as software engineers, and they spoke very nicely about the company culture they were part of. That made me curious.

Since my current job wasn't fulfilling me and I was convinced I had what it takes, I told myself why not.

So I enrolled in a three-year program at one of my local IT faculties and, after a month-long recruitment process, I got a place in one of the subsidiaries of an alternative IT school (42.fr).

After six months, I left my job as a Marketing Manager in a start-up to keep up with both schools, and six months later I had my first internship. I will never forget the day I got the email that I had been accepted. Five years later, here we are. It was all worth it.

Alex going for it, after hours playing with colleagues.

How about hobbies, what do you like to do in your free time?

Well, I like spending time with my friends and family. I love to travel wherever there’s a beach and a cold one nearby. Also, you can count me in whenever there’s a BBQ about to happen or if you need someone to cook it.

I also enjoy playing chess, poker and in the summertime, you will find me near a basketball court.

If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive, who would it be and why?

If I had the chance, I would like to meet my younger self at the age of 10.

I would tell him that it is not unusual to fail at something, but that it is necessary in order to become good at something. Sometimes he will make the right choices, but sometimes he will learn the hard way. So I would tell him to fail forward.

I would buy him an HTML & CSS book and pay him to build me an eCommerce shop. If I'd had that experience as a kid, I'd probably be far along in my career now.

Finally, I would tell him to watch out and buy Bitcoin when the time comes.

What's your motto or personal mantra?

Impossible is just a big word.

Find out more about Alex and his peers at FXBITS!

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