The Remarkable Story Of Felipe Zavan: Software Engineer With A Wide Range Of Experiences

As a software engineer, it is crucial to be open to experimenting, learning new things, and constantly advancing in your field. This is because software engineering is a rapidly evolving field that is constantly changing, and those who do not keep up with these changes can find themselves outdated and non-competitive.

The willingness to learn and experiment also plays an important role in developing creative solutions to problems in software engineering. Constantly seeking new approaches and technologies opens the door to innovation and better results.

In our .ME community, there is one software engineer who is especially eager and open to acquiring new skills. His name is Felipe Zavan. Let’s hear more about his desire to experiment and learn new things and how it all helped him in building a successful career path!

Who Is Felipe Zavan?

Felipe speaks about what inspires him most, so let us make an introduction with his own words: 

“What has always driven me is my curiosity about how things work beneath the surface. I love tinkering and the feeling I get from seeing an idea become code and then something concrete that people use.”

Felipe Zavan is a software engineer based in Ireland that has a focus on web development and APIs, with a broad range of skills across multiple programming languages. These include JavaScript/NodeJS, Ruby, Java, Python, and PHP, as well as familiarity with HTML and CSS. They are also well-versed in various frameworks and tools such as React, Vue.js, Ruby on Rails, Express, Docker, and Ansible. Additionally, he has experience in DevOps and cloud deployment, mainly on AWS. He possesses Italian and Brazilian citizenship, indicating a multicultural background and potential for cross-cultural collaboration.

Skills Of Felipe Zavan

In the past 11 years, Felipe has been designing, developing, deploying, and maintaining software, with a focus on web apps, and has gained a reputation as an expert in the field. Over time, Felipe’s skills and experience grew, and he began taking on more complex projects, including designing and building large-scale web applications. He became Lead Software Engineer at Spillover Software Group in Galway, Ireland. Felipe also honed his project management skills, working with cross-functional teams and clients to ensure that projects were delivered on time and within budget. 

Despite his busy work schedule, Felipe always finds time to pursue his other interests, including traveling and exploring new cultures. He also has a keen interest in a variety of subjects, from finance and blockchain technology to fitness and nutrition, and he spends his free time reading and learning more about these topics.

Agile Methodologies, TDD, And BDD In Software Engineering

Felipe Zavan, with his extensive experience in software engineering, has a solid understanding of the concepts such as Agile, TDD, BDD, and their importance in the development process. His knowledge and skills in these fields have allowed him to lead and contribute to successful software projects that meet the highest standards of quality and efficiency.

Agile methodologies, Test-Driven Development (TDD), and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) are all important concepts in software engineering that have gained significant popularity in recent years.

Agile methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban, prioritize flexibility, collaboration, and iterative development. They emphasize rapid iteration, customer feedback, and continuous improvement, enabling teams to deliver high-quality software in a more efficient and timely manner.

TDD and BDD are both development practices that emphasize the importance of testing throughout the software development lifecycle. TDD involves writing automated tests before writing the actual code, while BDD focuses on defining and testing the behavior of the system as a whole. Both practices encourage teams to write clear, concise, and maintainable code, reducing the risk of bugs and increasing the overall quality of the product.

The Diverse Experiences Of A Young Software Engineer Felipe On His Career Path

When asked what he would do differently if he could press restart on his career, Felipe Zavan said that he wouldn’t change anything because the open-ended path he took gave him such a range and depth of experiences. He explained that he started in mechatronics, which is how he found out programming was his favorite field, and that if he had skipped that part and gone straight into programming, he wouldn’t have as deep an understanding of how computers work on the lowest level.

Felipe’s advice to anyone who is starting out in the programming business is to play, be curious, and not rush it. He advises building things just to acquire knowledge, then throwing them away. According to him, the start of one’s career is the time to experiment and learn.

We asked Felipe what project, contribution, or aspect of his career he is most proud of.

“I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to make a living doing something I’m genuinely excited about. I’m also proud of the fact that I’ve been able to help others learn and get jobs in the industry”, says Felipe.

Having A Personal Website As A Software Engineer Can Help Recruiters Find You Easily

And what about the importance of having a personal website? From his personal experience, can your professional website boost your career prospects? Can it attract potential opportunities?

Felipe believes that having a personal website is important in acquiring clients. “I’ve had many recruiters email me or find my LinkedIn profile through my website”, states Felipe. When asked why he chose .ME for his personal website, Felipe Zavan replied that he loves how short and direct zavan.me is. He pointed out that it makes for great email addresses.

More Simple The Better

What do people do wrong when it comes to creating content and design for a professional website? What is the most neglected but very important part of it? Felipe noticed that simplicity is what many professional websites lack. He believes that most personal websites should offer a quick introduction, showcase the most important skills, and link to other online presences and projects. He mentioned that his own website is a single page, text-only, and has a very barebones design, which he loves.

Read more: Should You Use GitHub As A Portfolio Or Build A Personal Website?

Plans Felipe Has For The Future

Felipe Zavan enjoys working on startups/small companies, helping them coordinate the team as well as architect and build their products, so he doesn’t think that will change. However, he concluded that maybe in the future, it will be his own company.

Wrapping Up: Key Insights

Felipe’s success story is a testament to the power of hard work, dedication, and a commitment to lifelong learning. His passion for software engineering, combined with his curiosity and diverse interests, has helped him become highly knowledgeable in his field, and his story serves as an inspiration to others who aspire to achieve great things.