This is the third part of my story that I want to share. A story about how I got into the world of programming. I didn’t have the chance to study IT at university, I had my own path.
These are links to the first and second parts, in case you missed them.
Technical part of the interview
The programmer who interviewed me explained how everything would happen. He said that I would work in an office, I would be given my own desk, and I would program on one of their computers next to other programmers, each of whom was busy with his own thing. “This is what it will look like if you become part of our team.” I thought that was pretty good. And, as he said, as soon as I entered the office, everyone greeted me and continued to do their work. Although it was not yet clear whether they would hire me, I already felt like I was part of something new. The test was as follows: create a website with a list of books for an imaginary library. This task seemed easy: just connect to the database, get a list of books, and display them on a web page, using buttons for the usual actions of adding books, deleting books, and updating information. “I can do this,” I thought. While I was completing the task, behind my back the programmers, in addition to their work, were chasing tennis balls in an interesting way: they threw them forcefully against each other until one of the blows hit the reboot button of one of the computers, and one guy lost what he was doing in the editor . “It’s interesting what they’re doing,” I thought. I was expecting a more formal environment and was pleasantly surprised at how casual it actually was.
Meanwhile, I was stuck in the middle of a task - I couldn't get the code to print the book list, and nothing was showing on the screen. “What should I do...”, my indignation knew no bounds. I tried to debug it by adding statement printing, but that didn't help and I had no idea what was going on. Time passed, and I fell into despair. I told myself: “Come on, get yourself together! You can't miss this chance because of a problem! What should I do? Ask for help? What if this instantly disqualifies me in their eyes?” I thought: “But they help each other while working. So be it, I’ll ask for help.” I called my interviewer over and explained the problems to him, told him about all my attempts, so that he would not think that I had not tried to do anything at all. To my great joy, he also had no idea what was going on, and said that, in principle, what I had done was enough. Unfortunately, I spent too much time on the debugging process and did not have time to complete the second part of the task. Later, I remembered this lesson; I should have asked for help earlier, it would have saved me a lot of time - time, which in that situation was critical. And in the future, this could be a serious loss for the company in which I would work. I didn't want to ask for extra time to complete the second part of the test, it didn't seem fair to me. I wanted to play by the rules because I thought that was the only right way. And as we will see later, this decision bore fruit.
Meanwhile, I had a second problem that needed a solution. I looked again carefully and realized that it was about parsing URLs from some log files. Plucking up courage, I put on a serious face and told the guy that while I was thinking about the problem, my time was up. The solution was to simply "split these lines character by character and then split the URL into such and such component parts." The guy nodded to me and said that indeed this was the solution to the issue. He then said the interview was over and asked if I had any questions about the company or if there was anything I might want to add. Later I remembered this lesson, I should have asked for help earlier, it would have saved me a lot of time. “Well, if you're asking, yes, I'm building a mapping app that I want to show you...” was my high point. I typed the URL into the computer in front of us and prayed to all the gods that the site would load without any problems. “Please load up,” I thought. And as each element of the site loaded, my anxiety receded and was replaced by pleasant excitement. My brainchild, the creation of which I was most proud of, was before my eyes, and most importantly, before the eyes of the person who had to decide whether to hire me or not. I enthusiastically talked about every feature of the application, the purpose of its creation, what elements it included, and what needed to be implemented in order for the application to have a clear business case. After the demo I thought my opponent was impressed with the Aleph Maps app, he complimented me and I was happy to be able to run the demo for him and go from there. This showed me that all the demos I did for family members were worthwhile because, when needed, I was able to show that I could not only create things myself, but also communicate them clearly.
It was already about 6 o'clock in the evening - for them it was the end of the working day, and it was time for me to return home. As we left the building together, I asked the guy doing my testing if he went to university because he might have known a friend of mine who told me about their company. “Oh yes, I know your friend, why didn’t you mention him before?” he asked. I didn't answer and, in fact, I didn't want to use this fact as my advantage during the interview. But, in any case, it did not affect me negatively later. He showed me how to get back to the bus and we parted ways. When I was finally alone, I couldn't believe I survived the interview. Everything for which I had so carefully prepared for the last two months was gone before I could even blink an eye. All the little things that I was so worried about - significant and insignificant - were all forgotten. Now it was just me and the city of Montevideo, noisy streets with crowds of people rushing to their homes, lots of cars and darkness looming over the city. I did it. As soon as I rethought all this, the worst happened. It was time to get on the bus and go home, I had to wait for the outcome of the meeting, and waiting is something I’m not very good at. This is what it has become. In anxious anticipation, my wife and I peered at the ceiling, wondering how our lives might change if I got a job. I looked at my books and didn’t understand whether I should continue studying them now. I double-checked that the phone battery was charged so that I wouldn't miss a call. Waiting was in everything I did, and it lasted until the bell rang. It was a call from Montevideo. “When can you start?” asked the voice on the other end of the line. They take me. Yes, they're taking me! They wanted me on the team - a guy who could barely program, but that's not the point now. They take me. I'm in. I wanted to feel this moment. The risk was fully justified. Finally, after many years of working for pennies, when we had to do it because it’s necessary, it’s customary, everyone works, after having to not think about our dreams - finally, fate smiled at us, and day by day we could only move forward.
I took one week to move to Montevideo and was told that February 26th would be my first day of work. “You will work in PHP and JavaScript. Your salary will be 15,000 pesos ($500) per month.” 15,000 PESOS! It was three times more than my wife earned. "We'll get rich!" I can finally buy as much Coca-Cola as I want! We might even be able to save $100 and be able to buy our own home in the future. It was impossible to believe that this was happening to us. Finally, fate smiled at us, and day by day we could only move forward . I spent that week improving my JavaScript knowledge and trying to find housing in Montevideo. A friend offered me his apartment because he was going to leave after Easter. The rent suited us, and it was decided that in a month my wife would also come to Montevideo and join us. The apartment turned out to be one room, with a kitchen and a small bathroom; only two beds and a dining table could be placed there. Soon the three of us would be sharing this room, but to be honest, we didn't care. I'm starting an exciting new job and we have a roof over our heads. Mission Complete.
First week at work
The first day at work began with a pleasant fact: the person who interviewed me turned out to be my supervisor. He took me into the office kitchen, we sat down at the table, and he started talking about the company - what it did, what the business model was, etc. Then on a piece of paper he depicted what the backend architecture is, how everything works, what the server does, where the database is located and many other details. To be honest, it was hard to catch everything. I remember hearing the term “production” several times. “This is our production installation”, “and this is the production database”, etc. I had no idea what he was talking about! I later learned that “production” referred to all the infrastructure, including the code that carried the company's revenue. We discussed some issues and then moved on to what was most important to me that day. He looked at me and said bluntly: “We know that you are an inexperienced programmer, that you are just starting out, so before you can contribute a single line to the code base, you need to study this book.” Having said this, he gave me Matt Zandstra's book PHP. Objects, patterns and programming techniques." “You should have it mastered by next week,” he said. This was some of the most straightforward, sincere, and helpful advice I've ever received as a programmer. To this day I remember his frankness with gratitude. Over time, I learned how difficult it is to approach such a mentor and receive this kind of feedback - it helps you identify your own shortcomings, but at the same time sets you on the right path to overcome them.
He then told me, “We realized that you have little experience, but you performed well during the interview. That's why we took you." I was speechless. I had no idea what I had done to deserve this chance. Moreover, I wanted to prove that I was worthy of this chance, so I set myself the goal of mastering the new book as quickly as possible. Firstly, I can’t disappoint my new boss, who had high hopes for me, and secondly, I finally have the opportunity to work in a great company, after all, I’ve been working towards this for so long. It's time to prove yourself. “We realized that you have little experience, but during the interview you performed well. That's why we took you"
Fired after a week
That week I studied this book as if my life depended on it. In a certain sense, this was true. I tried to remember as many design patterns as possible, constantly practicing, trying to absorb knowledge like a sponge. I really wanted my supervisor to say at the end of the week: “Now you can program with us.” But an unexpected turn awaited me. That Thursday, some company employees invited me to go into one of the offices to break the news: I was being laid off. "Nothing personal. Things are not going well, layoffs are inevitable, especially for new employees. Hope for your understanding". That day I was one of 50 employees fired. I'm not sure I can clearly describe how I felt at that moment. “Why is this happening in my life?” I was indignant and felt absolutely helpless. "What should I do now?" I asked for a phone to call my wife. “Don’t worry, but I have bad news...” I began, trying to control myself as the ground disappeared from under my feet. Employees came out of all the offices and said goodbye to those who were leaving, I felt even worse watching this. Despite everything, I tried to convince myself that I shouldn’t despair. I managed to get this job, which means I can do it somewhere else.
While I was saying goodbye to my failed colleagues, one of them gave me information about which companies I should try my luck at, and I wrote it down for myself. From the Internet cafe, I sent out my resume to the companies I was told about and headed home. I tried to convince myself that I shouldn’t despair. I managed to get this job, which means I can do it somewhere else. “What a terrible day,” I thought. Entering the apartment, I collapsed on the bed, which, by the way, was a mattress on the floor. I remember that the sky that day was gray, just like my mood. I tried to take a nap, but my thoughts did not give me rest and, staring at the ceiling, I kept thinking about such a sharp turn of events. “What if I hadn’t been fired? What did I do wrong?" But I knew that I did everything right, I was just unlucky, but the truth was so difficult to accept. Suddenly the bell rang. “Is this Alvaro Videla? This is Intersys. We have received your resume and would like to meet. Is next Monday convenient for you?” My head was going, “Oh, God, of course! Certainly! Certainly!" But instead I answered with restraint: “Yes, great, I’ll be with you on Monday!” After finishing the conversation, I put the phone on the floor and simply could not believe what had just happened. Montevideo turned out to be a city full of surprises for me. The next day, I went to the hairdresser on my street and asked him to cut my hair on credit, since I had an interview scheduled, and now I had no money at all. At that time, I had not yet been paid for the week of work, and therefore I had to ask for such a favor, saying that I would only be able to pay for the haircut next week. Fortunately, the hairdresser kindly agreed. I still remember his welcoming smile; he was glad to help, feeling that he was doing a good deed for his neighbor. He told me his story while he cut my hair. I found out that in the early 2000s he and his team became winners of some world championship in hairdressing! I didn’t even know that they held their own championships. It was hard to believe, to be honest. In any case, getting a haircut from a “championship medalist” was certainly cool, but it meant that the haircut would be expensive, $10 to be exact. That doesn't seem like a lot of money, but in my hometown I could get a haircut for less than $2, and with $10 I could buy at least five burgers and a coke. That is, it was a fairly large investment in my future interview. But it was a sin to complain - in fact, a stranger did me a favor, and this greatly encouraged me.
The interview went well. The company Live Interactive, from which I was recently fired, was widely known in Montevideo, as it was one of the largest Internet companies in the country. This meant that all programmers coming out of it had a good reputation. Needless to say, I got the job. The salary was not that great, but our plan to move to Montevideo remained unchanged. Not bad for 10 days spent in the capital.
Conclusion
Overall, my plan worked and all the effort I put in was worth it. I successfully passed my first interview for a programmer position. Within a week I managed to work and quit, but I didn’t give up and eventually passed the second interview and got a job in the second week of my stay in Montevideo. But in order for all this to happen, I had to be honest with myself. This helped me evaluate my skills and understand where my strengths are and what I still need to work on. Self-criticism helped me when I began the task of creating a project from scratch, as I was able to realistically evaluate what I could do, and at the same time it helped me fill in knowledge gaps. Additionally, breaking down the project into practical tasks helped me make progress and bring the idea to life.
But it wasn't just about skills; Self-confidence played an important role. Self-confidence helped me overcome difficult challenges that seemed insurmountable, like impregnable rocks. Meanwhile, modesty has always humbled me, reminding me after each summit that I still have so much to achieve. Family and friends supported me in moments of defeat, offering help and support, they always reminded me why I was doing all this. Eventually, thanks to my persistence, I became in demand, and now it was time to become a real programmer. I hope you enjoyed these chapters. My goal is to release a book and tell even more stories. For example, how I ended up in China and spent three years there, or how I started my career as an international speaker, or how I received my first contract to write about RabbitMQ. If you want to stay updated, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter. Note: The illustration you see above was created by my friend Sebastian Navas. If you'd like to see more of his work, head here , or connect with him on Facebook
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