For Alexandru, doing what you like is the key to all success. He’s a Technical Support Engineer at Keysight Technologies Romania while aspiring to a DevOps career. He likes to keep things simple and work at full efficiency in order to achieve the best results possible. His ambition? Never give up!
How did you decide on a career as a programmer?
When it comes to achieving goals, I like to think freely. In my opinion, analytical and logical thinking helps me to easily overcome certain design difficulties.
For now, I don’t work in a programming-dominated field, but I plan to make this change.
What projects are you proud to have been a part of?
My last college projects were about image processing (how to improve it) and creating databases with a web interface on a local server.
What’s a typical day in your life look like?
I wake up at 7:30, attend college courses & labs, do daily sports activities for 60-90 minutes, then my homework. I go to work and, in the evening, I have my free time that I like to use for personal development or hanging out with friends.
What do you think should be a programmer’s top priority to perform in his/her field?
In my opinion, do what you like because going to work shouldn’t feel like a burden; if you feel good, you can evolve and become better. Programming is a continuous process - if you’re happy with this whole process, then it will be much easier for every programmer.
If there was one thing you would change regarding the open-source community, what would that be?
So far, I wouldn’t change anything. The community has helped me find solutions when I reached a stalemate. With so many contributors, there are great chances that someone has already hit the exact same problem I have and is willing to share at least half of the solution.
If you could choose to work on a project to make the world a better place, what would that be?
I would say that an application that replaces downtime for users would be the key to mass use, like payment services and taxes that would bring to our database the vast majority of institutions in that state. The payment would be a click away instead of 2 hours of waiting in line, as it is already in some countries.
The thought of my work and colleagues being deeply appreciated by users motivates me in giving 110%.
What are some of your hobbies?
I enjoy doing any outdoor activities such as fitness, running, playing football, and any other team sports. Along with a well-developed diet, this is the lifestyle that gives me energy and good vibes every day.
If you were to start over your career as a programmer tomorrow, what path would you choose?
I’m interested in becoming a DevOps, I feel that it includes three big and beautiful fields at the same time (networking, Linux, and programming). In the future, I plan to be part of this domain.
What should a programmer expect from this career?
I think the answer would be continuous learning, great dedication to what you do, the ambition of a job well done, and the joy of the final result.
If you were stranded on an island and asked to do your job with only three things, what would you choose?
If I say PC, I would cheat because that assumes I’d need KVM, fiber optic current, etc. My answer would be an ax, ropes, and a filter cup. I’ll use all 3 to reach civilization and then to do what I like without being limited by only three objects.
What attributes/skills make a programmer successful?
The ambition not to give up. The failure rate is very high, only very simple programs will run successfully from the first to the last, specially analysis is needed to improve the code, if you don’t give up, it will be more likely to get where you want.
How do you get “in the zone”? Hyperfocused, not to be disturbed, only you and the code.
Everything I do I give my best, to get fully involved. I think that's the only way I get the best results in the shortest period of time. This means maximum efficiency for me, with a clear mind and no external stimulus, can have the best possible results.
Keysight Life is a series of interviews where we put a spotlight on different projects, with the help of the people who made those projects possible.