Senior Software Engineer
Tell us a bit about your background and how you got to where you are today.
When I was a kid my family wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer or something similar. I didn’t like this idea, I couldn’t see myself in these roles. And then I found the computer and a book about HTML, and I did my first homepage. I then realised that this would be something I could do in life. This is how I had my first contact with a computer. Since then I’ve been university where one of my teachers invited me to do an internship and since then I haven’t left the field, I’m still working with computers.
It’s something that I like a lot because it’s constantly challenging me and since I started I’ve felt like I constantly need to learn something new. For example, when you come up with code and solutions and put them live, you realise that it doesn’t actually work the way you imagined it would. It keeps me alive, it keeps me challenged. Moving jobs is also interesting because every time you’re in a new company, you might be in a new market that you have no knowledge of. For example, at Tuum, banking is something I have no background in, I have to learn new terms all the time.
My mother used to say to me that in order to progress, you have to be unsuccessful at first. If you are constantly satisfied then something has to be wrong.
What might be interesting to add here is how I actually ended up in Estonia. And to be honest, I still don’t have the answer to this question. My wife has much more international experience than me, she has been to the US, Spain and Argentina. I remember that one day we were talking about all her experiences and I was excited to listen to her. I always thought that one day we could have an adventure abroad together. But the opportunity never came, the timing was never right for us. At one point in Brazil, we both decided to take a break from our jobs. We took a couple of months off, and then she suddenly got an offer to come to Estonia. It was now or never. It was also good for me because there are many technology companies in Estonia. We decided to move.
For the first 3–4 months I didn’t work. It was a huge culture shock for me. I had to relearn everything — how to choose clothes, how to grocery shop etc. My first winter in Estonia was terrible because I had the wrong clothes. I chose the coat by how heavy it was, thinking the heavier the coat, the warmer it must be. And I was so cold! And then in December, it was suddenly completely dark outside, I got so depressed, I couldn’t handle it. Estonians and Brazilians are opposite sides of the same coin. Brazilians are more talkative and smiley, and Estonians are quieter.
Little by little, we started to understand the country and get to know the culture. My first job was in Liivalaia Raamatukogu. ‘Raamatukogu’ was actually the first word I learned in Estonian. I started taking Estonian lessons there and after a few months, I managed to get my first job in a proper company. I now feel like I’ve become half-Estonian. At first, when I left Sao Paolo, I found Estonia empty and too quiet, I missed the noise and the busy life of the city. But now when I go back to Sao Paulo, I am bothered by all the noise!
What are you most proud of as a Tuumster?
I think it’s the environment is very nice. As a team, we often have lunch together, for example. It creates a feeling of belonging. It’s not that I’m just one more guy working in the company, I am part of a team. If I’m ever in any difficulty, I can just raise my hand and ask for help and everyone is open to answering my questions.
The code is also very cool, it’s modern, we don’t have to deal with any legacy stuff, and it’s something that immediately caught my attention. It’s our mission not to have any legacy code.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
My hobby is travelling. I love to travel. During covid times we had to slow down our frequency of travel but this is definitely something I like to do the most.
Some of my favourite places to travel have been Gent in Belgium, Edinburgh in Scotland, and Como in Italy. Como is so beautiful, it has a small town called Bellagio which is so nice! In the summer it’s totally crowded though, you should book early.
I also love going to the beach. The Carribean is great for those who like the sea and some sunshine.
You are from Brazil, we would love to know more about your country!
Even Brazilians don’t know Brazil very well, it’s just such a big country. We have over 200M people. The North and South are actually totally different, it’s almost like being in different countries in many regards: the costumes, food, and culture. Brazil has a lot of diversity. The South is more European because of colonisation. This is the richer part of the country. The Nothern part is poorer and less developed. Most of the income there comes from tourism. Sao Paulo is the richest and biggest state of Brazil and it’s totally different from the rest of the country, there are many companies and good roads and so on.
Oh, and in Brazil, you can have Vitamin D for free, we have loads of sunshine!
Food-wise, I love meat in Brazil. I used to have meat every day. Picanha is my favourite, it’s a piece of cow meat. We have it with rice and beans. We also have something called feijoada, which is a food that used to be made for slaves but is now eaten by everyone, it’s popular.
I do miss Brazil because my parents are still there, I miss my family and friends. I remember when I made the decision to move to Estonia and told my grandmother, she cried, I think I broke her heart. My ancestors are actually from Italy and made their way to Brazil over time. I guess I am now going back to Europe.
Want to work with Fabiano? Go check out our open positions at https://tuumplatform.com/careers/
