Avid Learner, Zelda enthusiast, dancer, web developer…these are a few of the qualities from our team member spotlight for the month of October! Alex Victoria has been a team member at Metova for over a year.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, Alex!
How long have you worked at Metova?
Alex: I’ve been working at Metova since November of last year. So, more than a year already!
What exactly do you do?
Alex: I’m a web developer (full-stack). I’m currently working for Acxiom, building a set of apps, using different sets of technologies from JavaScript to Python.
What did you do before you came to the company?
Alex: Before I joined the company, I was working for a ticket-sale software company (similar to Ticket Master). Very interesting work, but I love what Metova offers in the sense of remote work and relaxed management.
What have been your biggest accomplishments so far?
Alex: I’m currently working with a technology that is not made for web development per se. Along with Anna, who is another member of the team, we have accomplished using this technology to create a web app according to the standards and guides of the design team. I think this is a big accomplishment for the team in the sense that we are using a totally unrelated technology, which is based on Python, to do something new that is complex, functional, and matched all the requirements of the client. The client is also happy as well.
How would you describe your team?
Alex: Very adaptable and resilient, I would say. Right now, I am working with Ana, a recent hire – she is amazing! Before then I was working with Brandon and Matthew – brilliant guys as well. So I’d say all the people I’ve worked with so far have been a great team. Whenever you need anything, they are right there. I don’t have to wait longer than 5 minutes for a response.
What is something about you that most people don’t know?
Alex: Tough one! I consider myself to be a good dancer. That’s probably something unrelated to tech since tech is what we talk most about. I consider myself to be good at it, and I enjoy it a lot!
If you could choose anyone in the world to be your mentor, who would it be?
Alex: From my area, I would say Dylan Israel. He is a developer as well. He started as a pizza delivery guy and made the jump to tech. Right now, he’s super successful. He’s worked for Amazon and has his own side jobs. He also mentors as well. I’d probably say his mostly because of where he’s come from and where he is now in the tech space. I used to watch his videos back when I was in Venezuela, just starting 6-7 years ago. To see all the improvement he has accomplished throughout all these years is unbelievable. I wouldn’t say Elon Musk, because I wouldn’t want to manage five different companies at the same time.
What would be the best advice you can give to someone who just started their career in full-stack web development?
Alex: Even as just a general skill in life, I’d always say resilience – to be able to adapt. Especially in web development, most of our work comes down to solving issues and being able to adapt to a new technology or a new stack or whatever is new. In this area, something new is always happening, whether it is an update or something breaking, or having to master something new. Failing is a part of being resilient. It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. Just learn from it, get up, and keep going.
Getting a foot in the door of your first job is the most important thing, but it’s not the easiest. It’s the hardest, because you don’t have experience, and you have to find a company that is willing to take on the risk of hiring you. Once your surpass that, everything becomes easier. Of course, there is hard work involved, learning, and taking the best out of every situation. If you get rejected, learn why and become better at it. If you work on something and it breaks, learn why it’s broken, fix it and learn so it doesn’t happen again.
Do you have any pets?
Alex: I don’t, but my sister does. I went with her to choose the dog, so I am pretty attached to it. His name is Oreo. The reason we call him Oreo is that he is a black dog, and in his middle is white. From the side he looks like an Oreo cookie.
Are there any podcasts you like to watch?
Alex: There is one called Syntax and Shoptalks Show, which is tech related. It’s always talking about what’s hot and coming up. I listen to them because something they talk about things I haven’t even heard of and they talk about things in the same stack that I’m in. I feel like they just streamline news for me.
What would you say is the best meal that you’ve ever had?
Alex: I went to New York with my wife, and we liked the Ramen. We have this thing where we like to go to unknown places in the sense where you’re walking down the road and just go to a place. What we liked about this place was that people barley spoke English or Spanish. They gave us the best Ramen I’ve eaten in my life. There are plenty of great places in Miami, but nothing beats it.
How long have you lived in Miami for?
Alex: 6 years.
What’s your favorite video or board game and why?
Alex: I would say Zelda. It’s like RPG game. Mostly for two things. It’s the first game that I played on the console. What I liked about it, was that it was the first game in which I tried to learn English when I was like 10 years old. I have memories of writing down the dialogue, and then going to a friend’s house to have him translate it so I could understand what is going on. The whole experience of the game being good and learning the language brings very good memories from my childhood, so I would probably say that’s the best game I’ve played. I liked that eventually towards the end, I could understand what was going on from little words that I had translated so many times. And that’s how I learned English.
Do you cook?
Alex: I do cook, but I’m not necessarily very good at it. My mom says that the type of food that I make is war food. “Comida de guerra.” Now that I’m with my wife, she’s the one that cooks most of the time, so I am super grateful. But if I have to cook, as my mom says, “I will survive” but it wouldn’t be a good life lol. The food is very basic: rice, any protein, and off you go.
What music/band do you like to listen to?
Alex: Pretty much any type of music. I’m not big on a specific genre. Something that I enjoy a lot is bachata, which is a latinx type of music. Besides that, I really listen to anything, from rock, metal, EDM, house music. If I like it, I like it.
