I didn’t start my career as a programmer.
In fact, programming came into my life much later.
Before writing my first serious line of code, I spent years working with machines, tools, aircraft, maintenance, and industrial equipment. Looking back, I realize that all of those experiences became part of the developer I am today.
This is the story of how I went from maintaining machines to building games, software, and my own projects.
It Started With Machines
In 1995, when I was 15 years old, I started working at Dana through SENAI.
That was my first real experience in the professional world, and I learned industrial maintenance mechanics. I worked with machines, tools, mechanical systems, and, perhaps most importantly, learned what it meant to solve real problems with my own hands.
At that point, becoming a software developer wasn’t even part of my plans.
In 1998, I started studying Systems Analysis at college. I quickly discovered that it wasn’t what I expected. There was too much administration and not enough of what I was actually interested in, so I left the course in 1999.
Programming would have to wait.
Aircraft, Crisis, and a Different Kind of Problem Solving
In 2001, my oldest son was born.
At the time, I was still far from becoming a developer. I was working at Varig, in aircraft maintenance.
Then September 11 happened.
The aviation industry was hit hard, and Varig was deeply affected by the crisis that followed. I stayed there until 2005, doing my best to hold on through an extremely difficult period.
Eventually, I had to move on.
From 2005 to 2008, I worked as a machine assembler and toolmaker.
I was still working with physical things. Machines. Tools. Metal. Mechanical systems.
But somewhere along the way, I started realizing that I wanted something different.
2008 Changed Everything
In 2008, I finally made the transition into software development.
I joined IFG and started working on the company’s ERP application.
And something happened that I still remember very clearly:
My first salary as a developer was twice my last salary as a mechanic.
But the money wasn’t the most important part.
For the first time, I had found something that genuinely clicked with me.
I could build something from nothing using logic, creativity, and problem solving. Instead of fixing a machine that already existed, I could create systems that didn’t exist yet.
That was the beginning of a completely different career.
2008 was also a very important year for another reason.
My youngest son was born.
Apparently, he inherited the programming side of his father rather than the maintenance side.
Eleven Years of Software
Over the following 11 years, I worked on a surprisingly wide range of systems.
I worked with banking systems, ATMs, border control systems, hospital software, machine learning, and many other kinds of applications.
Every project taught me something different.
Different technologies.
Different architectures.
Different industries.
Different ways of thinking about problems.
Those years gave me something that I consider extremely valuable today: the ability to understand software beyond a single technology or a single type of application.
But while my professional career was moving deeper into software, another dream was still waiting.
Games.
The Other Path: Game Development
In 2008, the same year I started working professionally as a software developer, I also started studying Digital Games.
This was something I had wanted to pursue for a long time.
I eventually had to put the course on hold in 2013 when money became tight.
It wasn’t the end of the dream.
It was just a pause.
In 2018, I went back to finish what I had started.
I graduated in 2019.
And in 2020, I finally entered the professional game industry.
From Software Developer to Game Developer
My first major step into the game industry was working on Profane MMO, where I worked on the architecture of both the server and client.
That was the moment when many of the things I had learned throughout my previous career started coming together.
Years of software development.
Years of problem solving.
Years of working with complex systems.
And finally, games.
From there, the journey became much more interesting.
I joined Square Enix Montréal, where I worked on game-related technology and tooling. I was even preparing to move to Montréal when the studio was closed by Embracer Group.
It wasn’t exactly how I imagined that chapter ending.
But the journey continued.
I later worked at Wargaming.net on Steel Hunters, working as a Senior Gameplay Developer and also contributing to technical art and tools.
I’ve also worked on projects involving launcher tools for Avalanche Studios as a freelancer, Aegir Tactics, and several other projects that I can’t publicly discuss because of NDAs.
And there have been many more along the way.
Building My Own Games
Eventually, I decided that working on other people’s games wasn’t enough.
I wanted to build my own.
I released Eternal Survival, a small indie game that I developed largely on my own.
It wasn’t a huge commercial success.
But releasing a game changes your perspective completely.
There is a massive difference between developing a game and actually putting it in the hands of players.
You learn about marketing.
Wishlists.
Steam.
Players.
Feedback.
Expectations.
And, sometimes, failure.
But failure is also part of the process.
Building More Than Games
Games aren’t the only things I’ve built.
I’ve also created Talurion, a SaaS platform focused on the game industry.
I’ve worked as a freelancer for Fortis Games and Second Dinner, including work related to Marvel Snap.
And there are projects in my portfolio that I still can’t talk about because of NDAs.
That’s one of the strange realities of working in the game industry: sometimes some of the most interesting things you’ve worked on are the things you’re not allowed to tell anyone about.
And Today?
Today, I’m still working in the game industry.
I’m currently working on Marvel Snap, while also spending my free time working on my own projects.
I’m still learning.
Still experimenting.
Still writing code.
Still making games.
And, outside of technology and games, I also teach Muay Thai.
Somehow, my life has ended up combining things that seem completely unrelated.
Mechanical maintenance.
Aircraft.
Software.
Games.
Entrepreneurship.
Teaching.
Writing.
But when I look back, they aren’t as unrelated as they seem.
They all taught me the same fundamental lesson:
Keep learning. Keep adapting. Keep building.
The Journey Isn’t Over
If there is one thing I’ve learned from this journey, it is that careers don’t always follow a straight line.
At 15, I was learning how to maintain machines.
At 20, I was working on aircraft.
At 30, I was becoming a software developer.
I went back to college to study games.
At 40, I was working professionally in the game industry.
And today, I’m still building things.
The path wasn’t always easy.
There were layoffs, financial difficulties, projects that didn’t work, companies that closed, games that didn’t sell as expected, and plenty of moments where I had to start over.
But every chapter left something behind.
The mechanic taught me how things work.
The aircraft technician taught me precision and responsibility.
The software developer taught me how to build complex systems.
The game developer taught me how to combine technology with creativity.
And being an indie developer taught me that creating something is only half the battle.
The other half is having the courage to put it out into the world.
So that’s where I am now.
Still a developer.
Still a gamer.
Still a teacher.
Still a creator.
Still learning.
And now, I’m adding one more thing to the list:
writing about the journey.
Welcome to my blog.