I'm a Software Engineer born in the South of Portugal, husband of a beautiful wife and father of three amazing daughters.
Bits and Bytes
My first experience with computers - in 1984, *sigh, I'm old! ๐ช * - was breaking Sinclair Joysticks playing "Ms. Pac Man" and "Chuckie Egg I" on a ZX Spectrum 48k.
In 1990 I got my first PC (an Amstrad 1640) and five years later I've been online for the first time - "one giant leap for man, one small step for mankind" - where did I heard this before? ๐ .
Soon got very interested on the web. In 1997 hosted my first homepage inGeocities and started to tinker around with linux (Slackware was my favourite one at the time).
In 2003 I've became a fan of Jeffrey Zeldman and Eric Meyer. Got "Designing with Web Standards" and "Eric Meyer on CSS" books and since then my passion for the web has always been present.
Those were great times!
My Background
In the meanwhile I've decided to do Civil Engineering and graduated (MSc) from Instituto Superior Tรฉcnico (IST)- one of the best Portuguese Universities (partner of MIT) which I strongly recommend if you're embarking into an Erasmus, MSc or PhD and want to spend some time in Portugal eating pasteis de nata or drinking sangria in Bairro Alto.
After 13 years in the industry - 5 out of comfort zone, in Angola/Africa - I've decided Construction and Management weren't my biggest passion ๐งฑ . The constant crisis in the sector and other mishappenings in my life made me turn to my old passion at a glance and without looking back. ๐ช
If you're intersted in changing careers you can read my storyhere. Maybe you can take some motivation out of it ๐ . Those were hard times but in life you never loose. You win or you learn. And I've learnt a lot more by lowering my ego and entirely following my heart. ๐
The Reboot
In 2017 I've transitioned into the Software Engineering Industry.freeCodeCamp was essential - thanksQuincy Larson- and all the amazing community I've met along the way.
Soon I've discovered the importance of having a mentor to unstuck you here and there and to keep motivation and focus high. I'm very thankful to Miguel Coquet - who helped me a lot and became my first employer, to Nelson Neves - who supported me a lot during my first job and was always there to push me up, and to Andrรฉ Jonas - who always been there from the beginning and with whom I work remotely, nowadays, in a Swedish Software Company.
So, fat props to the three of them! ๐
Working at Coquet Consulting Co. was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life and I recommend everyone to apply.
Giving Back
Since my journey into code started I've always felt the need to give back. That's my way of paying back what community did for me. ๐
My most recent project isWECRAFTCODE. My original idea was to create a project around freeCodeCamp Community. And I did it. I called it #iamfreeCodeCamp. After one year me and the team decided to migrate it to a completely separate concept (WECRAFTCODE). I continue to recommend freeCodeCamp as one of the best coding bootcamps around, but my main concern is about growing people soft skillsand helping Human Beings around.
I'm a freeCodeCamp Advocate and I use to organise freeCodeCamp local meetups in my community (Algarve, Portugal).
In 2018 I've been one of the freeCodeCamp Top Contributors around Europe, someone who enjoys being out of the comfort zone and helping others to grow.
I often try to MENTOR PEOPLE to surpass the growing pains of learning how to code, assuring they get the slipstream while striving with others to solve small, non-frustrating challenges.
In 2021 I'll be focusing more seriously on giving back to the community, and HELP PEOPLE to transition into a career in the software engineering industry.
You can join me on the WECRAFTCODEchallenge. If you feel you want to start contributing please take a look at ourrepoand just reach out ๐ . The project is going in slow motion, as it is to be built by the community and for the community.
Recently I've started ayoutube channelwhere I explain how to code. This works very well as a complement to my mentoring activity on WECRAFTCODE.
You can follow me ontwitter. I tweet about code and career change.
If you've got a short question or message, please tweet to@eduardovedesand I'll get back to you as soon as possible! If it's a longer thing, or you don't want it to be public, please send me an e-mail (eduardo.vedes@gmail.com).
I read all the emails and it's always a pleasure to provide all the help I can.
Working Experience
I'm focused on the JavaScript ecosystem and a big fan of React. I'm also enthusiastic about functional languages such as Clojure/ClojureScript and the functional thinking approach to solve problems.
I've been a remote contractor for the last 4 years.
I work as a Frontend Engineer atlindylabs.net(USA), an R&D company conducting experiments in nascent industries.
In the past I've worked for companies around the world such as, FLEXIANA in Czech Republic, NXTEDITION in Sweden,IRDETO in Holland (Amsterdam Offices) or AIRBEAM and PIKSEL in the UK (London).
If you're hiring consultants just reach out, ๐ง I'm not looking for a gig right now but ONE NEVER KNOWS.
If you have a small project in hands, let's talk ๐ค. Maybe I can gather a small frontend team and do it on my own for a reasonable price.
Hobbies
In my free time I read a lot, listen to jazz, play with the kids or tinker around some nerdy stuff: myhackintosh or my linux box. From times to times I play World of Warcraft, where I take care of a Night Elf Discipline Priest.
Love conferences, tech events and a cold Punk IPA beer! ๐บ