Software Developer Expert with a master in AI and more than 20 years of programming experience in corporate, freelancing, tutoring

Find out more about Alex

• Can you tell us about your first experience using a computer? The first PC I used was a 486 with 4 MB of RAM. It came with MS-DOS 6.22 and included a manual for the operating system that I read from front to back. This book provided the foundation for my understanding of PCs and my programming skills. 2.What is the technological evolution that has marked you most and what will be, in your eyes, a turning point in this field? The Internet has been the most impactful evolution of my lifetime and the technologies used to enable the Internet will continue to be instrumental for the development of society for decades to come. The next major turning point in IT will likely come from recent innovations in AI and its practical applications. 3.Explain your expertise, your interest in it, and, more broadly, its importance in the computer world. My expertise is in problem-solving applied to the software development industry. Since I was a kid I was fascinated by how from my computer I could build tools that help significantly improve the lives of different people. Now with the advancements brought by machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies, we are on the verge of a new era that is going to significantly impact the world and I want to be part of this evolutionary step. I have been inspired by the words and deeds of technology luminaries and I have also found many things to admire in the careers of other technology professionals. 5.Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school. One of the graduate-level classes I took was focused on studying various programming languages comparatively. Our professor told us his father had described a programming language to him as "a language that can be read and written but not spoken." I've found this statement useful on many levels, including the implication that human speech includes elements of nonverbal communication that are absent from programming languages. 6.What would you say to an uncomfortable person in front of a screen who says that "IT is too complicated"? Let me describe it as a metaphor using vocabulary from your favorite hobby. This is the method that I use with my coworkers, my students, and my friends outside of work, and I have always found it effective. 7.What are your other passions, related or non-related to computers? Video gaming, SF books, political science, entrepreneurship, film, and media production. 8.What makes you a Superprof in IT? My vast experience - 20+ years Diverse expertise - 30+ programming languages and technologies Environments I worked in - from startups to Fortune 500 companies Teaching proficiency - 8+ years (Initially I started my tutor career as a teacher assistant during grad school and then I have continued tutoring people of different ages, that had various learning objectives and that were from different continents, and sometimes speaking also different language.) Kind regards,

  The first PC I used was a 486 with 4 MB of RAM. It came with MS-DOS 6.22 and included a manual for the operating system that I read from front to back. This book provided the foundation for my understanding of PCs and my programming skills.

• What is the technological evolution that has marked you most and what will be, in your eyes, a turning point in this field?

  The Internet has been the most impactful evolution of my lifetime and the technologies used to enable the Internet will continue to be instrumental for the development of society for decades to come. The next major turning point in IT will likely come from recent innovations in AI and its practical applications.

• Explain your expertise, your interest in it, and, more broadly, its importance in the computer world.

  My expertise is in problem-solving applied to the software development industry. Since I was a kid I was fascinated by how from my computer I could build tools that help significantly improve the lives of different people. Now with the advancements brought by machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies, we are on the verge of a new era that is going to significantly impact the world and I want to be part of this evolutionary step.

• Do so-called 'visionaries', such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg inspire you or do you have other role models?

  I have been inspired by the words and deeds of technology luminaries and I have also found many things to admire in the careers of other technology professionals.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  One of the graduate-level classes I took was focused on studying various programming languages comparatively. Our professor told us his father had described a programming language to him as "a language that can be read and written but not spoken." I've found this statement useful on many levels, including the implication that human speech includes elements of nonverbal communication that are absent from programming languages.

• What would you say to an uncomfortable person in front of a screen who says that "IT is too complicated"?

  Let me describe it as a metaphor using vocabulary from your favorite hobby. This is the method that I use with my coworkers, my students, and my friends outside of work, and I have always found it effective.

• What are your other passions, related or non-related to computers?

  Video gaming, SF books, political science, entrepreneurship, film, and media production.

• 8.What makes you a Superprof in IT?

  My vast experience - 20+ years
  
  Diverse expertise - 30+ programming languages and technologies
  
  Environments I worked in - from startups to Fortune 500 companies
  
  Teaching proficiency - 8+ years (Initially I started my tutor career as a teacher assistant during grad school and then I have continued tutoring people of different ages, that had various learning objectives and that were from different continents, and sometimes speaking also different language.)