I am Alex Rosiu, your host on alex.rosiu.eu, a blog on which I wish to share the most relevant experiences that I have come across during my work as a software engineer. I hope that you will find the time spent here, both relaxing and useful for your personal or business projects, and I invite you to post whatever you feel appropriate regarding the problems discussed here.
How it all began
I grew up in Resita, a small city located in the western part of Romania and, as soon as I graduated from high school, I moved to Bucharest, to attend the “Politehnica” University as a student of the Automatic Control and Computers Faculty.
I was a pretty “normal” student, never got a scholarship, having A’s only at the disciplines that really interested me. Those would be programming, networking, computer graphics, software engineering and some others more.
I never liked disciplines which involved memorising of humongous quantities of information, with no foreseeable application in real life or in my future career, but I tried to make the best of them too.
After I graduated, I took a Master study programme in Advanced Internet Applications which, most of all, offered me the opportunity to meet some special people, with whom I have collaborated for almost two years. We even wrote together some scientific papers on computer/human interaction, which were presented during IDC (International Symposium on Intelligent and Distributed Computing) and RoCHI (Romanian Computer Human Interaction) conferences in 2007.
How about working?
Well, at first I just wanted to learn. So, during the first years of my university time, I was constantly browsing freelancing websites for projects suitable for my knowledge back then. I will never forget the feeling I had when I got my first 60 bucks for finishing my first website.
After one year or so, I started working as a C++ and Java programmer for a company called PSS – Prosoft Solutions. I was lucky enough to have my own project, a medical application involving real-time processing of acquired biometric data, which gave me the opportunity to learn not only to program better, but most importantly, to manage a project. I was later also involved in the implementation and mentoring of the Rational Unified Process within the organization, and I like to think we did a good job with that.
But there came a time when I felt I had to move on. And I did. I applied for a programmer job at BitDefender and, after a one-day long interview, I succeeded to get the job. It felt really good. I was fortunate to join the team right at the inception phase of the future version back then, BitDefender 2009. I had the chance to express my own ideas on new features, and work on their design and implementation, so I’ve had the satisfaction to see them come to life. After we had spent half year of coding, it seamed it turned out pretty well. In the mean time, I became technical lead and, since mid-2008, the leader of a team of which I am very proud. We are now working on adopting the Agile principles and practices for software development, while working hard to improve our team and personal skills.
It’s all about people.
No matter which key moment I remember from the past, there is always someone related to it, whether it is a very good friend with whom I studied together, a teacher, a colleague from work or just basically someone sharing the same visions or hobbies. There is always someone you respect, trust, or work with side by side. There is sometimes just that someone you hope to become someday.
What if…
If I weren’t a software engineer, I would probably be a race driver. Or so I wish. I have always been fascinated by cars, how they drive – and how they work. Whenever I take a trip somewhere, I unintentionally find myself looking for race- or at least go-kart tracks. You can frequently find me driving my car around at night, just for the fun of it.
