Zeroes and Ones and Marco Daniel

While my friends are expecting babies, I was expecting a little project to be born. Yes, this website you are looking at right now. I may be the person of visuals and words, but the real work happens on the back-end. This is where Marco Daniel joined in and made it happen. While working on the (last) details in the code we talked about how everything is just signs of zeroes and ones, or just simply - about a passion for programming.

Marco comes from Portugal and has a degree in Computer Engineer at Universidade do Algarve in Faro, Portugal. He came to Odense, Denmark in 2013 to work as a web developer at Jysk Fynske Medier and Guloggratis. While developing code is now his daily routine, I am interested what is the story behind and how can one explain a complex occupation in the most simple way. His answers are short and humorous, his fingers are moving fast on the keyboard, writing another line of code.

Marco, how would you explain programming for a five year old?

Programming is like putting LEGO pieces together. I was 15 years old when I wrote my first line of code. It was for one of my programming classes at school. We did not even write the code on the computer. It was a piece of paper, a notebook. I remember, it was in Pascal programming language. An coincidence or not, this was the language I used in my first job.

Then how would you explain programming for a 90 year old who maybe does not know LEGO?

How would you? It’s like... impossible. I just say I work with computers. Honestly, my grandmother thinks I work with computers. Which I do, but... It is really tricky for some people to understand. For example, from time to time I get asked to format someones computer. I can, but not because I have learned it in the university. Or people telling me that their printer does not work. Please, Google!

What do you think it is the hardest in a work-life of a developer?

Understanding sales. Or more - understanding what a client is really asking for. For a programmer everyone is a client - a project manager, a graphic designer, and a direct client for sure.

What for you is the most joyful moment or process when programming?

What I enjoy the most is when I do a clean, good code. How to explain it to you… It happens when I start working on something new, and the code is there, just simply clean and understandable.

Why would you advise one to learn how to program?

Well first, you gotta like it. You are working on something that is constantly evolving and you are always learning. Nowadays everything has at least a bit programming in it: it is like fixing a pipe, just nowadays. If you know how to program, you know how to solve problems around you.

Do you think being a programmer = being a geek?

Maybe, it relates a lot, depending on a concept. If you think that knowing all the Marvel superheroes' origin stories is being a geek, then maybe I am one. But that is a completely another story.

So here he is - a man with passion for web development, programming, calculus, physics and everything logic.

Would like to talk about web-development? Find Marco on LinkedIn.

More interested to hear stories about superheroes? Check Instagram profile.

We will have more joyful talks soon!