Juliano Almeida is a Project Manager at The Weather Company. This is his story.
Originally from Minas Gerais in Brazil, Juliano is an accomplished Project Manager. Inspired by his love of gaming and wanting to find out how things worked, Juliano decided to pursue technology as his career, working in IT Infrastructure and Networking before discovering his love for Project and IT Service Management. Juliano is motivated by bridging the gap between tech and business, working for some of the world’s leading tech companies. After a road trip to Florida, Juliano decided to pursue his childhood dream of living in America, settling in the US with his wife.
I’ve always wanted to learn; I realize the importance of continuous learning and putting that learning to good use. Mastering new languages, discovering new cultures, and learning how to build your life in a new place.
Since I was a kid, studying has been my main motivation in life. Technology is equally motivating but also challenging because one technology today can be replaced tomorrow. You need to continuously update. Luckily for me, I love studying.
All my life, I have really enjoyed computer games. But not just playing them; I was really interested in knowing how things worked on the backend of gaming development. I have always been passionate about innovation, and I started using computers at an early stage in my life. Nintendo and Sonic the Hedgehog were my first loves. Playing video games was a fun bonding experience for me with my cousins and my sister. Even today, I still play soccer games like FIFA.
My father was a farmer when I was growing up. He had a farm in Brazil, where I’m originally from. Before that, he owned a bar; I come from a family of hard-working role models.
I'm originally from Minas Gerais in Brazil, which is an inland state that is kind of like Texas. We even have some Texan influences in our culture, like our love for country music. Agriculture is the big industry here, so everyone expected me to become a farmer like my dad, living away from the city and enjoying life on the land. That’s how I grew up in Brazil. My dad is 73 now; he’s retired, but he’s still part of the farming community. He even has chickens and horses. But none of us followed in his footsteps. My sister works at a hospital as an EEG technician. And me? I found technology.
I started college when I was 18 years old, and then, during my first year, I got a job as an intern for an Internet and telecommunications company. At the time, I monitored network devices, such as routers. I worked in a network operations center and sat in a big room with all these screens, managing the backbone of the Internet. I learned a lot but knew I wanted to progress to a more process-orientated area, like project management. I started studying ITIL, the most famous framework for IT service management. I realized that this was the career I wanted to follow. Although I have a technical background, I like bridging the gap between tech and business.
When I started in tech back in 2008, the concept of remote work was a distant dream. I had to expand my opportunities, so I moved to Sao Paulo. I was young and willing to grow. At the time if you wanted to progress in your career and find new opportunities, you had to move to the bigger cities. Sao Paulo was the biggest Brazilian city in our IT market. I was thinking long-term of working with exceptional people. I love learning from more experienced technologists.
