Welcome everyone to the Inevitable Podcast. In this episode I'm going to talk with Paulo Silveira.
For those who don't know, Paulo co-founded, with his brother, Grupo Alura, the largest technology education platform in Brazil, which Paulo serves as the CEO. Grupo Alura started as on-person tech course called Caelum and since then has served over 500k people with over 1,350 courses in Portuguese, covering all areas in technology and digital business.
Before that, Paulo had the first experience in technology with a CP 400 computer, when he was 9 years old. Paulo has a Masters in Computer Science from USP, is an Angel Investor and also a Podcaster.
He had amazing personal and professional experiences as an entrepreneur and business leader and is here today to share some of these learnings with us.
Here are some of the questions that I asked Paulo
- Different then today, When you were a kid it wasn’t as easy to have access to computers or any technology device at all. Especially in Brazil, computers were a rare thing to find at home in the 80s and early 90s. Who had the ‘audacity’ to buy a computer back then?
- As a kid, your focus on technology was already towards programming? How was your experience programming in Basic?
- Back then, did you have the feeling, or at least felt compelled, that you would work in technology? Why is that?
- In college, at first you decided to join Computer Engineering and then moved to computer Science, which you ended up graduating. What made you take that move? Did you have a special person that helped you in this special moment?
- While an undergrad in Computer Science, was there anything that made you comfortable on the path you took?
- Have the hackathons made you really fall in love with programming? Do you feel that the competitive environment may have been your ‘calling’ to fall deeply in love with technology?
- Technology has been present in your life since you were a kid, but when did you figure out your passion to teach? What made you chose this specific path within technology? Have you always had this desire?
- You took a Masters right after graduating from college. By that time, were you planning on taking a college professor career? How did you move from an aspiring traditional academic career to an entrepreneurial career in education?
- You started Caelum as a small in-person programming course, which eventually became the largest tech education platform in Brazil. What were the most difficult challenges that you hadn't foreseen when you started? How did you overcome them?
- What is your view with the current job market for technology professional?
- Since 2016, on top of your career as a teacher and entrepreneur, you also became an Angel Investor. How all your previous experience helped you invest in entrepreneurs? What are the traits and skills that you look for in a founder?
- Taking all these different roles and responsibilities shouldn’t be easy. Have you had any mentors that helped you achieve goals you never thought you could have achieved?
- With a great career as a teacher, entrepreneur and Angel Investor, time should have felt as luxury. Have you ever felt that you neglected your personal life in some way throughout the way?
- Do you have any habits such as journaling, meditation, exercise, that make you feel more balanced for your day-to-day activities?
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