A little bit about me
My name is Oriol Casto Arnau, but you can call me Oriol or just Uri for short. I'm a product engineer currently focused on the frontend web platform and living in a beautiful Mediterranean small city called Vilanova i la Geltrú near Barcelona.
I have always been interested in everything related to technology and how it can change the way we live. In 2017, I decided to make a turn in my career and become a full-time professional developer.
Since then, I have worked first as a part-time freelancer while leveling up my skills, then at Xceed , Immfly , Gigapipe , and toddl.co . I consider myself a product-centric engineer, I thrive when outlining, architecting, and developing enjoyable and crafted products that scale.
What it means to be a product engineer to me? Being someone that pursue solving users problems by building products from inception to shipping. This article from Lee Robinson and this other from PostHog expand that concept very well.
My motto has always been: make it easier, do it right and achieve it together.
Make it easier
The understanding of how things work and the desire to find the best possible solution to a problem is a great fuel for exploration. That's why I became an engineer.
- Master's Degree in Aerospace Science and Technology 2011 - 2014
- Aeronautical Technical Engineering esp. Aircraft navigation 2005 - 2009
After college and reflecting on where my path was leading me I decided to make a 42-degree turn and become a software developer. As I consider myself a product-centric engineer it made sense to put the focus in the area closer to the final user, the front-end. With dedication and thanks to the vast online resources available nowadays I was able to achieve my goal.
Do it right
I'm not a fanboy of any particular stack as I tend to consider all technologies as just tools for the job. For each project, I try to select the best set of tools considering the developer experience, the existing community, and the expertise level of myself and the rest of the team.
As my career progressed, I expanded my interests, reaching for the tools that could help be become a real product engineer capable of shipping end to end products. I learned about product management and agile methodologies, I mastered git and discovered the CI/CD concepts, and I made my incursions in the backend world and programming languages beyond JavaScript like Python, Go or PHP.
Achieve it together!
Aside of developing a carrer I have always considered that as a citizen is very important to be involved in some form of social activism.
From my time in the free time educational movement (Esplais) with Drac Màgic first and as part of the board of Esplais Catalans later, and also as an active member of La Unió Vilanovina and the FME. I have achieved some key abilities that I use now in my professional career.
- The teamwork spirit as a must.
- The ability to communicate assertively.
- The tools for an effective leadership.
- The importance of commitment and to bond with the project.