Felipe Oliveira

I am the American Dream realized. Ever since I was a little kid, I have always been passionate about technology. Brazil in the 80s, however, was not the most optimal place to develop such an interest. With the ability to provide only a modest upbringing, my parents could not afford to enroll me in the best schools. However, I was blessed; the education my amazing parents provided me far surpassed anything even the best schools could teach.

When I was 13 years old, one of the first ISPs in Brazil began operating in the office next to my mom's workplace. I stopped by their office every day in an effort to learn as much as I could about the company and their enterprise. At first I performed menial tasks such as getting coffee and water.Against their wishes, I kept coming back. Eventually my persistance paid off; I was given the chance to write my first CGI script. My innate talent shined through, and I started to get noticed.

One day, I was approached by the owner of the company. He told me that he had a challenge for me; he needed a temporary replacement. His main and only technical guy was out of the country, and he was given a project to develop a website for a major Brazilian company. I didn't know what it entailed but he told me all that I needed to know was inside a single book; it was a book about something called "HTML." I, then, took a shot at the project. Iit was a success. After that initial project, I started building static websites for companies across the metropolis that I called home, São Paulo. Within months, I was financially independent. My parents no longer needed to spend their hard-earned money on me; and, in turn, I was able to do something that gave me great pride and happiness—to provide for them.

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