The actor who became a Software Integration Engineer. Dragoș's story started with a practical Java course

The actor became a Software Integration Engineer. A conversation with Statenco Dragoș-Alexandru, graduate of the Java Development course

~ written by  Simona Gouraud, Informal School of IT Timișoara ~

Where else could we tell Dragoș's story, the 28-year-old who left the stage for a career as a software developer? We met on the terrace at Ambasada, near the building where he's been working for a few weeks, under a warm spring sun.

The words flowed freely, just like Dragoș's spirit, and couldn't be forced into the structure of a classic interview. Listening to him, I kept thinking how lucky he is, in many ways, starting with the family he was born into, with parents who always let him choose and who supported his decisions. We'll see along the way why I consider him lucky in other ways too.

He stepped off the stage, after 13 years, and made a new choice: to become a Java developer

At 14, he enrolled in the acting program at “Ion Vidu” Art High School, then attended the Theatre Faculties in Sibiu and Timișoara. Statenco Dragoș-Alexandru worked at the Merlin Theatre for Children and Youth, collaborated with the National Theatre in Timișoara, acted in films, and was cast in commercials. In total, about 13 years on stage.

He told me beautifully about how bright wings grew on him when he was praised for his talent, and how he fell into the hell of a torn soul when he received less recognition. He then chose to step off the stage, for health reasons, but also to gain a financial freedom that theatre couldn't offer him. He felt he could no longer give his all on stage, and so he made a new choice.

The mentor gave him exactly what he needed to succeed 

From his father, he inherited the desire to know and inform himself about fields he doesn't master. Since as a child he spent a lot of time on the computer and looked things up whenever he didn't understand something, and wrote small snippets of code (and what joy when it worked!), Dragoș naturally found his way professionally toward IT.

He chose to learn Java Development – a practical Java programming course from Informal School of IT, where the most important achievement for him wasn't necessarily the programming language he learned, but the fact that he discovered how to look up information, how to learn, and where to find the data he needed.

His mentor, Filip Fiat, gave Dragoș exactly what he needed to succeed. The course was too short, Dragoș says, for how much there is to learn, but he set aside time every day (4-5 hours), for individual study, parallel online courses and small projects of his own.

Also read: The mentor's role in an online Java programming course. A conversation with Filip Fiat

The profession that makes him happy: Java Developer

And now I come back to why I think this young man is quite lucky. He does what he does with joy, he plays around with it, he's enthusiastic, he inspires. Just as he spoke fondly about theatre, he spoke just as happily about his new job as a Java Developer:

• happy that he has the chance to learn;
• happy that the recruitment process focused on his potential and his desire to progress quickly (and he did very well technically too);
• happy that he works at a company that gives him access to significant resources.

We talked about the masks we wear in life, about being authentic, about his aspiration to grow as a complex human being, about living life with passion, about integrating work into life, treating it not as a job, but as the most fitting way to spend your time.

Dragoș doesn't have a comfort zone (a comfort zone means patterns, and patterns mean robots), he's not afraid of change, he pushes past his limits and wants to go through life never forgetting that he is a divine spark (“to forget that is a waste of brain”).

A piece of advice for the school's students

Choose with an open mind, apply to any job, don't get discouraged after one, two, nine rejections. Go home and keep learning. You will succeed!

Learn, learn, learn!

The sun was blazing when we wrapped up the conversation. He laughed when I asked him what his motto was (it would have been a bit unusual for him to have one) and he told me: “Learn, learn, learn!”.

He laughed even harder when he compared IT to a sport. He chose billiards, because it takes precision, imagination, an overview, attention to detail. I stayed on the terrace a little longer, energized after meeting this young man who managed to pass his passion on to me, and who I'm sure will be a source of inspiration for those who read this interview.

Also read:

Bogdan's story, who was a psychologist until he graduated from Informal School of IT

Marius's story, who managed to switch careers, from agriculture to IT

These people knew where they wanted to end up, and they're examples that prove a passion for IT and their desire to learn Java programming.

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