Devrims: You completed your graduation in Psychology. However, your career path is different. What\u2019s the cool story behind that?<\/b><\/p>\n
\u00c1lvaro: <\/b>Even before entering university, I was already working in design at a newspaper in Lisbon where I am from. So, I was working and studying at the same time, mostly in desktop publishing with magazines and books. When I graduated in Psychology, I had the chance to work with a Psychology publisher called Climepsi, and that was my way of merging both professional experience and academic knowledge. It was sort of a pioneering enterprise, as Psychology books locally published were rare. I did some editing and translation work also. After that I worked with some other publishers. Then, I created my own micro-publishing house, and finally started to work with the web.<\/span><\/p>\n Devrims: You have been with Empower for more than 10 years. How do you think these platforms contribute in the digital and technical industry?<\/b><\/p>\n \u00c1lvaro:<\/b> Well, Empower is a rather analogic organization. We do have an important online presence, and after COVID we started to do a lot more online training. But the core of the business was always face-to-face training.<\/span><\/p>\n As for the way WordPress helped our business, first, I got this job because I had already started publishing online with WordPress, and the company understood that if it wanted to grow, it had to improve its online presence. WordPress, along with other open-source platforms, truly helped small companies establish a web presence without going bankrupt or needing excessively specialized employees.<\/p>\n Devrims: You have been a part of the WordPress Community and organized WordCamps for more than a decade in different parts of Europe. How tough is community building and how did you manage all of this for so long?<\/b><\/p>\n \u00c1lvaro:<\/b> The WordPress community was (and still is) decisive for my career in the sense that I began as a complete novice. When I first started experimenting with WordPress, I wasn’t aware of the vast reach and size of the community. It was a pleasant surprise when I realized the potential that community contributions offered. I had the opportunity to meet extraordinary people who selflessly dedicated themselves to fostering the growth of the community and WordPress. Many of them have become my friends, and their friendship is truly invaluable.<\/span><\/p>\n To be a part of this community gives you a sense of belonging, and also a purpose beyond professional interests. Perhaps that\u2019s why I\u2019ve been doing it for so long: I enjoy it!<\/span><\/p>\n However, I must say that growing the community is not an easy task, especially in today’s landscape where competition between platforms, networks, and apps is intense. It has become increasingly challenging to capture a significant amount of attention and dedication. This is perhaps the biggest challenge we face moving forward.<\/p>\n Devrims: You attended the WCEU2023. How important do you think these events are for the community?<\/b><\/p>\n \u00c1lvaro:<\/b> Events like WCEU2023 are incredibly important because many of us have been working remotely for extended periods of time, knowing each other only through a keyboard and a screen. WordCamps provide us with the opportunity to meet people with whom we have interacted and collaborated online for a significant period. Additionally, these events allow us to connect with new individuals, explore different approaches to work, and face fresh challenges. All of these experiences contribute to our personal growth. <\/span><\/p>\n Plus it’s pretty fun most of the time, because the WordPress Community has that quality.<\/span><\/p>\n Devrims: How was your experience with the WP Stress training sessions?<\/b><\/p>\n \u00c1lvaro:<\/b> I would say it’s a project waiting to grow. Unfortunately my day job didn’t leave me enough time to invest more efforts in WordPress specific training sessions for WPStress. But, I continue to think that it is a necessity, and I still feel what the difficulties of an initiate are, and I think that this attracts me to do training sessions and workshops.<\/span><\/p>\n Devrims: WordPress turned 20 recently, how are you feeling about it and are your expectations in the future?<\/b><\/p>\n
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