Meet the </salties>: Loukas Piloidis

Every week we interview a Saltie and with Loukas Piloidis we talk about marketing, problem solving, competitive swimming and finding his true calling in tech. He is now a SALT consultant on assignment and he graduated from the SALT bootcamp in December 2021.

Tell us about yourself and what you did before SALT

I have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Media and Communications and I have previously worked in sales for an Australian startup creating shopping apps, as well as a huge Greek hardware retailer in the marketing department. In the end, though, nothing could keep me away from the keyboard.

What motivated you to join SALT and change your career?

Since my childhood, I have been fascinated with computer science. Video games, social media, interesting apps, you name it. Unfortunately, my career path was taking me further and further away from my true calling. Until one day I saw an ad in the metro and everything clicked together. I applied to the program, quit my job, and prepared to dive deep into this amazing world of opportunities and challenges. Being hungry for success and FINALLY doing something that I genuinely liked, I used that as a driving force through the intensity of the bootcamp. When someone asks me if it was worth it, my reply is always the same: ‘I wouldn’t change a single thing’.

How is it to work in the tech business?

It seems that the tech industry is growing more and more every year, which is what every employee wants to hear to feel safe. However, I would probably stay in this field even in harder times, because it just feels like a natural fit. My job is to solve problems, learn new things every day, and develop cool products that I am passionate about and proud of.

What do you do on a regular work day?

For me, coming a bit earlier in the office, putting on some music and having a warm bowl of oatmeal cuts it perfectly. Then, I carry on with my tasks which are administered at our weekly meeting, and live in Jira. Code review, design patterns, negotiations with managers and designers, and of course development take most of my working day. If I have some extra time, I might enjoy a nice fika with some of my colleagues.

What do you enjoy most about your position?

In our team, I work with other salties and ex-salties and therefore our technical backgrounds are similar. Therefore, precisely because we have a “SALT background”, we are able to mob program, communicate effectively, think about the optimal solution of a problem before just jumping into the code, and of course - do it in an AGILE way.

What fun hobbies do you have?

I am a happy father of an eight-month-old daughter, a programmer for life, and in my free time I am a competitive swimmer. You can see me practicing my butterfly skills every afternoon in the national swimming pool.

Thank you for the great interview Loukas Piloidis ! Please subscribe to our page to stay connected and receive updates.

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