Adaptability

One quality I’ve always found fascinating is adaptability.

I started working in technology by dismantling computers, formatting machines, and solving everyday technical issues. After that, I moved into civil engineering, closely following my parents and experiencing a different reality. At one point, I even flirted with statistics and imagined a future working with data, numerical patterns, and analysis. But in the end, I returned to technology, studied in a bootcamp, and have worked as a developer for about seven years.

What has always helped me is this ability to adapt.

In my first large company, I even mentioned this in the interview. I thought it was interesting how David Bowie was the chameleon of rock, and I wanted to be a chameleon developer as well: capable of learning whatever was necessary to solve the problem.

I write this because I see that the path the company I work for is following is exactly this one.

Human beings have evolved largely because of their ability to adapt, and professions after the fourth industrial revolution — with artificial intelligence as one of its main pillars — tend to follow that same path.

It was not feasible to imagine that we would have AI as we do today. And even with its inaccuracies, which I’ve been noticing a lot lately, I believe the role of the modern professional is to optimize the use of these tools and make the most of them.

Studying, taking courses, and staying curious helps a lot. But what truly becomes the key and what helps you reach the other side is the ability to adapt.

I see that growth comes with a dose of the unknown, the new, the uncomfortable, and another dose comes precisely from the ability to adapt. If I’m not learning or optimizing what I do with mastery today, then something is wrong.

Maybe the medium-term vision I have is this: adapt, improve what you can see, and gradually gain more clarity about the next step or stage of development. That guides a very interesting path for your career, your health, and your personal belief system. I can’t see this harming anyone; quite the opposite.

The message I want to leave is simple: adapt. If you’re a developer, improve your communication. If you’re not, learn technology. Look at what you don’t know and feel hungry to learn; seek to understand it. One thing that helps a lot is knowing what you want to learn and pursuing it with intention.

I really enjoy sports, and I’ve always found the NFL interesting. Of all sports, it was one of the ones I followed the least. This season, I started watching one game per round and playing fantasy football to better understand the game and gain new knowledge.

There is always time to learn something through hobbies, personal development, or spiritual growth. The more you get to know yourself, the clearer the path becomes.

That’s all folks. Adapt.

Thiago Colman
Full Stack Developer
https://thiagocolman.com