The moment you think you know everything, you’re definitely wrong—and that applies to all areas of life.
In our Friday Five, we ask five questions to our special guest. The Silver Lining? There isn’t one. We range from a look behind the business scenes to insights into our guest’s personality. From MobieTrain employees to beloved customers or topic experts, anything goes. Sometimes sweet as pie, sometimes razor-sharp, always with the aim of learning from each other.
Today’s Guest: Celso Neto
Celso Neto is our great Backend Developer Lead at MobieTrain.
In this interview, you’ll learn how Celso started living and working independently at a very young age, why F1, hiking and running uphill are his biggest passions, and why Marie Kondo might not approve of his desk most days. And as for those stereotypes about engineers—are they really true?
1. If you could tell us something that most people don’t know about you, what would it be?
“Oof. I’m an open person, so people already know a lot about me, haha. But there are definitely a few unexpected things too. For instance, I left home at 17 to live with some friends. My parents gave me the green light.”
“My career actually started even earlier. I began working as a software engineer at the age of 14, writing code and doing other tech-related tasks for a company. And that wasn’t even my first job. I got hired there partly because my mum knew some people at the company, but mostly because they saw the work I’d done at her previous workplace.”
What did you do in that role?
“I started by fixing computers and handling typical IT issues. They liked my work, so they hired me. From then on, I’d go to high school in the mornings and work in the afternoons, which is legal.”
Is it fair to say that engineering has been a passion of yours from a very young age?
“Absolutely. I’ve never had any doubts about what I wanted to do professionally. That’s been a huge relief because I’ve seen so many of my peers struggle with choosing a career.”
“It’s a really important decision, but I think people are often pressured into going to university before they truly know what path they want to take. In my opinion, it’s better to allow people time to experiment and figure things out first. I was lucky because I always knew what I wanted to do.”
“I’ve never had any doubts about what I wanted to do professionally.”
You started working at 14 and left home at 17—you discovered your passion at an early age. Where did it come from?
“Like many kids, I was into video games and at the same time I was fortunate enough to have access to technology. It wasn’t cutting-edge, but I had access to a computer and could dial-up Internet. My curiosity just took over. I used some of my money to visit cybercafés, taking boxes of floppy disks with me to use their Internet connection.”
“Technology wasn’t as advanced back then, so I’d save everything as text files (no images!) because floppy disks only had about 1,44 megabytes of storage. After an hour at the cybercafé, I’d return home with a week’s worth of reading material on my computer. That’s how I began learning about computers, hard drives, the difference between RAM and ROM…”
How long did you stay at that first company?
“I stayed there for almost seven years. Leaving was really tough because I’d grown so much there, and I was still very young. Looking back, it felt a bit like a relationship break-up. They even called my mum to try and convince me to stay because they were heartbroken, haha. That was so sweet—it showed me I’d done good work there. But that’s how life goes, you’re always evolving and learning how to deal with what comes upon your path.”
“I used to visit cybercafés to surf on the Internet, taking floppy disks with me to save everything as text files, so I would return home with a week’s worth of reading material.”
Why did you make the difficult decision to leave?
“I left because I felt a bit stuck. I’m a learner by nature and always want to explore new things, but I found myself doing the same tasks every day. It wasn’t even about working with the latest tech—it was more that I wasn’t growing anymore. We weren’t trying to change or improve the way we worked. I knew it was time to move on because staying in the same comfort zone after seven years just didn’t feel right for me.”
2. If you could teleport anywhere in the world right now, where would you go, and what would you do first?
(Please note: this interview took place on November 6)
“As a huge Formula 1 fan, I’d definitely teleport to Las Vegas right now because the next Grand Prix – and probably the decisive race of the season – will be held there. In the meantime, I’d go hiking. I’ve been to Utah before, and the US has the most beautiful national parks.”
You’ve just mentioned two of your main hobbies: F1 and hiking. They couldn’t be more different. Where do these passions come from?
“Formula 1 was always a father-son thing. My dad used to watch it when I was really young. He’s stopped, but I never did. I remember asking my mum when I was 11 if I could stay up all night to watch the race in Japan because of the massive time difference. I was immediately hooked. Mika Häkkinen, the Finnish driver, was my childhood hero.”
Who’s your favorite driver right now?
“Lewis Hamilton is the GOAT for me. But I have a lot of respect for Max Verstappen as well—he’s managed to keep challenging and pushing the limits, even without having the best car. He sometimes goes too far, but I think Max and Lewis both have the same spirit as Ayrton Senna, who’s the ultimate GOAT for any Brazilian F1 fan. At least, on the track, Senna was like them. Off the track, he was a totally different person.”
Back to your other hobby: hiking.
“I love being in nature and staying active, so it’s the perfect combination. But a good hike takes time, and unfortunately, time has been pretty scarce for me in recent years. That’s why I’d say running has taken the lead as my second hobby. It’s my way of clearing my head.”
“I especially love running uphill. You’ve no idea how satisfying it is to tackle an uphill run—it gives you such a sense of accomplishment. You don’t always make it to the top, and that’s fine because the hill is stronger than us. But you can always set smaller, achievable goals along the way. If you focus on a closer checkpoint rather than the summit, that becomes your real target. It’s not about conquering the whole hill; it’s about progressing step by step.”
It seems like challenging yourself and exploring are big drivers for you?
“That’s definitely true, but it depends on the area of my life. When it comes to running or hiking, absolutely. Professionally, it’s there as well—it’s important for all of us to face challenges, be challenged, and challenge the people we work with to do better. Otherwise, what’s the point of spending eight hours a day at work?”
“It’s important for all of us to face challenges, be challenged, and challenge the people we work with to do better.”
“But in my personal life, it’s different. If you’re constantly pushing your relationships and driving them in a way that always demands more, it can get tricky. You can’t expect others to approach everything the same way you do. Sometimes, it’s better to just enjoy the relationships for what they are, rather than always trying to push for more.”
3. Relating to your previous answers: what’s a habit or ritual that keeps you grounded, especially when things get very busy?
“Coffee, haha. Taking the time to enjoy a cup of coffee while listening to an F1, F2, or F3 podcast is really entertaining. Listening to people talk about racing, especially with all the trash talk between teams, is so much fun. I get a bit sad during the winter break, though, because I have to watch old races during the long off-season. Besides that, as I mentioned before, there’s running.”
4. Is there a quirky gadget or anything unusual on your desk or in your office?
“My office is pretty boring. The only thing that might seem unusual to others—but is totally normal for engineers—is that we can move our monitors between horizontal and vertical orientations. We often set them vertically so we can see more lines of code while developing.”
Do you keep your office tidy to help you concentrate?
“Ehm, not really. It’s a constant battle, and entropy always wins, haha. I start with an almost empty desk, but you know how it goes: a cup of coffee, a letter… and before you know it, it piles up. Eventually, there comes a moment when you just have to clean it all. I’m pretty sure Marie Kondo wouldn’t be too impressed with my office on most days.”
A cliché question: Can all software engineers type blindfolded?
“That’s a misconception. It’s not standard for all of us to be able to type with our eyes closed. What we do often rely on are shortcuts and commands to speed up our work. Those are the things we can do blindfolded. It’s more like a rhythm or cadence—similar to how a writer might work.”
“You write a small section, then pause to think. You process what’s next and then write another piece. You keep repeating that, assembling a logical puzzle bit by bit and revisiting it as needed. That said, it does vary from person to person. Some developers imagine the whole solution as they write, while others prefer a structured approach with a clear path from start to finish.”
“When I started programming, I’d often jump straight into the deep end, figuring things out as I went along. But with experience, I’ve become more structured.”
5. Let’s break the stereotypical vision of engineers. Tell us something about your work that people might not expect.
“There’s a repetitive process most developers go through, and I think many people can relate to it—impostor syndrome. It’s something that seems to stick with engineers throughout their entire career. I’m 33 now, and I’ve spent most of my life as an engineer, but there are still moments when it gets to me.”
“You might think you’re smart, experienced, and capable of writing great code, but then an issue comes up, and suddenly you’re thinking, Oh my God, how the heck am I going to solve this? It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing this; those challenges never go away. The moment you think you know everything is the moment you’re definitely wrong—and that applies to all areas of life.”
“Technology evolves at such a rapid pace that there’s always something new to learn—a new tool, a fresh framework, or a breakthrough idea from a brand or person. Keeping up means constantly climbing new hills, and it can feel overwhelming. But that’s part of the journey.”
Maybe that’s why you love running uphill, haha. Anything else people might not expect?
“What people might not know is that in our team, we peer-review everything we do. Every piece of code or script we write is checked and approved by at least two colleagues. This means we’re constantly putting ourselves in a vulnerable position, exposing our work to feedback multiple times a day.”
“We peer-review everything, meaning we’re constantly putting ourselves in a vulnerable position.”
That sounds challenging. How do you handle that?
“It can definitely be frustrating at times, especially when feedback goes back and forth. But you learn to see the feedback as being about the problem, not about you. You also develop the skill of giving constructive feedback in a thoughtful way.”
“It’s not always easy, because often you’re discussing two different ways of achieving the same result. It can feel nitpicky to suggest doing something differently, or you might question whether your comments are even valuable. But it’s all part of the process.”
To wrap up, is there anything you’d like to say to people about engineers?
“People often don’t realise that even the best engineers can spend weeks working on what seems like just a single sentence of requirements in a document. I completely understand why that’s hard to grasp, but it’s often underestimated how much effort goes into something that seems simple. We have to consider a lot of details, constantly balancing challenges and expectations. So… be kind, haha!”
Do you want to read more MobieTrain articles and Friday Five interviews? Check our blog: https://www.mobietrain.com/blog/.
