My name is Santiago García, but most people call me Santi.

I’m an open-minded and sociable person, I love enjoying a good conversation with a cup of coffee or wine, sharing life experiences, and learning a bit about every person I know. I’m convinced that we are who we are due to the people we meet along our path in life, with whom we have gotten little things that carved our character. So I hope to contribute in a small way to help you grow as a person.

Since I was little I love technology, but at that age, there weren’t the current possibilities. I started dismantling my grandfather’s analogic radio to learn how it works, but I wasn’t a success when mounting it back and I earn a rap on the head. I was really curious about learning how things work around me.

My mother told me that I wanted to be an inventor. As time went by, and my Spectrum 128K, my passion for technology changed my perspective observing how technology could enable building things that help people and create a better world. I think this way of thinking comes from what I lived when I was a child. My family has always tried to help other people, since the neighbours from the opposite door didn’t have salt, until giving food to a homeless person. A humble family with a big heart instilled in me values like solidarity, generosity, and collaboration.

My passion for technology made me study Computer Science, even though I had to give up on another of my passions, handball. I love sports and I’ve played a little of everything: karate, soccer, basketball, volleyball… Despite being sports that I like, some aspects didn’t match me, until I ended up discovering handball, a team sport very dynamic and physical, but noble. My passion for handball is so big that I don’t limit myself to playing it but also refereed in the local league and trained kids to enjoy this sport. It was a hard decision, but I had to choose due to the lack of time and the dependency on a grant for university study.

During my university years, I found solutions to continue my studies and not be an economic charge for my family, at the same time I found time to study. The Learning world was an escape path to get both things, on one hand, I helped others to acquire new knowledge, and on the other one, it didn’t require much time to prepare for classes. I also took advantage of the knowledge I was getting to help other colleagues with some subjects, mainly the ones related to programming.

In that phase of my life, I powered my capacities for abstract thinking and creative problem-solving, skills that I’ve been developing continuously throughout my professional career, not only for Project development or creation of digital products but for optimizing daily activities using office applications like Access or Excel and create tools that help people fulfill their objectives. For instance:

• A database for Project references with filtering options per sector of activity, and keywords to help account managers and presale consultants with the creation of proposals and support for customer visits.
• Excel file for automatic log and workload testing results to automate reports of stress tests.
• Excel file with random data generation for testing batch files and API calls generation to make acceptance testing easier for non-technical persons.
• And is probably the most original one, based on my interest in sports and healthy habits. The creation of a calculator for meal weight to adapt recipes to the Zone diet, promoted by some personal trainers to maintain a healthy weight, depending on your goals, enjoying my favorite meals without giving up on the diet.

Ever since I had to give up my passion for handball to develop my other passion for technology, I have had to experience difficult situations that have required me to make tough decisions. Like, for example, leaving a job that I liked because it was beginning to affect my psychological well-being on a personal level, due to toxic work environments (where the objectives are not well defined, the workload is not well organized and the lack of collaboration and commitment reign). As well, I have had to face a divorce after having two wonderful children. Sometimes, as much as it hurts, we have to make tough decisions and follow through with them.

I always wanted to be a father, probably because I didn’t have one, and although I have had father figures like my grandfather in my life, one of my dreams is to have the father I never had. Now, I try to spend quality time with my children, be a reference and support for them, and make them share in my successes and my failures, showing myself vulnerable in weak moments and strong when the situation requires strength. It is not an easy road, but I take it on with determination and the satisfaction of seeing how they grow as persons and the constant feeling of not knowing if I’m doing the right thing or not.

Now, I am in a phase where, after living different life experiences, I am trying to reconnect with everything that I am passionate about my family, helping people, and handball. Yes, handball, after my forties,  playing in a team of veterans with some of my old teammates, returning to good memories, and reconnecting with myself. And also looking for new challenges and products that have a mission that resonates with my passion to help people and build a better world. If you read this, and you think I can help you build a product that meets these requirements, don’t hesitate to contact me.