Open for business in Peru

This is my last week in language school (at least until I need a refresher course) and with it come some big changes. My family has settled in to life in Arequipa, at least to the extent that can be expected after five months in a foreign country speaking a new language. I have received my work visa and have started a Peruvian company to focus on training / consulting for software developers.

My first client / partner is Lima-based Tekton Labs, which has hired me to provide technical training and architectural guidance to the cloud and mobile development teams. I am looking forward to working with the team for several reasons:

1. Tekton has a talented team and strongly believes in personal development. This is very important because, while there are a few good computer science programs in the country, there is no substitute for continuing education in our field.
2. The company has a mature, agile software development process (Scrum), which in my view is a prerequisite for taking on large projects.
3. Tekton has a sizable portfolio of work for large enterprises, but still offers significantly lower prices than US-based companies.

In the US, some of the most coveted jobs in programming are with Internet and software companies. In Peru, on the other hand, they are in finance and telecommunications because they typically pay the best ($500 – $2,000 / mo. + benefits). Unfortunately, this means there are few cloud and mobile jobs here; however, there ARE talented developers with the necessary training as well as self-taught hackers just like in the US. My aim is to help provide further training for these developers and to connect them with US-based companies like startups who may have great ideas, but can’t afford US-based labor. Over the next year or two, I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going. In the mean time, if you have an idea which might be a fit for a Peruvian development team, ping me on G+ and let’s talk.