Rui Silva’s growth story at UPEO: building code, building a future
After starting his career as a Junior Salesforce Developer at UPEO, Rui Silva was ready to take the next step on his professional journey. Born and raised in Portugal, Rui moved to Belgium as a teenager and navigated a series of life changes before finding his place in technology. At UPEO, he was given the trust, responsibility and opportunities that helped him turn a self-taught passion for coding into a solid foundation for his future.
His story shows how UPEO creates an environment where people with different backgrounds and experiences can grow and succeed — and how those opportunities have shaped Rui as he moved on to another company and the rest of his career.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you ended up in Belgium?
Rui: I moved from Portugal to Belgium when I was 17 because my parents decided to relocate. It was a tough age to make such a big change — I had to finish my last two years of high school here, leaving my friends behind in Portugal. After that, I studied business economics in the Netherlands, but I dropped out in my second year. I wasn’t happy, and I was still adapting to so many changes.
I worked in retail for a while, as a stock manager in a shop in Maastricht. It wasn’t my dream job, but it was part of figuring things out. I was a bit lost in life, so I was just trying new things. Eventually, I started teaching myself to code and realised I had found something I truly enjoyed.
Turning point: from retail to coding
What made you decide to switch from retail to coding?
Rui: It might sound odd, but I chose retail to improve my communication skills. I wasn’t very good at talking to people, so I wanted to challenge myself by having contact with customers. Ironically, they assigned me to the stockroom, so that didn’t help much… I’ve always been into computers and video games, so I thought: why not try coding? That decision changed everything.
What’s your favourite video game? And does it relate to your work in Salesforce?
Rui: Minecraft. The beauty of Minecraft is there are multiple things you can do. In many video games you simply play the game from end to start in a fixed order. I have played Minecraft for many years now and I’ve never finished the story. There’s always something new you can do. And the same goes for Salesforce, there are always new things: new clients, new projects, new ways of creating a solution. That makes it feel like a new job every day. So being comfortable playing a game that does not go from start to end in a fixed way helps in being a Salesforce developer. The main difference being, of course, that at a certain point you need to deliver a final solution to the customer.
How did you first get into Salesforce development?
Rui: I joined BeCode, a Belgian training programme for people looking to start or change careers in tech. It was a one-year bootcamp in web development, and in the final month I chose to specialise in Salesforce. The problem was that there wasn’t much mentorship for that track, so I arrived at UPEO for my internship with very little Salesforce knowledge. I had to learn a lot on the job, but that challenge also pushed me to adapt quickly.
Why UPEO was the right place to grow
What was your internship experience like at UPEO?
Rui: It was far from the cliché of interns making coffee. I was given a real internal project, rebuilding an application that allowed companies to look up other businesses by name or VAT number. That’s our Trends Top connector. I worked alongside another intern on that. Just a couple of weeks into the job, we were already asked to present that solution to a group of our customers. That level of trust and responsibility, especially as a newcomer, was motivating and made me want to prove myself.
Why did you decide to stay at UPEO after your internship?
Rui: Sara, who introduced me to UPEO, was a big influence. The way she described the company and the people here convinced me right away. UPEO was created by people who wanted to do things differently from large corporations, and I liked that philosophy. After my internship, I was really happy when they offered me a contract. Sara has guided me throughout my journey at UPEO, and has always supported me. When I told her that I was leaving for another opportunity, I knew it was bad news for her after all the time and effort that UPEO had put into me. But she was very good about it and said she was happy for me.
What kinds of projects have you worked on as a developer at UPEO?
Rui: My role has varied. Sometimes I was purely developing, other times I was configuring systems depending on what the company needed. For example, for one of our customers, we built an app that is now being used in all their Dutch stores. The job was a mix of technical challenges and learning to adapt to different roles. I have learned a bunch of stuff. After all, this was my first real job.
What did you enjoy most about your work?
Rui: I liked setting myself a daily target, for instance developing a specific module, and feeling the satisfaction of achieving it. Feedback from others also meant a lot to me, sometimes getting a compliment on a job well done, really make my day. Salesforce work is never repetitive; every client and project brings something new to learn, which kept it interesting.
As to the future, I don’t have a big plan. I just try to enjoy myself. I’m not really thinking of where I want to be in five years. Whatever happens tomorrow, happens. I am just trying to control the things that I can control. I felt good at UPEO, but when the opportunity came to work closer to home instead of commuting from Lanaken to Molenbeek, I took that chance.
What do you think is the most important skill for the job as Salesforce developer, and how have you developed it?
Rui: You have to be resourceful and able to find answers yourself, but also know when to ask for help. Early on, I wasted too much time trying to figure things out alone. After some time, I started setting myself a time limit: if I could not solve it in a specific time, I asked someone. It’s about balancing independence with efficiency. That is something that I kept learning, and that UPEO allowed me to learn.
Diversity at UPEO: you’re never just a number
How did the diversity at UPEO influence your experience here?
Rui: It made a big difference. UPEO employs people with different cultural origins, and with roots in Africa, India, England and, in my case, Portugal. That variety of backgrounds means you never feel like an outsider. It’s easier to share ideas because everyone’s used to different perspectives. Everyone understands that every culture is different. I would definitely recommend working at UPEO to everyone. At UPEO, you are not just a number like you would be at a larger consultancy.
Do you have a role model?
Rui: Yes, my grandmother Glória. She grew up in a poor family in Portugal, worked three jobs, and even after retirement kept working. Now she has health issues and can barely walk, but she always has a smile on her face. Whenever I’m feeling down, I call her because she always knows what to say.
She inspires me to stay positive towards others, even if I’m not feeling positive myself. That mindset helps in my work too, building good relationships and keeping the atmosphere constructive, even when challenges arise.
Looking back, I feel the same way about my time at UPEO. The people here gave me the space to learn, to make mistakes and to grow into the developer I am today. As I move on, I’ll take those lessons and experiences with me. UPEO and the experiences I had here, have prepared me well for whatever comes next.