“I love NordLocker’s team’s mentality. We’re open-minded and always willing to listen and discuss issues that are unclear. I believe that when you face challenges as a team, you’re bound to succeed,” Andre Servidoni, Android developer @NordLocker.

Thanks to our new team members, NordLocker will soon expand to mobile platforms. Like everyone in the Android team, Andre joined NordLocker with an important task — to bring end-to-end encryption to our users’ smartphones. Today, we’re asking him to share his experiences, opportunities, and challenges working in cybersecurity.

Hello, Andre. Let’s start with the basics. What is your role at NordLocker?

Hi. I’m an Android developer and I joined the team four months ago. My task is to help develop NordLocker’s Android app.

How did you get into mobile development? Has Android always been your favorite platform to work on?

Yes, something like that. I have always liked Android but got into it more seriously a few years ago when I was at university. I immediately started looking for opportunities in Android development and soon had my first gigs. In fact, it’s something I want to encourage everyone to do. Don’t get stuck with tutorials and books. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Learn a little and simply dive in.

What was the deciding factor behind you joining NordLocker?

Like I mentioned, I've been working with mobile development for a few years and I’ve always found the security part interesting. There are a lot of moving parts and even more things to consider, like ways to ensure data security and choosing certain algorithms over others, to name just a few. So, when the opportunity to join NordLocker came knocking, I was very excited.

Since the first interview, it was clear how much the company cares about its employees and user base. That really helped me decide to join.

So, what is life like at NordLocker? As a product, it’s still in its early stages. Being an Android developer, would you say there are certain challenges that come with the territory?

Yes, no doubt about that. With mobile technologies and processes constantly changing, there’s something new to learn every day. Since we are building an app that combines utility and high-level data security, we must consider how to minimize the number of refactors and updates in the future. That’s why our Android team is using a new technology called Kotlin Multiplatfrorm.

Staying up to date with all the changes can be a challenge, but, if you take it as an opportunity to grow, you can use these issues as a source of inspiration.

You mentioned new technology. Can you tell us more about your approach?

Sure. Kotlin Multiplatform is used for cross-platform development. In simple terms, the code you create can be applied both to Android and iOS, thus speeding up and simplifying the work process, allowing us to maintain one set of code for both of our mobile apps. But, since it’s such a new technology, we have to make some important decisions. For example, which parts of the code will be shared? There’s also a lot of testing involved. For example, if feature code is shared, does it work equally well on both platforms?

Despite some issues, working with a technology that can help the community so much is really inspiring and a great opportunity to learn.

What do you think about NordLocker as a team? What do you like most about the culture?

I have loved the team since the day I joined. Everyone is always willing to help each other out and is happy to share their knowledge. For me, it’s incredibly important because cybersecurity is still very new to me. I also love NordLocker’s team mentality. We’re open-minded and always willing to listen and discuss issues that are unclear. I believe that when you face challenges as a team, you’re bound to succeed.

You said that you find a lot of learning opportunities here. Can you think about the strengths you brought to the team compared to the skills you’ve acquired after joining NordLocker?

That’s a difficult question. I think I’ve always had a good team mindset. Also, I’m good at evaluating the problem and its potential solutions. Most importantly, I respect other people’s opinions.

What skills have I learned here? Cybersecurity, for sure. And working with Kotlin Multiplatfrom programming. I also find the lack of micromanagement refreshing. The team is very good at staying focused on the task at hand.

We’ve talked a lot about your work experiences. But what about your hobbies? What do you like to do to have fun?

I really love video games, especially racing games like F1 and Gran Turismo. They simultaneously help me relax and challenge me in various interesting ways. The harder the challenge, the better. I understand why some people look at video games negatively but I can truly say that I’ve learned a great deal from playing.

Take the F1 series, for example. You develop a variety of skills playing these games. You sharpen your concentration, you learn perseverance, you hone in your ability to think about the problem before jumping to the solution.

Yes, I’ve heard you like playing games. But I also know that you have even developed a few games yourself. How did that come about? And can we try any of your games out?

That’s an interesting story. Last year, my family and I were in Brazil for vacation. One evening, we were telling stories about things we’d do as kids and I had an idea that childhood challenges could be a fun topic to explore in a video game. I started working on it as soon as I came back. I called it Lia’s Adventure.

Since then, I’ve fallen in love with the process of making games. You know, thinking about the rules, gameplay, performance, architecture, and how to tie it all into a fun experience for the player. It’s still a hobby and I’ve got a lot to learn, but if you’d like to try out my games, check out my portfolio. You can also reach me on Twitter.

Are you an Android developer looking for new career opportunities?

If you’re also an Android developer like Andre and would like to join our team, you can contact Ema ([email protected]), our talent attraction partner. Of course, you can also visit our Careers page for all the available positions at NordLocker.