Who Am I?
Hi there! I’m Matteo Notaro (he/him), an Italian tech enthusiast with what might seem like an ordinary passion: everything related to technology. I love programming, problem-solving, and basically anything that rhymes with “tech.” Oh, and I’m a huge fan of 🍕 and ☕ – but I guess that’s pretty standard for someone living in the Bel Paese.
Jokes aside, my journey in the tech world began quite conventionally: I earned my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Calabria in 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic. It was a challenging time, for sure, but also incredibly stimulating.
My Educational Journey
During my bachelor’s studies, I was lucky enough to participate in an Erasmus+ project in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria. While there, I began working on my thesis, developing a parser for a programming language based on Answer Set Programming. Not satisfied with the result, I decided to push further: I turned that project into an IDE-as-a-Service. The result? A degree with top honors (110/110 cum laude) and an experience I’m still proud of today.
After earning my bachelor’s, I pursued a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. However, I eventually decided to shift gears and completed my master’s in Computer Engineering at UniMarconi.
My Professional Experiences
I started working during high school, taking on small web development projects. Nothing groundbreaking – mostly WordPress here and there – but these projects helped me take my first steps in the field.
In 2020, one of my professors offered me a position in a spin-off company of the University of Calabria. After a few months working part-time, I seized the opportunity to work full-time as a developer. That’s where my career truly began, primarily as a full-stack developer working with Angular, Spring Boot, and SQL databases.
The real turning point came when I discovered the world of Big Data. Apache Spark, Scala, and NoSQL databases opened up a fascinating universe that motivated me to dig deeper. Along the way, I also explored DevOps tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and Jenkins – because why not keep things exciting?
One project I’m particularly proud of is DataGan, a system for generating synthetic data based on production data. The idea was mine, and it grew into a full-fledged company project.
In my most recent role, I held the title of Head of R&D. Unfortunately, the reality didn’t match the promise of the title, and I realized it wasn’t the right place for my professional growth.
After realizing that, I changed company, drawn by the promise of exciting projects in the AI field. However, once in the new one, I found myself working on uninspiring web development tasks for products with little technological appeal and poorly managed workflows. For 10 out of the 11 months I spent there, I felt underutilized and unchallenged, struggling to find any real engagement in my work.
Since November 2024, I’ve been working at Agile Lab, where I hope to continue building innovative projects in AI and data.
What Drives Me
If I had to summarize what motivates me in one word, it would be creation. Creating solutions to complex problems, building useful tools, and, why not, stirring up some creative chaos when needed. I love diving into challenging new technologies, learning, and constantly improving.
Why Am I Writing This Blog?
This blog is my space to share experiences, ideas, and projects. Whether you’re here for inspiration, curiosity, or just to laugh at a few tech anecdotes, I’m glad you stopped by.
If you’d like to share thoughts, collaborate on a project, or just chat about technology (or pizza and coffee), feel free to reach out!
Thanks for reading, and happy hacking! 😊