Técnico Alumni is a platform that allows former students of Instituto Superior Técnico to reconnect, relive, and reminisce their time at Técnico through access to a network of contacts with other Alumni. It is within the context of this platform’s activities that this interview with Rui Carmo, a former student of the DEI (Department of Computer Science and Engineering), originally took place, and is now being republished in full.  

To learn more about Técnico Alumni and join the network, click HERE.

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Rui Carmo is 54 years old. He graduated in Computer Science and Engineering (pre-Bologna) from Técnico and completed a post-graduate degree at Universidade Católica. He is from Lisbon, married, and has two children. After a few years at INESC and Andersen Consulting, he spent over fifteen years at Telecel/Vodafone and Portugal Telecom, witnessing (and building) the adoption of fixed and mobile Internet in Portugal from the very beginning. He has been at Microsoft for nearly a decade (currently serving as Principal Architect in the West Europe Industry Solutions division), with a career in cloud, large-scale analytics, and artificial intelligence.

• Why Técnico?

It was the natural choice. I’ve always had an affinity for IT and Electronics (my father’s hobbies strongly encouraged me in that direction), and by the time I was in high school, I already knew Técnico would be the best place to pursue my studies. Additionally, there was an undeniable combination of factors: the institution's reputation, the creation of the Computer Science and Engineering degree and a personal and family context (at the time, I was lucky enough to live right next to Alameda).

• Can you tell us a bit about your studies at Técnico? 

I was part of the first class to graduate from LEIC in 1994, which was a rather unique experience. I distinctly remember our first class on January 15, 1990 (1989 was the year of a somewhat controversial general admission exam, which delayed everything), and the following four and a half years were very intense since LEIC was essentially being built in mid-flight. It ended up being a kind of survival course and had a profound effect on all of us. It was a great hands-on lesson in self-reliance and mutual support, forging unique friendships.

• What extracurricular activities were you involved in?

I joined Junitec in the early years, which gave me early exposure to the startup ecosystem (something I’m still involved with today), and eventually moved to INESC (and the AITEC ecosystem) in the final years. For me, it was important to gain as much professional experience as possible while studying (and also earn some income), so these weren't so much extracurriculars as they were ways to explore career paths. And of course, I was one of the founders of “LEIC NEWS”, the (unofficial and highly irregular in many ways) newspaper of LEIC…

• At Técnico, was there anyone who inspired you? Who and why?

There were three unavoidable influences for anyone at LEIC, which I like to refer to as its “triumvirate”: I never needed much encouragement to be as direct or frank as José Tribolet, but I always strived to be as thoughtful as João Pavão Martins and as diligent as José Alves Marques. It’s a bit of an explosive combination, but looking back, each of them had, in their own way, a considerable influence on how I approached my career.

• What’s your best memory from Técnico?  

There are several things I remember fondly, although they may not make much sense to people today, since all of them happened before the Internet existed—so I’ll start with the least important: competing for a free VT220 terminal to work on the CIIST VAX (and spending too many nights there), working with Apple and NeXT machines at Junitec (which shaped my relationship with computers to this day), and the various pranks we included in group projects—sometimes, after finishing the work, we would create little surprises or Easter eggs for the professors to find (like a fake ad on a welcome screen). But most of all, I have great memories of the people, from small moments on campus to late-night study sessions before exams, listening to the same cassette tapes for hours. It’s been 30 years and I still have a "Work" playlist with those same songs (though not all…).

• Tell us a bit about the work you’re doing today

Today I’m a Principal Architect at Microsoft Industry Solutions, which means I’m one of the most senior people working with key clients (usually Fortune 500 companies) in strategic discussions with executives and leading teams that work with them. Right now, that means a lot of deep conversations about AI (focused more on real solutions than hype), but over the past ten years I’ve held several roles at Microsoft, mainly related to telecommunications, large-scale analytics, and machine learning. I also advise startups and investment initiatives (and have participated in some investment boards), which I mainly do to maintain some connection to the Portuguese industry.

• What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make?

I think there were three: The first was back at Técnico when I decided not to specialize in AI (and chose OS and telecommunications instead) because, ironically, I didn’t see a future in it, and the Internet was slowly emerging around us. The second was not pursuing a Master’s/PhD/MBA in 1994, mostly because I needed to make a living (I did eventually complete a postgrad in management, but by then I was too far removed from academia to consider returning). And the third was "leaving" Portugal from a career standpoint. I was lucky enough to continue to live in Portugal (and worked at Portugal Telecom while Sapo was still "the Portuguese Google"), but the Portuguese corporate culture still lags far behind what I experience daily. As much as I’d like to be more directly involved in the national industry, that makes it difficult to consider doing so.

• What’s a typical day like for you now?

I wake up around 7 AM (or earlier), read the news, and spend most of my day on video calls with project teams and clients across time zones. I have a lot of schedule flexibility but also a lot of responsibility, so calls with Asia early in the morning or with the US at 11 PM aren’t unusual. This means my days can be quite long, but most of my meetings tend to be short and effective (usually about 30 minutes), and I usually have at least 2–3 hours of uninterrupted solo work per day (reviewing documents or code, designing solutions, prototyping, team management, etc.), which allows me to be very productive and still finish a “normal” workday earlier than most people in Portugal. That gives me time for one or two hours of personal projects, hobbies, and some outdoor exercise if the weather allows. More importantly, since I work fully remotely, I have a lot of control over my schedule and can prioritize personal life and work commitments as needed.

• What advice would you give to current students?

Self-motivation and teamwork are crucial to success both during and after college, and Técnico is the best (though sometimes challenging) place to practice those life skills under pressure. The people you attend classes with may very well be part of your life for decades, so it’s essential to find a balance between study, leisure, and personal growth with people who may become lifelong friends.

• What advice would you give to high school students considering STEM, particularly at Técnico?  

The same advice I give my kids (who will be entering college in a few years): you have to find a balance between what you love to do and what you’re good at, and Técnico will give you the opportunity to discover that. STEM is the foundation of virtually every major industry today, and there are literally hundreds of potential careers. Take time to choose the one that best suits your abilities while offering you the most exciting challenges, and everything will turn out fine.