Finding and hiring great tech talent isn’t just a problem in Silicon Valley. It’s an issue wherever your company is located – and it’s one companies here in Waterloo Region struggle with every day.
Sometimes you have to go looking for talent outside your postal code – Toronto, Hamilton- even Ottawa. There are times when you have to search a little farther – and it was one of these searches that lead us to Indaiatuba, Brazil and our newest BitBaker – Edson Mesquita.
Earlier this year, we participated in a recruiting event run by Vancouver-based VanHack called VanHack Leap. Hosted at the Communitech Hub, VanHack Leap brought 15 developers from around the world to meet Waterloo Region tech companies. It was a great way to meet developers who we would never normally get a chance to meet. Once a connection is made, VanHack works to arrange for the necessary visas and helps with moving arrangements.
Edson, his wife, and his cat landed in Canada in late September and they’re getting settled in to life in Kitchener. Edson is from Indaiatuba which is located outside São Paulo. If you’re like me, you’re asking why someone would move from warm Brazil to soon to be winter Canada. “Well, Canada is a first world country, it’s polite and chill and I feel I am the same way,” said Edson.
Edson also was looking to work with a smaller company that worked on big projects – and that’s just what BitBakery is. “I prefer smaller companies where you can get to know everyone you work with,” added Edson.
It wasn’t just our team size either – it was our taste in burgers, specifically Union Burger in Downtown Kitchener. “It felt like destiny,” said Edson, “it was one of the first places I ate at here in Kitchener and then I find out that the team orders from there weekly.”
Moving to a new city can be difficult – moving to a new country is an entire order of magnitude harder – but Edson has a plan on how to meet people. “I love board games, they are great ways to meet people.” He’s picked a good place too – with our local board game cafes like Games on Tap, The Adventurers Guild, and The Round Table.
While education and healthcare are important for Edson and his wife, the quality of living and proximity to Toronto were also factors in deciding on Kitchener. “Indaiatuba is the same distance to São Paulo as Kitchener is to Toronto,” added Edson, “I’d rather live in a small, tight community that’s close to big events and sports.”
As for why Canada over other international destinations, “…you go to other places to be rich, you go to Canada to be happy.”
Welcome to Canada (and to BitBakery) Edson!
