First Month as a Practitioner: Building, Learning, and Belonging

The last few weeks have been incredibly busy, in the best possible way; they also mark the end of my first month as a practitioner, and it’s surprising how much has happened in such a short time.

What once felt new and uncertain is now starting to feel familiar. The routines, the workflow, the conversations during stand-ups, planning sessions, and reviews, all of it slowly becomes part of the daily rhythm and that sense of flow makes a big difference, because it allows you to focus less on figuring out how things work and more on contributing to the work itself.

During these weeks we completed our first sprint of the project and presented the results to the client in a demo, were we showed the new features, explained how things has evolved, and then heard their reactions; this was a very special moment, the feedback was extremely positive, and it was clear they were genuinely happy with the progress and the work we’ve been doing. Moments like that make everything feel real, the planning, the development, the late thoughts about how to improve something, all of it suddenly connects when you see the client recognizing the value of what the team has built.

Something else interesting happened during this time. As we were working on the project, my teammate and I had been using AI in a very particular way to help structure ideas, define features, and guide parts of the development process; at first, it simply felt like a practical workflow that made sense to us, but days later we discovered that the approach actually has a name: Spec Driven Development.

It was fascinating to realize that something we had been experimenting with intuitively is part of a broader methodology. That discovery opened a lot of curiosity and discussions inside the entire team about how this way of working could improve clarity in development and communication between ideas, specifications, and implementation.

Then something unexpected happened.

During the fourth week of the practice, one of the managers asked me if I could present this approach during a company Town Hall. Standing in front of the whole company and talking about something you’ve been exploring is definitely not something you expect during your first month, but I accepted the challenge.

The presentation went surprisingly well, people understood the concept, asked questions, and shared feedback; even a client from the United States who was on-site working on another project joined the conversation afterward and asked questions about how the approach could apply to their own work. That moment, even if I was a bit nervous, felt amazing.

I know I’m far from being an expert or a “guru”, not even close, but I also know that I’ve been curious about these topics for a long time, by investigating them, experimenting with them, and now applying them in a real professional environment. Being recognized for that curiosity and effort felt incredibly rewarding.

Outside of the technical side, these weeks have also been filled with moments that remind me how important the human side of work really is.

We had a friendly soccer game with coworkers. My physical condition was… let’s say not at its peak, but the important part was the laughter, the friendly competition, and the chance to spend time together outside the office. It made the relationships feel more natural, more relaxed; like the people you work with are also people you genuinely enjoy being around.

There was also a small moment that stayed with me. Some days wasn’t feeling very well, some stomach discomfort that made the day a bit harder., but some coworkers noticed and asked if I was okay; It might seem like a small detail, but it says a lot about the environment, were that simple concern showed a level of care that goes beyond professional courtesy.

And those kinds of moments appear often.

The lunches that become storytelling sessions. The jokes that appear between tasks. The ping pong matches during lunch breaks — sometimes intense, sometimes chaotic, always fun. Other small games and spontaneous conversations where everyone is included.

At times it feels less like a workplace and more like a group of friends who also happen to build software together.

Right now, we are already working on the second sprint of the project. Compared to the first weeks, I feel much more confident about what lies ahead; the tools, the workflow, the collaboration with the team, and the communication with the client are starting to feel natural.

More importantly, I feel motivated.

Motivated to keep learning. Motivated to keep experimenting with new ideas. Motivated to contribute in meaningful ways.

Pernix family has honestly felt like a hug to the soul; it’s a place where I feel valued and where I can clearly see the impact of the work we do, from planning what needs to be built, to hearing the client’s reaction when they see their ideas coming to life, sometimes even better than they imagined.

As this first month as a practitioner closes, I feel grateful, energized, and excited about what comes next. I want to continue absorbing as much knowledge as possible and sharing what I learn with the people around me. Because when learning becomes something shared, projects grow stronger and so do the people building them.

The journey ahead is going to be a very meaningful one.