Introduction

Hello Steemit!

I am Michele Rullo, a 27 years old Computer Engineer based in Rome. If I would have to describe my attitude in a single word, I would definitively use creativity.
Indeed, my main passions are computer science, music and game development. Three fields linked by a common denominator: creativity.

I landed on Steemit for a main purpose: contribute to its value. I aim to do it leveraging my technological skills and knowledge. Keep reading to discover what I have in mind 😉
I would love to personally thank @myours, @lino and @claudiop63 for having invited me in this amazing community.

Perhaps this is the very first time I write about me and about my life, so… I’ll try my best 😊

Chapter I – from shadow to light

I have always been a quite introvert child. My friends always describe me as a “calm, quiet and private kid”. I used to spend a lot of time playing computer games and, as far as I remember, I did not like that much hanging out or be open to new people.

Everything changed when I was 14, thanks to a commercial on the TV. Yeah, you've read it well!
Basically, there was this guy walking by some paintings, with this song as background:

I remember that I liked that song so much that in that precise moment I decided that I had to learn guitar.
I have been fortunate, because my father had an old acoustic Yamaha that he used to play sometimes, so I started learning it. I remember that I was so much into it, that I managed to learn Dueling Banjos quite fast!

[Source: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ultima/ultimaonline-4]

When I was in high school, I assembled my first rock band, and I finally felt that something was changing. I felt more self-confident, and that helped me out to be less introvert and friendlier towards other people.
I never had so many problems with schools, everything was quite smooth. I kept playing computer games (Ultima online... so many memories...) in my spare time, and I also started to be passionate about game development. Anyway, technology was not my main interest yet 😊

My life as a guitarist had a turned point when I met these guys:

Rockshire was (and these guys still are!) a big piece of my heart, and I still thank this band for all the concerts we made together.

At the end of my high school I was so focused on music that I was quite convinced to do it full time, so I started study classical music in order to complete my musical education.

After some time, I understood that I wasn’t satisfied anymore. The perspective of a full-time musician didn’t totally convince me. I basically understood that music was a beautiful hobby, rather than a career opportunity (I have always been a vintage guy speaking about music, I love Dire Straits, Pink Floyd and so on, so I guess there wouldn’t be that much space for me right now!).

In that period, I started playing around with coding fundamentals (mainly C++ and Pascal) and something in my mind began to change. I started being more and more passionate about programming and software, until I completely changed my mindset.

In the last high school year, I was sure: I wanted to become a computer engineer.

Chapter II – from light to shadow

I enrolled in the University “La Sapienza” in Rome, and everything went great. I realized that my scientific high school background was very helpful, while the passion for programming gave me the right attitude to face all the difficulties.
Everything went great, I met @lino, my actual main partner in business. We developed the same mindset, and while studying we developed a solid friendship.

Unfortunately, my girlfriend at that time decided to break up with me. The blow was so hard, that I did not manage to recover easily. It was at that time that I decided to quit my band.
However, I managed to go on and taking exams. Passion for game development was at the top at that moment, so that I decided to go abroad for my MSc, in order to follow my passion.

I made some games that I eventually published on my itch.io page (go play them after you’ve read all of my post! :D).

It was at that time that Giada entered in my life, and slowly everything turned better for me.

Chapter III – from shadow to light.. again!

It has not been easy at the beginning, but our relationship finally took off. I understood how much she was important to me, and how much positivity she gave to my life. The most important link between us has always been Music. She is an excellent singer, and we started immediately making music together.

Here there are some recordings we made:

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Unfortunately, I had to take the plane for Netherlands, in order to start my MSc in Game and Media Technology. Me and Giada spent one year apart, passing many evenings together on Skype. That was another proof of how strong our relationship was, as distance has strengthened our love.

After some time, I realized that what I was studying didn’t satisfy me. I didn’t like the way the courses were taught, so I had to make a strong choice.
I decided to get back to Italy and enroll in Computer Engineering in Rome. It wasn’t so easy at the beginning, but thanks to the support of my family and my girlfriend I set myself on the track again 😊
The MSc has been incredibly helpful and interesting for me, as I deepened into advanced topics that have proven to be very handy for my actual job.

Before getting the degree, @lino asked me to join the company he was working for, Promoinside, where I met @ivand83. Promoinside was my first “real” job, I tackled a lot of challenges and I acquired a lot of experience. In the meantime, I developed my thesis in Security (you can find it on my website www.michelerullo.com if you’re interested) and I got graduated.

Some months later, me and @lino decided to start our business together with Luca (@ilbarone623), thanks to the fundamental support of Promoinside. That’s how our company, Hubern, was founded. In Hubern we manage and develop computer-science related projects.

Recently we are acquiring some specific knowledge in Blockchain technology, and we are currently working on a very big project that I cannot disclose now 😊

Final Chapter – and they lived happily ever after… in Steemit land!

My story ends here, but I’ll keep telling it on Steemit. I am willing to help this big community and contribute to its growth, and as a matter of fact, me and @lino are about to undisclose Gaamit, an ambitious project based on Steemit 😉

Now it’s your turn, help me having a nice start on Steemit and follow me! :D

Have a great Steemit-day!