Antonio Cruz - Telecommunications and Electronic Engineer

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• Antonio Cruz Telecommunications and electronics
  engineer

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Antonio Cruz

• Our freelancer of the week, Antonio Cruz lives
  and works according to his motto Dont say I
  cant do this, but how can I do this? Because
  he is from Cuba where for example broadband
  internet isnt available, Antonio is excellent at
  solving problems and handling difficult
  circumstances. For four years now he has
  successfully and with joy found efficient
  solutions for all kinds of complex problems and
  wishes that his clients had

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Antonio Cruz

• 1) First off, can you tell us a bit about
  yourself?
• Hello, my name is Antonio. I live in Cuba, a
  small island in the Caribbean. I am a
  Telecommunications and Electronics engineer and I
  work as a full-time freelancer since four years
  ago.

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Antonio Cruz

• 2) If you would search for your profile on
  Google, which are the keywords you would type in
  the search bar?
• I think the three words that define my work are
  efficiency, research and innovation. Where I
  live, having broadband internet isnt possible. I
  use an analogic-modem connection of 56 kbps and I
  shouldnt exceed 100 hours of Internet connection
  a month. So, finding good jobs is not quite
  simple given the communication barrier. However,
  such difficulties have prompted me to efficiently
  use the internet connection, to develop websites
  that are optimized in size and speed, and to
  study and implement simple and easy solutions to
  hard problems.

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Antonio Cruz

• 3) What was your inspiration and when did you
  actually decide to become a freelancer?
• I had two motivations firstly, economic, and
  secondly that I enjoy programming so much. As a
  freelancer I earn more money than in my previous
  work, so I can be a better provider for my
  family. Also I can do something I love to do, and
  even if it has been a challenge because of my
  working conditions, I have been working as a
  fulltime freelancer for four years now.

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Antonio Cruz

• 4) What kind of services have your clients asked
  you to provide?
• Whenever I see or receive a work offer, I have
  this slogan Dont say I cant do this, but
  how can I do this? I love to understand how
  things work so I havent been afraid to do
  complex web systems from scratch or using any new
  programming languages. I have developed (for some
  clients) my own frameworks, CMS and software. I
  implemented payment gateways that do not exist in
  my country. In other words, everything that a
  client requests or needs, I try to develop and
  deliver it to him/her.

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Antonio Cruz

• 5) Do you use other freelancers or companies to
  provide skills that you dont possess?
• When I dont have time to do a certain work or I
  do not know how to do it, I suggest other
  freelancers who can perform it for the client.
  Generally they are freelancers or enterprises I
  know from other projects.

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Antonio Cruz

• 6) Now tell us, how do you find new clients that
  are interested in your services?
• Sometimes getting a job is quite difficult due to
  the communications limitations and the payment
  ways. Almost all freelancers websites require a
  pre-payment to access or contact clients. But
  even if I have the money, I cant pay over
  Internet because it is not available in my
  country. However, there are a few free sites
  where I am able to contact some clients and send
  them my CV. Once I have a client I must do my
  best, deliver the work on time and with the
  expected quality, because this client may contact
  me for new jobs or refer other clients to me
  -which is a common way for me to find new
  clients. Also I have a website that too promotes
  my work and services. And it is also a place to
  contact me.

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Antonio Cruz

• 7) What about freelancermap.com? Can you tell us
  a little bit about your experience with our
  IT-network?
• I found out about freelancermap by accident when
  I was reading an article. I love the way I can
  access all its options and how the website
  manages the work offers. I would love a better
  support for the Spanish- language market. I hope
  I will get good offers here.

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Antonio Cruz

• 8) How do you set yourself apart from your
  competitors? What makes you special?
• Respect, innovation and commitment these three
  things have helped me a lot to get jobs. Also not
  being afraid of learning new things and never
  saying it cannot be done, but looking for a
  feasible solution instead. These things and the
  promotion from my own clients and their
  colleagues and friends have been very important
  to get new jobs.

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Antonio Cruz

• 9) What are the top three books, blogs or
  magazines you read to stay up to date in the
  IT-market?
• Every day I spend between an hour to an hour and
  half with reading general news and studying new
  technologies and ways to program. Some of the
  blogs and developing sites I follow are
• http//www.1stwebdesigner.com/
• http//www.forosdelweb.com/
• http//www.phpclasses.org/

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Antonio Cruz

• 10) Freestyle! Is there anything you would like
  to tell our readers?
• I think the best advice I can give (about work)
  is that you must do something you love to do. We
  spend almost a third of our lives at work, thats
  why our work should be something that helps
  others and makes us feel good at the same time.
  We shouldnt hinder ourselves. If there is
  anything we think that cant be done, the best is
  to study and try. Youll be surprised that most
  times youll be able to figure it out.

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