My Professional Evolution: From Traditional Technical Leadership to AI Agent Orchestrator
Transforming three decades of hands-on development experience into a new paradigm where human expertise meets artificial intelligence, orchestrating AI agents to expand capabilities and redefine the art of software creation.
In the vast world of software development, my professional journey clearly reflects the evolution of the technology industry. I'm José Luis Alfaro, affectionately known as "el Colo" among my colleagues and friends. With more than three decades of experience, I've been both witness to and protagonist of countless transformations in the technological landscape. However, my most recent professional metamorphosis marks a significant milestone both in my career and in how we understand technical leadership in the age of artificial intelligence.A Solid Foundation: My 30+ Years of Diverse Experience
My career began in 1991 as a junior developer at the Municipality of Gualeguaychú, where I laid the foundation of my knowledge working with technologies such as RM Cobol, VBasic, Clipper, and Delphi. This formative first stage allowed me to understand the fundamentals of programming and application development for government environments.
Over the years, my entrepreneurial vision led me to found Galbop, a company dedicated to technological solutions for the healthcare sector, where my innovative online pharmacy prescription authorization system earned me recognition as "Young Entrepreneur" by BBVA Banco Francés in 2001.
My versatility and adaptability subsequently allowed me to take on leadership roles in major projects:
- As IT Director of Gualeguaychú Municipality (2015-2019), I led the local government's digital transformation.
- Surprisingly, during the pandemic, I took on a role outside my technical training as President of the Gualeguaychú Tourism Mixed Council (2019-2021).
- My time at companies like Fulljaus (2021-2022) and Smartway (2022-2023) consolidated my profile as a Tech Lead and CTO.
Throughout this time, I maintained my family business Ceiboo, offering development services to clients in Spain and Argentina, with notable projects such as SIPEMU, Ceiboo News, GualeActiva, and Phood.me.
The AI Revolution: A New Chapter in My Career
In late 2023 and early 2024, the technology industry experienced an unprecedented revolution with the rise of generative artificial intelligence. For many professionals, this change represented a challenge; for me, it was an opportunity for reinvention.
While traditionally my role as a technical leader focused on training and coordinating teams of young developers, the arrival of powerful AI models led me to explore a new paradigm: working with artificial intelligence agents as development assistants.
This transition wasn't simply an adaptation to new tools, but a complete reformulation of my approach to software development. I went from being a leader of human teams to becoming an "orchestrator" of AI assistants, leveraging their capabilities to enhance my work across multiple technologies.
Expanding My Technological Horizons with AI Assistants
Incorporating AI agents into my workflow has allowed me to expand my technological repertoire. Although I already had experience with PHP, Node.js, Express, Nest.js, React, and Angular, now my AI assistants facilitate my development in:
- Flutter: creating cross-platform mobile applications with modern interfaces and native performance
- Python: exploring new possibilities in data analysis, machine learning, and backend development
This expansion of my technology stack not only increases my versatility as a developer but also revolutionizes my work methodology. AI agents allow me to:
- Accelerate the development process: automating repetitive tasks and generating boilerplate code
- Improve code quality: implementing design patterns and best practices consistently
- Facilitate documentation: generating clear and complete documentation for each component
- Optimize debugging processes: identifying potential errors and suggesting solutions
The Balance Between My Human Experience and Artificial Intelligence
What distinguishes my approach in this new stage isn't simply the use of AI tools, but how I integrate my vast human experience with the capabilities of these assistants. My deep knowledge of software architecture, design patterns, and Domain-Driven Design (DDD) allows me to direct my AI agents with precision, ensuring that the generated code not only works but is also maintainable, scalable, and aligned with the highest quality standards.
As I've always stated, my "passion for software architectures and design patterns, for clean and readable code" now finds in AI a powerful ally to materialize these principles in every project I undertake.
Looking to the Future: My New Role as a Technical Leader
My transition reflects a broader change in the software industry: the emergence of a new type of technical leader who not only coordinates human teams but also effectively integrates AI assistants into the development process.
This hybrid approach likely represents the future of leadership in technology, where a professional's value lies not solely in their ability to write code or manage teams, but in their ability to:
- Deeply understand business problems and translate them into technical solutions
- Strategically leverage AI capabilities to maximize efficiency
- Maintain a coherent architectural vision across multiple technologies
- Continue learning and adapting in a constantly evolving technological environment
Conclusion: My Career in Continuous Evolution
My journey from my beginnings with RM Cobol to my current integration of AI agents in modern application development embodies the very essence of a successful technology career: the ability to constantly reinvent oneself.
At 53 years old, with more than 30 years of experience, I continue to demonstrate that passion for software development knows no limits of age or technology. My story is a reminder that in the fast-paced world of technology, adaptability is perhaps the most valuable skill, and that even the most experienced professionals can—and should—embrace new technological revolutions as opportunities to grow and evolve.
As I expressed when talking about my experience as IT Director, my goal has always been to "transform all our knowledge into innovative, participatory, and collaborative technology with agility." Today, that same philosophy guides me in my adventure with artificial intelligence, expanding the horizons of what's possible in software development and redefining my professional legacy for future generations.
