Luis Enrique Coll
Luis Enrique Coll is a freelance system analyst and software engineer based in Seattle, Washington. His 15 years of experience in the field enable him to build robust software applications for his clients. His clients are from such diverse sectors of the economy as healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and technology. He develops proprietary software for each company, balancing their needs with the possibilities of technology.
Coll is the most experienced at front-end development, but he can work in the back end as well. His skills are not limited to coding and planning new software. He is also an expert web developer and well versed in leveraging a company’s social media strategy. While building each company’s online strategy, he helps the company grow and develop over time. Social media boosts the organic reach of each company. He has also been involved in developing online branding strategies for his clients, including several Fortune 500 companies.
Luis Enrique Coll believes in the imagination and innovation of young people in the tech workforce. In his free time, he is involved in teaching teens and young adults how to code. The technology workforce is poised to grow over the next ten years, and Coll believes that young people will bring vital energy and innovation into the world of tech.
In his spare time, Coll is an avid world traveler, a runner, and a mountain climber. He is also interested in art and literature.
What are some things that you love?
I love stepping off a plane or train in a new country. I love South American food, especially Argentinian food. There’s nothing like a good steak, and in Argentina, they have the best. I love to be up in the mountains away from the crowds and watching the sunrise. I also like to run. It keeps me in shape for my adventure travel and clears my mind every day.
What is your favorite TV show?
My favorite TV show is Black Mirror. It’s an anthology show with many different stories and characters, so you can drop in and out at any time without missing anything. The show serves as a cautionary tale for those of us who are heavily involved in technology. It can be scary and has many controversial topics. I would recommend it for science fiction fans and those who love well-written British television.
What do you wish you knew before starting a business?
Freelancing is much harder than it looks. When you start out, you might have the romantic idea of being your boss, but when you become more acquainted with the job, you realize why so many people prefer to work for a company. I wish I had known that I needed to keep every single receipt from my business. I work at home, and dividing my purchases between home and business didn’t seem important when I started out. Then I realized I needed those self-employment tax breaks. I had to wait a whole year before I could take advantage of them.
If you’re going into business for yourself, be very organized and get someone to help you with your money. I hired a CPA last year, and I’ve never felt better about my business. With someone else keeping an eye on my finances, I can focus on my work.
What is your favorite thing about working in your industry?
I love to solve problems. My clients tell me what they need or what isn’t working for them, and I put my heart and soul into making their business work. I’ve always loved puzzles, and software development presents many of them. My favorite thing about web developing is knowing that the general public can see my work and that it will help my clients’ business grow. Most of my work is done directly for a client and isn’t available otherwise, so it’s nice to be able to see the results of my work out in the world.
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
I hate to complain about my clients, but my biggest pet peeve is when I’m not given enough information to complete a request. Going back and forth about a problem is the most frustrating part of my job. In an ideal world, clients wouldn’t hire me unless they knew what they wanted, but we don’t live in an ideal world. I don’t mind helping them through the design process, that’s my job. It frustrates me when I have to keep making changes to my work because the parameters keep changing. This doesn’t happen to me often at this point in my career, but it is something that I hate.
