I’m Jimmi Andre Vila Ccopa, a Senior Full Stack Developer from San José, Costa Rica, with over a decade of experience building web, mobile, and backend systems. My journey in software started early and has always been guided by a set of principles: curiosity, consistency, adaptability, and sharing knowledge. I believe that true mastery comes not only from writing code but also from teaching, mentoring, and collaborating with others.

Early Education and Principles

My academic foundation began at the University of Costa Rica (UCR), where I completed Cisco IT Essentials and the full CCNA (4 modules) certification. Later, at Cenfotec University, I pursued a BSc in Software Engineering, where I also worked as a teaching assistant for programming and database courses.

Every year, Cenfotec organized Expocenfo, a fair where top students showcased their best projects to inspire new generations. I was consistently selected to present my work, which reinforced my passion for creating and sharing.

By my second year of university, I was already working at an advertising company that operated like an incubator. There, I had to build projects from scratch, quickly learning Laravel, Express.js, and 3D libraries to deliver interactive solutions. That early experience shaped my approach to problem-solving: start from zero, adapt fast, and innovate.

Creative Projects During University

Some highlights from those formative years include:

• Vamos a Turistear (Costa Rica): Developed interactive 3D guided tours using web technologies.
• Estimote Beacons App (Treasure Hunt): Built mobile apps for gamified campaigns, leveraging beacon technology for real-world treasure hunts.
• Collaborative Playlist System (Spotify & Last.fm APIs): Long before Spotify had collaborative features, I developed a web app for events where users could log in with Spotify, add songs to a playlist, and vote on the next track in real-time.
• React Native Messenger App: A chat application using the device camera to capture live reactions to messages.
• Xamarin GPS Dating App: Built a real-time location-based dating app for Android and iOS, written in C# with Xamarin.
• Landing Pages & Campaigns: Delivered multiple landing pages and campaigns as part of advertising projects.

These projects not only expanded my technical skills but also taught me the importance of user experience, creativity, and practical innovation.

Professional Experience

• Publimark MullenLowe (2016–2019): Expanded my expertise in full-stack CMS and mobile apps. I delivered projects with Laravel, Slim, React Native, Xamarin, and integrated APIs such as Spotify and Last.fm.

• TurnTo Networks (2019–Present): At TurnTo (now Emplifi), I’ve worked with top global brands like Nike and Forever21 on enterprise-scale review systems.

  • Backend: Designed and maintained microservices with Spring Boot.
  • Frontend: Modernized the user interface with React.js, building dynamic dashboards for analytics and refreshing legacy UIs.
  • Mentorship: Actively mentored teammates, participated in hackathons, and gained strong experience in microservices, Python, Ruby on Rails, and Backbone legacy systems.
  • Collaboration: Learned the power of agile teamwork in international cross-functional teams.

Personal Projects & Leadership

• Cambio CR (Android App): Created and published an app on Google Play to check real-time exchange rates from Costa Rican banks. This project was born during my university years and remains active as a personal contribution to the community.

• VilaWare: A project I founded and lead with the goal of mentoring new developers through real-world projects. VilaWare focuses on building quality web applications using modern technologies such as React, Astro, Next.js, TypeScript, and Java with Spring Boot, while reinforcing the fundamentals of programming.

  • At VilaWare, we enforce strict code review practices: every pull request must be fully understood by the contributor, down to each line of code.
  • We also explore emerging technologies such as AI tools and NFC integrations. The backend, powered by Spring Boot, manages users and NFC-based features, serving as a playground for experimentation and growth.

Beyond Programming

Besides coding, I’m deeply passionate about multimedia, design, and creativity.

• Video editing: Skilled with some skills using Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, often creating personal edits for tutorials, and travels for social media.
• Stickers & Graphic Design: I enjoy designing stickers and playful visuals that combine my technical and creative sides, that expanded my knowledge in files like svg, png, webp and the impact on performance on software development.
• 3D Printing & Modeling: I Like to design and print 3D models.
• UX Design: Great skills for user experience (UX) and digital product design.
• 360° Content & Drones: I love using my 360° camera to capture immersive perspectives. I also fly and experiment with drones: cinelike and FPV, combining technology with creativity.
• Music & Mixing: Music is another passion of mine — I occasionally mix tracks for fun like a DJ, blending rhythm and tech.

All these creative pursuits enrich my development career, giving me a unique balance between engineering precision and artistic exploration.

Personal Philosophy

• Teaching is learning: I often teach friends and peers programming concepts, because I firmly believe that explaining knowledge is the best way to reinforce it.
• Never stop adapting: From advertising incubator projects to enterprise-level systems, adaptability has been at the core of my career.
• Quality matters: Whether writing backend services or mentoring juniors, I hold code quality and maintainability as non-negotiable standards.
• Stay updated: I actively learn about AI-driven development, ensuring my projects benefit from cutting-edge tools while maintaining solid engineering principles.

Why Work With Me?

• Creative yet pragmatic: I deliver innovative features while maintaining reliability.
• Adaptable and curious: Quick to learn new tools, frameworks, and concepts.
• Collaboration-driven: I thrive in agile teams and believe in mentoring others to grow together.
• Principled engineering: Strong foundation in software design patterns, OOP, and scalable architecture.

📌 GitHub
📌 Cambio CR on Play Store