Marco Schwartz 2018-01-31T13:45:15+00:00

Author Stories

Growing the Internet of Things

An electrical engineer, entrepreneur, and blogger, Marco is one of Packt’s youngest and most prolific writers. He is the author of Internet of Things with the Arduino Yun and a dozen Arduino home automation and smart home books.

Mapt: How did you become a developer?

Marco: I don’t really see myself as a developer, but more of an electronics and computer hobbyist who likes to share with the world what I am doing.

Mapt: How did you come to write a book?

M: I had already written and self-published several books on the Amazon Kindle platform when a Packt editor approached me about writing a book. I happily accepted the challenge and has been writing books with Packt ever since.

Mapt: What has been your best feedback?

M: I was honoured when a university professor told me that they were using my book as a textbook for their class and frequently recommended my books to other students as well.

Mapt: What are you thoughts on the most exciting trends on the horizon?

M: I think the Internet of Things is definitely the most exciting trend at the moment. It will change everything in our everyday lives, and this is something that was not as developed as it is now when I started writing my first book.

Mapt: Tell us about your ‘alternative’ career path

M: The craziest thing I’ve done in my career was actually not taking a job when I finished university, and instead going straight to starting my own company and writing books. In that sense, I definitely have my dream ‘job’ today, as I am my own boss.

Mapt: Where do you find inspiration?

M: A book that definitely inspired me was The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss, which really pushed me to start my own path and not get a job after the end of my studies.

M: I am currently reading The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey, which is a book the author wrote after a year long of experiments with being more productive.

Mapt: What advice would you give a young developer today?

M: I would say to a new developer that writing a book and getting known for what you do is not that hard, you just need to get started and write about what you are passionate about.

Mapt: What are you most intrigued by these days?

M: For me, the next step in the future is definitely to explore more trends like the IoT and AI.

You can learn more about Marco’s electronics/DIY projects work visit openhomeautomation.net or learn about his entrepreneurship work at marcoschwartz.com.

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