Craftzing people: Software engineer Rémi
Meet Rémi: passionate about technology, playing music and crossfit. What keeps him engaged, challenged and motivated as a software engineer at Craftzing?
You say you have a love for technology. Where did your passion for development come from?
During my studies Multimedia and Communication Technology at KDG, I initially chose the direction audio and video. Gradually, I started programming during my studies and I realised that this is really my thing. After an internship, I worked for 5 years as a back-end developer at Beatswitch. About 3 years ago I started at Pointbreak. One of the three companies that merged in 2020 to become Craftzing Group.
"I dare to describe myself as an ambitious person who wants to grow in his role and loves to learn new things. Application architecture and the high-level aspects of development were things that I wanted to immerse myself in."
In the meantime, besides being a back-end developer, you are also a devOps and software engineer. How has your role evolved?
It has grown quite organically since I started at Pointbreak. I dare to describe myself as an ambitious person who wants to grow in his role and loves to learn new things. Application architecture and the high-level aspects of development were things that I wanted to immerse myself in. At Pointbreak, they were looking for someone to take on that role and I did not hesitate. I simply continued with my job as a software engineer when we made the move to Craftzing.
"Our projects are often technically challenging. From drawing up the application infrastructure and architecture to the use of the appropriate databases and programming language, there are lots of complexities to cope with. This is exactly what motivates me the most."
What makes your job exciting?
The technical challenge of thinking about the infrastructure and architecture of the applications we build. That may involve decisions about the type of architecture you use to build an application: a micro service architecture with different components or rather a monolithic architecture where the entire application is built in one silo. And everything that comes with it: which databases are to be used, which programming language is appropriate, and so on. It is actually about all the technical choices that have to be made in advance. That is why I get involved in a project at a fairly early stage.
I enjoy the variety in my role as DevOps, focusing on setting up the cloud infrastructure and CI/CD, to make life easier for our developers.
Which recent project did you remember the most and why?
I recently started working on itsme® for which we launched their new website some months ago. Due to the compliancy, security and large user base of itsme®, I was able to challenge myself with some new technologies. Now, we are also working on the business portal, which will allow itsme® clients to implement itsme® as easy as Stripe or Algolia. No better product to build than a product you would use yourself.
How do you make the time and space to learn?
Our projects are quite complex so you learn a lot every time. If there are certain questions that need to be worked out, I am always one of the first to apply for it. We have also grown a lot in recent years and our back-end team has expanded quickly. That makes it only more important to streamline processes and infrastructure. It will be my challenge to further improve this and to provide the necessary technical support within Craftzing. In other words, making sure our developers have an ecosystem and tools with which they feel empowered. It is nice that I not only get the freedom to do this, but it is also an opportunity to learn and grow even more professionally.
"Thanks to the technical challenges, culture of freedom, trust and cooperation, there is a lot of room for professional growth. On top of that, we are also a very close-knit team, which makes me enjoy being here every day."
As a software engineer you are in demand. What makes that Craftzing remains your first choice?
There are two things I find very important. On the one hand, the technically challenging projects. On the other hand, the dynamics within the team. I do my job with a lot of passion. This means that I also spend a very large part of my time here. The culture of freedom, trust and cooperation, but also the close-knit team that we are, ensure that I enjoy being here every day.
"One of the perks I like at Craftzing, is the dog-friendly office policy. Osha loves being around people getting all the rubs and cuddles."
Where do you get your energy from outside of work?
I have always been fascinated and stimulated by music from an early age. I have been playing the cello since I was 6 years old and the bass since I was 12. Together with my brother and two comrades, I play in a band called Bad Fox. I am also fascinated by CrossFit, exercise and health in general. Soon the qualifications for a competition will start in Lanzarote. Another new challenge to look forward to! Last but not least, I live happily together with my fiancée Nele and our dog Osha. The latter is by the way a welcome guest at our office.
By Michele Stynen
Digital Marketeer