Why did you move into a DevOps role?
I started as a software engineer, but with only software I could never deliver the full product. I always needed an operations engineer to finish the project. After enough years of pure programming, I wanted to build the whole thing: not just a part of it.
So I learned the operations side. Now as a DevOps engineer I can build a project from development through to operations. Both Dev and Ops, end to end.
What does your team look like day to day?
On my current project the team is three DevOps engineers, each from a different background: one from testing, one from operations, and me from software. That mix means we cover the full path from start to finish, and we learn a lot from each other along the way.
What stands out about working at The Factory?
I came to The Factory wanting variety in projects. From the start, Mike and Joep listened. When someone has been at a customer for a while and is ready to learn something new, they actively look for the next match: either inside the same engagement or somewhere else.
The point is to find an engagement that fits what you can do and where you want to grow.
My first project was a customer who had built their own on-premise IT landscape and wanted to migrate to the cloud. My job was to map out their software and infrastructure as the basis for that migration. It was a good fit because it needed both software and infrastructure knowledge: the kind of work that lands with a DevOps engineer.
What do you do outside work?
I like being outside. This year, like last year, I went back to Corsica. Inspired by the documentary series ‘Dwars door de Middellandse zee’ and pushed by two friends, we hiked the GR20: one of the most demanding long-distance trails in Europe. We did it in 12 days instead of the usual 16. The weather was less stable than expected: thunderstorms most afternoons in week one, with the pressure of getting over a pass before the rain hit, and 30-35°C in week two. The terrain shifts day by day, slowly becoming less alpine. Not for everyone, but a real experience.
Beyond the long hikes, anything else?
Most days I’m doing something physical: cycling and hiking when the weather is good, bouldering when it isn’t.
I’m not the only one at The Factory who is up for activities. I’ve been bouldering with colleagues, and last year the whole team went on a winter sports trip to Austria. Different story, different time.
I also like to build things. I’ve put up a few prefab wooden cabins, so it’s not all sports.