home articles sponsorship newsletter

Want to work with me?

👋 Hey, future coworker! Thank you for checking in, and welcome to my corner of the internet. Your being here probably means you’re interested in working with me. Let me tell you what to expect.

Who am I?

I’m a Ruby on Rails programmer, a writer, and a former stained-glass master (yup).

I’ve worked in tech for ten years, and I’ve been a professional developer for the past five years, mainly focusing on back-end programming. Before being a programmer, I worked in product and marketing for startups, and held a lot of positions, both in and outside of tech for 15 years. It’s quite the story!

My go-to languages are Ruby and Ruby on Rails (each with their respective toolbox). Mostly, I use boring technologies - Postgres, Redis, Sidekiq, vanilla Javascript, RSpec, Git, etc.

I’m currently learning the fundamentals of Rust, and leveling up in SQL and Javascript.

I like majestic monoliths. I think they work very well for 99% of companies. But when needed, I’ve shipped micro-services in production as well.

Despite focusing on back-end programming, I also dabbled on some front-end (vanilla JS, Reactjs and Vuejs).

My daily contributions as a mid-level software engineer

As I’ve moved up the Individual Contributor path, my daily contributions now revolve around:

To give you a concrete idea of what I can do, here are a couple of projects I’ve worked on over the past few years.

Real-time Developer Notifications (RTDN)

I collaborated on the implemention of the mechanism handling server-to-server notifications from Google Playstore for subscription renewals based on specifications written with a senior developer. This new mechanism eventually replaced a monthly manual verification of our Playstore subscriptions, which was prone to errors and missed revenue.

Data synchronization across micro-services

I designed, specified and implemented data synchronization between a legacy JAVA application and an upcoming new version using Kafka events. This micro-service allows the end-users to enjoy a seamless experience and data integrity, while the engineering team focus on building their latest application.

LLM-based feedback generation

I designed and implemented an LLM-based feedback generator that allows teachers to correct examination papers 50% faster. With one click, the feedback generator can infer the language of the exam and the domain of expertise of the question, then suggest a preliminary feedback toned to the teacher. I built this feature with robustness and sales upsell in mind.

Minimal feature flag manager

I designed and implemented a feature flag manager to enhance release phase for large features. You can read about the process here: Build a minimal feature flags manager in under an hour.

Work history

Currently working at Evalmee, a SaaS helping schools set up and grade their examinations.

Previously at Youboox (acquired by Nextory), Hosman, and Le Wagon. Before that, I worked as a marketing manager for a tech startup for four years. For more details, see my CV.

Writing about what I learn

I also run this website where I share what I learned while building software. It’s my way of giving back to the dev community. My posts are often featured in Ruby Weekly, HN, etc… As of 2022, more than 18,700 unique visitors visited this website. Some articles even got me invited on podcasts.

My top 3 articles are:

As of early 2024, the best ways to get my posts are through RSS and my (newsletter!).

What am I looking for?

In terms of technical challenges:

In terms of working environment:

You can check my user manual.

How do I like to interview companies?

For me, interviews are a two-way street. You get to know me. I get to know you.

I’ve realized, over the past 20 years, that the recruiting process is a good preview of what I can expect as a collaborator. It shows the quality of your processes, your priorities, how you handle requests, etc…

FAQ

Q: In-office or remotely?

I’ve been working remotely for the past four years and I intend to keep it that way for the foreseeable future.

Remote working has allowed me to do my best work, focus on better communication, and create (much) more value.

Q: Would you relocate to __?

No, I love living near the mountains so very much. I’ll only consider fully remote positions.

Q: Are you willing to come to the office from time to time?

For the past three years, I’ve come to the office once a year. But I’m open to come as much as a few days once a month.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Every time I tried to answer this question, I ended up somewhere unexpected. After all, I’m a former stained-glass master turned developer.

Right now, I enjoy broadening my technical expertise, and moving up the IC track.

Q: Tea or coffee?

Coffee, please! I’d say a lightly roasted coffee with notes of acidity and floral scents. I usually purchase my coffee from my local roastery, in Crest, France.

Sounds good?

Then let’s chat!