Wanna 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 been a professional developer for the past four and a half years, mainly focusing on back-end programming. Before being a software engineer, I held an awful lot of positions, both in tech and non-tech fields for almost 15 years. It’s quite the story! If you’re interested, I’ve wrote about how I transitioned from being a stained-glass maker to a being a software programmer.

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 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 (relying on Kafka).

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

• designing and implementing features,
• writing specifications,
• code architecture,
• shipping APIs used by millions of users,
• increasing code coverage,
• interacting with databases,
• troubleshooting,
• mentoring junior developers,
• documenting practices and processes,
• and so much more.

Despite focusing on back-end programming, I also studied and worked on some front-end for a few years. I know my way around HTML, CSS and Javascript. I’ve also dabbled in Javascript frameworks - Vue, React and their Rails’ alternative, Hotwire.

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:

• Exploring dependency injection in Ruby (4.4k views)
• Build a minimal feature flags manager in under an hour (3.7k views)
• Introduction to Git Bisect: travel through time and bugs (2.9k views)

Work history (as a software engineer)

Previously at Youboox (acquired by Nextory), Hosman, and Le Wagon. For more details, see my CV.

What am I looking for?

In terms of technical challenges:

• Mid-level back-end challenges: features’ architecture, specifications, improving performances, etc.
• Shaping features based on users’ needs and companies’ goals.
• Improve tooling and engineering standards.

In terms of the working environment:

• Calm companies: Clear processes over chaos, emails over meetings, product clarity over investor-pleasing roadmaps, deep focus over long hours.
• Warm, kind, supportive colleagues in a high-trust environment.
• Working within a diverse team with various backgrounds and expertise.
• Fully remote.
• 4-day work week.

How do I like to interview companies?

• My favorite technical tests are remote live codings where we hash out a real-life challenge: Build a tested API or add a feature to an existing codebase with preliminary refactoring.
• I like meeting with several people from my future team and other teams.
• I ask questions about your investors, your financial strength, or how you resolved conflicts.
• I usually back-channel my way into your employees’ DMs to get a less “corporate-y” sense of your company.
• A reject fast, reject early mentalilty.

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 been a godsend for me. You often won’t find me in my chair at 11 am because I’m walking around the house or outside. Why would I get out in the middle of the morning? Well, there are plenty of reasons: to get a renewed perspective on a technical challenge, to take the kids to the doctor, or to run an errand.

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. And to be honest, I think it’s more than enough. I’ve learned more about my colleagues remotely than in person. This is where building a solid remote culture is key.

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. It speaks for itself, right?

Right now, I enjoy moving up the IC track. (By the way, do you have an IC track at your company?)

Q: Tea or coffee?

Of late, I’ve fallen into the tech-bro coffee-nerd cliché. So, I’d say a lightly roasted coffee with notes of acidity and floral scents. In a thin-brimmed cup, please. I won’t say no to a cup of Genmaicha, though.

Sounds good?

Then let’s chat!