Right away, I noticed the freedom you get. You can program in your own way. In many companies, software has to go to production quickly, with compromises along the way. That comes at the expense of quality. For me, everything has to be right, down to the details. It's like when I was renovating my house—I did it myself, better than anyone else would, because it was for me. I strive for that same level of quality in my development work. In the long run, that always pays off.

I'm currently working on the Buddy project, the payroll software we’re building for SD Worx. My team focuses specifically on the core HR component. Buddy is a huge project that involves about forty developers, but we’re divided into smaller teams. Ours has four people. We divide the work spontaneously, based on our preferences and strengths. It works really well.

I also program in my free time, although a bit less these days because of renovations and the baby. As a student, I built a J2ME app to view timetables—even teachers used it. Later, I ported it to the .NET Compact Framework for Windows devices. I also created an open-source add-on for KODI, the system that turns a TV into a smart TV. Colleagues later discovered they were already using it: “Oh, is that yours?” That makes me happy.

Recently, I built an app to learn Spanish. My girlfriend is from Venezuela, so this way I can talk to her family. Maybe I’ll publish the app someday, but for now, I just use it myself.

I always try to create something that is well put together. Because it’s frustrating when software doesn’t work. As a developer, you have the responsibility to prevent that frustration. You do this by being thorough and testing every scenario. You have to combine technical insight with empathy, and understand how people use software.”

Martijn has been working as a developer at Teal Partners for a year and a half. Interested in joining us too? Check out our job vacancies.