My name is Johannes and I am a software developer from Bottrop. I’m glad to have you here on my site, and a hearty “Glück auf!” to you.
How did I get into software development?
I was interested in computers all through my childhood. I played a lot, but I also had a go — once or twice — at building a website where my friends and I could show off our gaming clan. When it came to choosing a career I wanted to do the thing that had always been fun, and tie my biggest hobby (computers) to it. So I started an apprenticeship as an IT specialist.
Systems integration was the plan at first, but the appeal wore off after a while. So, on the advice of a fellow apprentice, I went to my trainer and asked whether I could switch over to development after all — which he answered with a quick “yes”.
Luckily I had already been through a few departments during the apprenticeship, and I had a lot of contact with Dennis Vollmer, who headed app development at G DATA at the time. Dennis brought me onto his team, where I then had a year and a half to learn how to become a real developer.
Thanks to all the support from Dennis and my colleagues on the Android team I was able, fortunately, to take a great deal away and to learn fast, and so to finish my apprenticeship successfully and feeling good about it — something I am still grateful for today.
What am I up to these days?
At work
Android and Kotlin, the Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo app for pet owners. These days as lead of the Android team, where I work with fantastic colleagues to keep meeting our customers’ expectations and to give them the best possible experience.
And otherwise
I like building apps on the side, which you can find here. I also try to support open source projects now and then. Beyond that I let loose on my homelab and my smart home (to the suffering of the humans and animals living with me). On top of that I have been trying to find more of a counterweight to all the desk-bound things, by travelling the world in my van, hiking with my dog, getting up to nonsense and taking up archery.
What matters to me in my job?
What matters most is that what I do has a point. At Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo that means “build the best app for people who love animals”. On top of that, I like taking responsibility for people and for projects. Lastly it matters to me that I get the time and the room to build a certain quality. In everything I do I hold to “customers first”, “quality over quantity” and “slow and steady wins the race”.