The story of Vincent

Growing Up with CodeMy name is Vincent, I’m 25 years old but I’ve been into programming since I was about 12. My sister was studying IT and she taught me how to program, she did a short internship for Pionect back in the day. That is actually how I got to know about the company. Then during high school, I had to do a short 1-week internship so I decided to do it at Pionect since I knew about it already, it was interesting to see how work was here. 
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Finding the Right FitAfter high school, I studied game programming for a while in Breda, which was fun but not for me so I quit after a few years due to a burnout but once I got better, I continued working on my skills in web development. When I was looking for a place to work, I applied to a few companies and Pionect was one of the first to respond. A few companies reached out to me later but because I already knew how Pionect worked, I liked it here and stayed because the environment is informal and pleasant. It has been 3 years since I started working here. Some key skills that I think are crucial to the work that I’m doing are communication because there’s a high level of independence and patience. After all, sometimes you have to explain concepts to colleagues or help clients understand that another approach than the one that they want might be better. 

Pioneer Spirit

At the moment I am a Full Stack developer and a Team Lead. As a Team Lead, I make sure that everyone can do their job by facilitating communication with the customer. I communicate about what we’re going to do for the sprint, I try to lock down requirements, but most importantly I try to ensure that communication between clients and the team goes smoothly. My favourite thing about working here is by far the level of initiative that is allowed. We are given the space to take a look at things that we think need improvement. It fits well with the company culture and vision: “Everybody has the opportunity to be a pioneer”. At the same time, it is a challenge because there are so many things I want to improve but I can’t in such a short time so sometimes I need to limit myself to focus only on a few things at a time. 

A Symphony of Hobbies

Outside of work, I have some side projects that require some learning but I feel like I get challenged enough within my work so I feel like I’m constantly learning and growing. To relax, I love to read. I'm a huge fan of books. I read fiction mostly, I’m a big fan of the Brandon Sanderson fantasy books. Besides this I like to make music: I play the guitar and a Chinese instrument called the erhu. Whenever I am not busy with these hobbies, I like to see a movie and play some games with friends. 