We are happy to announce, that with Robert de Bock, a first Engineer joined our team in the Netherlands – Welcome a board!

Last week, our NL-team went on a roadtrip and made it all the way down to our offices in Basel and Bern. So we already got the chance to meet Robert and, of course, were very curious about his background, his goals and everything that makes him special. We are happy to share Robert’s interview and hope you can meet him some time soon.

Hi Robert, welcome at Adfinis! It’s so nice to have you on board and we are really looking forward to our joint future journey. We are very interested in getting to know you and therefore ask you to tell us a bit more about your background and where in IT you are specialized in.

Thank you very much, I am looking forward to it too. As for your question: I have a strong Linux background, which I sometimes do see as a problem, because I only can do Linux. But it also has its upsides to be specialized in something. Regarding technologies, I know Terraform and Ansible very well and all kinds of technologies, where you don’t have to do things manually anymore. I kinda moved to “everything as code”, because it is much more honest, as everyone can contribute and read how it works. This shift meets good with the culture of Adfinis.

So is that also why you wanted to start working at Adfinis?

Yes I like the core values, and that the work is very broad. If you work with many different technologies, you see much more of the market than with only a single product. I worked at a bank for five years, which really is a good place to work, but it is also narrow and therefore limiting. At Adfinis we can work with different technologies, which opens the mind and I see many possibilities and the chance to discover new things to focus on. I also really like learning new things, work with people, learn from others, broadening my portfolio and getting confronted with new technologies. That’s why I see in Adfinis lots of opportunities to grow.

A keen learner with a passion for technology, I like that. And what are your interests beside IT?

As almost every dutch person, I’m really fond of water. I like swimming, sailing and diving. I once used to be a diving instructor but with three kids, there is currently just not enough time to keep it up. Architecture is also something I’m interested in. It tells you something about the time. You can walk through the streets and can see the history in it.

What about your history? What is a characteristic or a fun fact that makes Robert – Robert?

That I do something daily. This “something” can be anything: writing, painting, coding. Important is that you are not doing it for your boss, not for money, but for yourself and every day.

So back in 2014 when I started, I made a photo everyday. After working off all the ideas I had in taking photos, I started questioning myself. Why do you do this? Why do you do the things, that you do in life? So I then had to realize that I like taking pictures, but that this won’t benefit my work. So after 3 years, I then decided to start writing code in a language I really wanted to master. So now I’m doing this also for almost 3 years already.

What have I learned? That I am a slow learner. My starting point might be a bit better than the average, but then others’ learning curve is just taking off, while I’m still learning quite slow. But if you are motivated and persist, you will get much better than the rest. You will master, whatever you do daily.

Thank you so much Robert, for these personal insights. We are really looking forward to working with you and I’m already thinking about what my “something daily” could be …

Want to learn more about Robert and his work? Feel free to visit his website.
Want to learn more about Adfinis Netherlands? Feel free to get in touch.