Hi, I am Fred!

Be it deleting System32, swapping my CPU, listening to dial-up or trying to fathom networking in order to play C&C with friends, computers have been part of my life as far back as I can remember.
During my teenage years, I discovered my first HTML book and started building my own computer, and I was always the go-to person when it came to IT advice and unravelling puzzles with hardware and software.
Next came a handful of work placements in IT-related fields, my favourite being with a B2B hardware supplier where I helped to build and test IBM blade servers for Siemens.

And yet.. for many reasons, my studies and career somehow led me elsewhere.

After finishing my degree in online marketing, I discovered that my passion for computers had all but faded; on the contrary, every time I encountered an IT problem at work, I always found myself wondering: 'How can I automate this?'
Slowly but surely, I picked up programming again whenever the chance arose. Google Sheets has an excellent scripts option allowing you to enhance spreadsheets with JavaScript. That proved my gateway 'drug'.
Later, when I co-founded an advertising agency, I became responsible for everything IT-related. From a cranky click-tracking software using SQL databases deployed on our own VPS to helping clients integrate tracking scripts and connect to Google APIs, I was always the one delving into the IT world and spending countless hours resolving elusive problems.
It was several years later, though, when I co-founded an online retailer, that I came to spend the majority of my time programming. From customising our Shopify theme (Liquid) and connecting with APIs to building a Node.js back-end server and programming a Pick-And-Pack system, I could not help but always strive to take our system further. Automating product management... integrating barcode scanners... optimising translation... every one was a project, and they all came to fruition.

Early in 2021, my co-founder and I decided to part ways, and we are currently liquidating our companies. (Update 2023: 1 down, 2 to go!) I used that time and the lockdowns to dive deeper into topics such as JavaScript, CSS, Vue.js, Node.js and machine learning.

In 2022, I decided to follow my passion and become a freelance software engineer. I began working with an exceptional start-up called Brickwise, where I was finally able to apply my accumulated knowledge in a collaborative environment with six other incredibly talented engineers.

Fast-forward to 2023, amidst interest rate hikes and a somewhat bursting European start-up bubble. Almost all engineers, including myself, had to depart, leaving only a skeleton crew behind. While I'm saddened by the loss of the opportunity to work with my exceptional colleagues, I remain excited for the future and eagerly anticipate where my next adventure will lead me.

Until we speak,
Fred