Software developer Amsterdam. To get more insight into the life of a software developer Amsterdam, we asked Niels Kramer some questions. Niels has been working with SevenLab since 2014 and has been a permanent employee there since 2017. In that time he has worked on endless projects.

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How do you start your day Niels?

N: Coffee, haha. Black coffee. Then we usually start the day with a stand-up. A stand-up is a short meeting, usually about five minutes, where we go through what we did the day before and what we're going to do the day after. Software developers are usually not so quick to ask for help, but prefer to find a solution themselves. A stand-up can be a good time for developers to bring up any problems they may have.

After the stand-up, the work starts. Of course, this mainly consists of coding. Coding is the translation of operations into computer language, so that a computer can perform the operation. You often encounter problems that need to be solved. Niels therefore Googled a lot to find solutions for these problems. Niels also often has contact with the client in the morning, to give them a brief update on the state of affairs. The budget, for example, is discussed, so that Niels can be sure that everything is on the same page.

Coffee counter ☕️ (number of cups per day)

N: I try to keep it to three at the office, but at home I usually have two cups as well.

Do you listen to music while working?

N: I listen to music through my headphones all day long. I find that I like to block out external noises when I'm working. At our office in Amsterdam it can be quite busy, there are usually a lot of people on our floor.

What kind of music do you listen to?

N: Actually, to all kinds of things. I think I listen to electronic music the most. It makes me work better.

In the afternoon, Niels has lunch with his colleagues from SevenLab and the rest of the floor in the central room or outside on the balcony. The sandwiches are generously filled and time is always taken to talk to colleagues. Then he quickly gets back to work on his current projects. Niels also almost always has a glass of water on his desk, so he doesn't get dehydrated. He works via two screens, so that he can carry out several tasks at the same time.

What is the best project you have done so far?

N: Good question. I think actually MyMindspace. I picked up that project from the very beginning. We actually work on that project every month, so it keeps developing. The customer is willing to keep investing, so we can keep improving the product. I actually do everything for that project, I make sure the customer stays satisfied. In fact, it is a bit like my baby.

What do you like most about being a software developer in Amsterdam?

N: Developing is always different, so it remains fun. Every day is different. What I especially like is the contact with the customer. When we deliver a beautiful product and the customer is satisfied, that gives me a lot of satisfaction. Working at SevenLab is fun, because we have a group of great colleagues. We usually work in teams of three, which allows us to deliver projects efficiently and work together intensively. I recently read that research has shown that teams of three work most efficiently because you only have to maintain three lines of communication. For me, this is also a nice way of working.

Three cups of coffee and hundreds of codes later, Niels finishes the working day around 5.30 a.m. and plops down on the sofa.

The research Niels refers to on the composition of teams can be found here. Do you still have a question about developing software, then you can contact Bas. Send him an e-mail or give us a call.