No, this is not my sassy way of starting the “Actually, the real decade is 2011–2020, not 2010–2019” argument. It just so happens that after a challenging 2020 I have an urge to scribble down some of the highlights of my past life. So I can look at them and realize that—albeit times are weird right now—I’ve been lucky and blessed. Here’s to the future!
Overview
10 years ago, I had finished my studies abroad in Linköping (Sweden) and was on my way back to Saarbrücken (Germany) to finish my Master’s degree in computer science. I had just turned 23, was excited to still have a lot of my twenties ahead of me, was in a long-term relationship, surrounded by good friends, and at an immaturity level that would keep me from holding my liquor for another good while.
A lot has changed since then. Not necessarily the liquor holding thing.
Highlights
- 👨🎓 I finished my Master’s degree in Computer Science.
- 🤗 I managed to maintain and grow my circle of friends.
- 💑 I found the love of my life and got married.
Residency
- 🏘 I moved in with some of my best friends in Saarbrücken. Twice.
- 🐻 I moved from Saarbrücken to Berlin to be closer to my fellow start-up co-founders. I enjoyed the Berlin hipster start-up life a lot!
- 🇮🇪 I moved to Dublin (Ireland) to join IBM and fulfil my dream of working abroad. Ireland will always have a special place in my heart. Go bhfillead go hÉirinn go brách.
- ⚓️ When I met my then-girlfriend/now-wife, I decided to leave Dublin and move to Hamburg (Germany) and in with her. We had known each other for half a year and it was quite the leap of faith—for her, me… and her roommate. But it felt more than right and to this date it is my gut feeling’s biggest achievement! I had not expected the impression Hamburg had made on me—I love this city!
- 🏠 My wife and I left Hamburg and moved to her home town—Cologne. We are living a fantastic life here, but never ruled out the possibility of moving again.
Education
- 💵 The German National Academic Foundation granted me a full stipend for my Bachelor, Master, and stay abroad.
- ☀️ They also organized several summer schools and language courses for us. I attended the summer school 2011 in Görlitz, 2012 in Salem, the spring school 2012 in Papenburg, and an intensive Spanish language course 2012 in Salamanca.
- ❌ After my Bachelor’s degree, I got accepted into grad school and offered a full scholarship to pursue my PhD in Computer Science. After one and a half years, I quit the program, finished my Master’s degree, and turned my back on the world of academia. Or so I thought back then.
- 🏫 Today, I am studying part-time and pursuing another Master in Practical Computer Science at the Distance University Hagen (Germany).
Work
- 👨🏫 During university I worked as a tutor and teaching assistant for numerous modules
- 🧪 I did a three-month Cybersecurity research internship in Madrid (Spain)
- 📝 In Berlin, there was a time when I was juggling the idea of becoming a self-employed web developer. A couple of SitePoint articles still stand testament.
- 💻 I managed to cover a pretty wide range of work areas and employers:
- 📚 Full-stack development for a small, family-owned print/ebook publisher
- 📷 Co-founded a digital journalism platform
- 💙 Cloud Computing tech sales and evangelist for Big Blue
- 🌍 Full-stack development and team lead for an early-stage African start-up
- 💼 Senior developer for a mid-sized German tech consultancy
- 🛑 Today I am working as a software engineer and section lead for the company behind AdBlock Plus, trying to protect and improve the Open Web.
- ⁉️ I cannot say that I have figured out my “career”. My profession will most likely always be software engineering, but I sense an increasing urge to use those skills for something… altruistic?! I really don’t know more at the moment. Until I do, I vow to keep on looking left and right and trying out new things off the beaten career paths.
Relationships
- 👨👩👦👦 My parents have always been a source of support, comfort in uneasy times, and love. Now that they approach their retirement and my wife and I try to establish ourselves as a stand-alone entity, we are searching for a new kind of togetherness. Regardless, I love them deeply. I also have a wonderful relation with my older brother. Luckily, at some point during the last 10 years I moved on from puberty and realized how much we have in common. He lives somewhat close and I cherish every moment with him.
- ⚭ My marriage introduced me to a wonderful family-in-law whose members are close and dear to my heart.
- 💔 I had three serious girlfriends and went through three breakups.
- 👫 I made amazing friends and—although I really am not the best at maintaining long-distance friendships—managed to keep most of the important people in my life. I feel a huge amount of trust, comfort, and inspiration when I am around them.
- ❤️ I found someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. She is smart, funny, strong, and my partner in crime.
Hobbies
- 🏕 The last decade was my decade of CISV, a worldwide association that organizes international youth exchanges. I accompanied German delegations to Costa Rica and Mexico, organized camps in Germany and Ecuador, and became a certified member of the national training committee. I owe CISV my passion for working with youths, traveling the world, some of the best friends in my life, countless sleepless nights with amazing people, and ultimately my wife. In 2020 I decided to quit the national training committee and therefore CISV to make room for younger ambitious people and concentrate my energy on finding new ways to do good with tech.
- 🎶 I kept on playing the guitar occasionally and started playing the drums. I went to countless concerts and music festivals. I broadened my taste in music a lot and it now comprises Hip Hop, Hardcore, Punk, Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Progressive House, Electronic, Drum & Bass, Classical Music. I started buying music on vinyl and have a collection of 400+ records. My wife and I also played the music for the wedding of an IBM colleague of mine in Dublin—a wonderful memory!
- 🎨 I started Urban Sketching and identified it as my perfect way of doing art. I also developed a deep interest in generative computer art.
- 🍳 I discovered my love for cooking. I have started to deviate from recipe books and love to spend time researching kitchen gear and ingredients. I am still not a huge fan of baking.
- 🎮 I wouldn’t call myself a big gamer, but I enjoy the occasional video game session. Moreover, I am massively interested in video game history, culture, and development. I have done a couple of game jams and rebought some of my childhood’s classics.
- 🚴♀️ Sport has not played a major role in my life, but I tried and enjoyed table tennis, jiu-jitsu, swimming, bicycling, ultimate frisbee, water polo, and jogging. I managed to turn the latter into a semi-regular habbit and I am not on the verge of death anymore when running 5K.
Traveling
- 🇩🇪 Some of my highlights in Germany include Mainz, Papenburg, Görlitz, Warnemünde, Monschau (Eifel), Konstanz, Tübingen, Wismar, Frankfurt (Main), Göttingen, Lübeck, Bremen, Borkum, Heidelberg.
- 🇪🇺 In Europe, I traveled to:
- 🇸🇪 Sweden (Linköping, Stockholm, Malmö, Uppsala)
- 🇩🇰 Denmark (Copenhagen)
- 🏴 Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Highlands)
- 🇵🇱 Poland (Wrocław, Kraków, Warsaw)
- 🇪🇸 Spain (Madrid, Salamanca, Sevilla, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Mallorca, Marbella, Toledo)
- 🇵🇹 Portugal (Parque Natural do Douro Internacional)
- 🇦🇹 Austria (Innsbruck, Graz)
- 🇳🇴 Norway (Stavanger, Oslo)
- 🇫🇷 France (Paris, Metz)
- 🇧🇪 Belgium (Brussels, Bruges, Ostend)
- 🇮🇪 Ireland (Dublin, Cork, Galway)
- 🇬🇧 Northern Ireland (Belfast)
- 🏴 England (London)
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland (Basel)
- 🇮🇸 Iceland (Reykjavík)
- 🇳🇱 The Netherlands (Maastricht, Boornzwaag)
- 🇮🇹 Italy (Florence, Venice)
- 🇲🇹 Malta (St. Paul’s Bay, Valletta)
- 🌎 Worldwide destinations include:
- 🇨🇷 Costa Rica (San José)
- 🇲🇽 Mexico (Querétaro, Mexico City)
- 🇺🇸 USA (New York City, Boston, Chicago, Bloomington/IN)
- 🇪🇨 Ecuador (Quito)
- 🇪🇬 Egypt (Hurghada)
- 🇿🇦 South Africa (Cape Town)
- 🇸🇬 Singapore
- 🇰🇭 Cambodia (Phnom Penh, Koh Kong, Kampot, Battambang, Siem Reap)
Health & Mindset
- ⚖️ I gradually gained a lot of weight. Getting that back down is my biggest goal for 2021.
- 🖋 I got my first and (so far) only tattoo.
- 📈 For the bigger part of the last decade I identified myself a lot with the amount of work I would do. 50/60-hour weeks were not only common, I was proud of them. That has changed drastically. I take pride in my work, but quality time with my wife, family, and friends, voluntary work and hobbies, and a good night sleep have become a lot more important to me.
- 🍚 I have been following the philosophy of (digital) minimalism and have applied it to some areas of my life.
And that is it. My last 10 years as a short list of bullet points. Now onto the next 10!