Meet the Debricked Crew: Jonas Hamann

Speaking of teams, remember our chat with Tobia? This time we got hold of another development team member who enjoys coding as much as hiking. So let’s waste no more time and meet Jonas!

A train ride from Lübeck to Malmö

Grocery shopping was a challenge in itself during the pandemic. Imagine moving to another country. Jonas moved to Malmö from Lübeck in October 2021 to try out a career in front-end development and, lucky us, wanted to stay longer than his initial plan. In this blog post, we get to follow on his journey: from how he discovered Debricked to what he looks most forward to in 2022.

Give us a short introduction of yourself – who is Jonas Hamann and what is your role at Debricked?

Hey there! My name is Jonas. I’m 25 years old and from Germany. I love traveling, camping, doing sports, cooking, hanging out with friends, and, of course, coding. Also, I’m probably a little too nerdy about coffee and will most likely one day spend way too much money on a portafilter machine…

For the last five years, I lived in the beautiful city of Lübeck in Germany and studied Medieninformatik, which could best be translated to human-computer interaction. We not only focused on traditional computer science topics but combined that with design and psychology and took a human-centered approach focusing on usability and user experience. Last October, I moved to Sweden and started as an intern in frontend development at Debricked.

And how did you discover Debricked?

Quite randomly: After finishing all my exams, I wanted to do something other than start to work on my master’s thesis right away. At the same time, I always wanted to spend some time working as a front-end developer. Just to test it out as a career. So I decided to do another internship, preferably abroad, to get a new experience fully! 

I went on LinkedIn, searched for ”Intern frontend,” and set the search area to the whole of Europe. And there, I found the posting from Debricked! I think it initially caught my eye because you mentioned vue.js as a framework of choice, which is the same for me <3. So, I went on to have a closer look, took my chance, applied for the internship, and well, here we are! 🙂

You were initially going to stay for a few months but extended your time with us. What made you stay?

Right from the beginning, I was told about the possibility of writing my thesis at Debricked, and after some talks, we were able to develop an interesting topic for me to work on! So my current plan is to end the internship a little earlier and switch roles to work on my thesis instead. So, yes, I’m staying longer than planned, and the decision for that was relatively easy! 

I enjoy working with the team very much, and the work environment is so fun! Also, right from the get-go, I was a proper part of the team and got regular tasks – so I would for sure recommend joining Debricked for internships if you want to get a lot of hands-on experience!

And did you know anything about open source before doing an internship with us?

I used a lot of open-source software at university and in my coding projects but never really thought about the whole backstory. Especially the security aspect was not really on my mind before! 

Maybe a brief look at the license, the latest commit date, and the stats on Github – that was honestly enough for me most times what package to import. Also, I had not yet given much thought to what it takes to use open source software on a business level.

Since your background is in UX/UI, how do you apply that knowledge to your current tasks?

Very much! That’s one thing I love about working at a startup: You can add your thoughts to many topics next to your defined role! I’m pretty often in exchange with our design team, discussing designs, the user’s flow, or details I stumble across while working on the front-end code.

So for me, it’s the perfect combo. I love the development part while adding value and sharing my ideas to improve our users’ experience.

You’ve got quite a journey behind you, literally. How was it like moving to Malmö during the global pandemic? What was your first impression of the city?

Moving to another country during the pandemic felt a bit weird in the beginning. Mainly because of the very different levels of restrictions between Germany and Sweden. I think I needed some more time to acclimate to the change of environment compared to moving under other circumstances.

But arriving in Malmö was really nice, generally speaking. I came here by train with just two suitcases and a backpack. So it felt more like going on a vacation trip, to be honest. I moved half a week before my first day at Debricked, and surprisingly the weather was super sunny. That way, I could explore the city by myself and settle in before starting the internship.

Got any favorite spots in Malmö? Do tell!

I really like the whole Gamla Staden area! Not too big, with some beautiful alleys and lovely places for food and drinks! The waterside is always great to catch some fresh air as well! Oh, and having a beach so close to the city center is also pretty cool, it almost brings some Barcelona vibes 😉 Though it was not the most appropriate beach weather during my time here. All the more reason to look forward to summer! 🙂

We’ve heard that you love hiking. Give us your top three places to hike! Anywhere!

That’s an excellent question and hard to answer! Number one for me would be Table Mountain and Lions Head in Cape Town (let’s count this as one :D). Both give you an astonishing view above the city and ocean and are fun to hike! My tip is to look out for not-so-busy trails (I guess the longer ones) and use the cable car at Table Mountain for one direction. That way, you get both experiences!

Also, when I went camping in Norway with some friends some years ago, we had some fantastic hikes. Pretty random, without more extensive planning, we just parked at one trail entry and got going! It was somewhat vacant, but there was so much to explore! And the view was just amazing.

Last but not least on my list: The Alps in the summer. Coming from northern Germany, I only visited Bavaria in winter for skiing. But in 2020, when traveling to other countries was difficult, I went on a trip to go hiking there. We had perfect weather, and it was so cliche: Wandering through the mountains and cows roaming around you! Stop at an Alm (mountain restaurant) for lunchtime and enjoy an ice-cold beer and one of the signature dishes from the Bavarian cuisine – to finally deliver on all the stereotypes!

Lastly, what excites you the most about 2022?

Hmm, I have some things I want to achieve this year! Firstly, finishing my studies by completing my thesis is probably the biggest one.

Another one is actually to drive my camper van finally! I bought the car last year as a kind of covid project with the original goal to go on a summer trip in that same year. But it turned out that 25-year-old cars can surprise you (who would have guessed), and I needed to do some pretty solid restoration of rusted body parts, so my plans got a little messed up. 

Obviously, the project is on hold for the time of my staying in Sweden, but I have already made some good progress and learned so much! Thankfully I know some people that were nice enough to help and teach me stuff. 🙂 So that’ll be pretty exciting, and now my new goal is to go on trips here in Sweden and explore the country from the camping perspective as well!