Newbie engineer, Tom van Lieshout, launched his career as a musician, playing bass guitar in a successful band. Then came an unexpected twist: he transitioned into Flutter development. In this interview, Tom shares his motivations behind his career shift.
Can you tell something about yourself?
‘I'm 28 years old, recently moved to Nijmegen, and I live with my girlfriend, without any pets. Music has been a significant part of my life, with a background in bass guitar education. Currently, I'm into electronic music and hip-hop. I create music on my own and collaborate with a group for producing beats, writing lyrics and rapping.
I used to perform extensively with my band, Nick and the Doorsnee. Together, we even crafted an album. However, my priorities have since evolved, leading me to shift away from pursuing a music career, and I'm no longer an active member of the band. Now it's just a hobby, and I don't miss it professionally. I still miss the stage, the energy of performing with a band, but it required a lot of time and regular rehearsals, which I can't commit to due to my various hobbies.’
Why IT?
‘Well, I also considered a career in the police force and even applied for a lower-level job. They suggested a role in investigation. But at some point, I felt I needed something different. While I enjoyed music, it couldn't sustain me financially, so I took on part-time jobs. I've always been involved with computers – I used to play a lot of games. And when you think about earning money, programming also comes to mind.
This led me to a role at KPN, working on legacy applications, which was a real mess. Especially as a junior it was difficult to catch up. By chance, I discovered Flutter, a mobile app framework, and built an app using Spotify data named 'elpee'. This app organizes Spotify data into album covers and playlists.
As luck would have it, a Scrum Master noticed my work while passing by my desk. I was building the app with Flutter, and coincidentally, on the same floor in Amersfoort, another KPN team was exploring Flutter for a new project. One thing led to another, and I switched teams, which was a nice break.’
It’s been two months since you joined the company. How did you end up at funda?
‘After spending four years at KPN, I started craving something fresh and exciting. Exploring new opportunities, especially in the field of Flutter, proved to be a bit challenging in the job market. Luckily, I discovered that funda was actively seeking a Flutter developer, and I wasted no time in submitting my application.
See also: How we validated Flutter at scale for funda
The only thing that is a bit of a downside is the distance, since I live in Nijmegen. But I found the job content too exciting to pass up. I made it clear as a requirement not to expect me to come to the office more than once a week. The trip takes 2 hours each way, which is quite substantial. We agreed that I can work from the train, starting my day at the office around 9 AM and leaving around 3 PM, to continue my work in the train. I put on my headphones and open my laptop; it works just fine for me. And in this way I’m not away from home for too long. Remote work on the other days works really well for me as well. It saves me a lot of time and energy.’
What is your job at funda?
‘I'm currently working on enhancing funda's native apps by developing new features using Flutter/Dart. I collaborate closely with other software engineers, designers and test engineers, following a Scrum/Kanban approach.
Recently, I told my manager that I'm eager to expand out into web development. Both areas fall within the 'frontend' domain, and my objective is to transition from being a specialized Flutter developer to a more versatile frontend developer, which at funda involves working with Vue and Nuxt.
Even though I've only been with the company for a short time, my manager is very supportive of my personal development objectives. In the near future we will explore options for how to realize these goals.’
How were your first weeks?
‘I'm loving it here. I had specific wishes for my new role, like moving from a corporate to a smaller, more agile company like funda. I wanted to work on an app with a large user base, unlike my previous role with a technicians' app that only had 2,000 users. Funda also met my third wish by having a designer on the team, which I did not have in my previous job. Those were the three wishes for my next opportunity. I read the job listing from funda, and one by one, it was check, check, check. I'm really enjoying it here. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal, which suits me perfectly.
Also the communal lunches where we all sit together, mixed up at the tables, are really great. I've already had a team outing to Boom Chicago, where we caught a show together. It was really enjoyable being out with my colleagues.’
What was the most surprising thing that happened at funda in the past few weeks?
‘What struck me is that everything is running very smoothly. I have the impression that I'm in much fewer meetings per week, and they are more efficient, with better communication. The focus is clear, and there's no beating around the bush; it's all about getting the job done. It's a well-structured and sharp work environment, yet it feels relaxed.’
Do you have any advice for future colleagues interested in working here?
‘I'd suggest that if you come across something intriguing, don't hesitate to express your interest and ask if you can get involved – just like I did. Being proactive is encouraged, and showing ambition is something that resonates well with people here.
Additionally, it's worth mentioning that someone at the company even proposed the idea of starting a band with me. We'll need to figure out the logistics due to the commute, but I'd certainly love to jam together at some point.’
See also: How to integrate Flutter into an existing native app: 2 options
