2004: The Spark

From an early age on I was always captivated by video games. Although I never really had my own gaming console or PC I would often visit friends to play there for hours. At some point I saved enough to purchase my very first custom-built PC. I still remember the excitement to assemble all those pieces into this big metal box. I finally could enjoy playing video games at my own place, which I did. The more time I spent on my new PC, the more curious I became of how it all actually worked?

2004 - 2008: My early years of programming

Until now I did not even know what programming was and doing research was slow, since we only had a very slow manual dial-up modem at home. Eventually I learned about the art of programming and tried a few “no-name” programming languages, before finding my footing in C++. It was a brutal teacher. For months, I stared at syntax errors and broken logic. I failed often and I grew frustrated. But there was something I couldn't resist. Every time I walked away, the code called me back. Months passed, but eventually I got the basics done. I grew tired of building the same old “Hello, world!” applications and was ready for the next level.

During high school more often than not I would neglect my homework and rather spent my time programming. The Windows DOS console became my canvas. I started small, building iconic games like Pong, Snake or Tetris, before graduating to Windows application tools. But I wanted more than buttons and text fields; I wanted 2D and 3D worlds. I began wrestling with DirectX and OpenGL, and finally conquered the graphics pipeline: a pitch-black window appeared, and in its center, a single, red triangle. That triangle was just the beginning of thousands of hours spent crafting my own game engines.

My obsession didn't go unnoticed. One day at school my chemistry teacher reached out to me. He asked for an application to visualize 3D carbon molecules. Over the course of a semester, I built it. It was the first time my code solved a problem for someone else.

2008 - 2014: Academic years

After discovering my passion for programming, my future career path became very clear to me. I enrolled for a Master’s degree in computer science. Throughout my studies I would deepen my understanding in this field and developed a keen interest in machine learning. Although less technical, my new found knowledge about data structures and algorithms helped me greatly to improve as a programmer and solve even more complex problems. 10 semesters felt very brief and I left with a Master’s degree and a bittersweet realization: Computer Science is a vast field that I could not fully explore in all its depths in my lifetime.

2015 - 2020: First years working in the industry

Upon returning to Germany from Australia, I was determined to become a professional Game Developer. I quickly landed a junior role, an exhilarating start involving porting PC games to PS4 and Xbox and building internal tools. The role was an incredibly fast-paced and formative experience. When my time at this company came to an end it created an opportunity for me to explore a different type of work environment.

My next role was a stark contrast: a Java developer for a private health insurance platform. The work was slow and the tech-stack was pretty old. However, I was mentored by a brilliant software architect who taught me invaluable lessons in structuring massive systems. Despite this, the monotony eventually became stifling, and I missed the creative chaos of my previous field.

Hungry for a new challenge, I joined Audi Business Innovation. This move was transformative; the company's culture, with its emphasis on Scrum, collaboration, and soft skills, helped me evolve from a solitary coder into a well-rounded team member. At Audi, I finally found the perfect synergy between the robust structure of enterprise software and the creative problem-solving from my love for game engines, a path that ultimately led me to the role of Senior Developer.

2020 - 2025: Years as a freelancer

While working at Audi, an old friend from university reached out asking for help with a few programming jobs. I really enjoyed the freedom I had to complete the tasks and the trust he put in my abilities. Seeing him satisfied with the results was incredibly rewarding and sparked a desire for more of this kind of work, which ultimately led me to go freelance full-time.

It was a drastic change, not just in my career but in my life, as I also moved to a foreign country. Suddenly, I was dealing with unfamiliar challenges like invoices, tax declarations, and a foreign language. Although it was overwhelming at first, I soon adapted and developed a sense of pride in being totally responsible for my own finances.

As a freelancer, I worked on a diverse range of projects with all sorts of demands, from automation, user frontends to backends, real-time applications, and server operations. Over time, I became very conscious of the repeating problems that occur throughout a product's life-cycle. My focus shifted beyond just programming and I felt a growing desire to become a mediator, bridging the gap between the technical and business domains.

When travel restrictions were finally lifted at the end of the pandemic, I was excited to embrace the life of a true digital nomad. The idea of traveling the world while working was exhilarating.

Today:

While I'm incredibly grateful for my experiences as a digital nomad, the lifestyle of constant movement combined with fluctuating work demands eventually grew tiring and stressful. My passion for programming has not faded in the slightest, but my priorities have shifted towards seeking more stability in my life. The past few years on the move have left me without a place to truly call home, which has led me to seriously consider where I'd like to plant roots. My long-standing fascination with Japanese culture and fond childhood memories of playing Nintendo games, makes Japan feel like the perfect next chapter for me.

To be continued ...