Welcome back, Wouter Bohlken!
He is new but also an old friend, back-end developer Wouter Bohlken. In 2014 he made his entrance at Unc Inc as an intern and then went on to do several projects with us as a freelancer. Now we can finally welcome him as a full member of our 'family'. Meet Wouter!
It's been 7 years since you first walked in here. How nice of you to join us now!
"Definitely!"
You've worked as a freelancer in the past. Why have you chosen permanent employment now?
"I traveled a lot, did a lot of different jobs. That was great fun but I want to keep developing and I prefer to work in a team anyway. The next step was to set up a company with some friends. But in practice we spent a lot of time on acquisition and accounting for hours, and too little on building software. I was also doing a master's degree in Software Engineering at the University of Amsterdam. It all became a bit too much. So we stopped our company, I finished my studies and can now focus again at Unc Inc on what I enjoy most: building cool stuff."
What do you prefer to work on?
"I am a true back-ender. I love technical challenge and I get energy from solving complex problems and automating time-consuming tasks. Besides the technical challenge, I find the social challenge at least as important: the end product has to be something I believe in. That gives me much more satisfaction than building yet another webshop. Most of the projects Unc Inc works on fit well with the things I find important."
How different is Unc Inc now from when you were an intern?
"A lot has changed since 2014. Back then, the company consisted of 7 people; now that has roughly tripled. Now there are multiple teams and all business processes are more streamlined and better organized. We were already delivering good work then but it's a lot more professional now, I think."
"Furthermore, I feel that Unc Inc's mission has crystallized a bit more, and that the focus is now really on working for 'brands with a mission.'"
"What hasn't changed is the atmosphere and culture. Even then, that made me feel right at home. The faces are different but my teammates are all tremendously sociable, open and helpful. It's really great that Unc Inc has been able to maintain that fun and positive atmosphere."
What will you work on in the coming time?
"In my first week, I was able to get right to work on several ongoing projects, for example, a couple of Orange Fund websites," she said
"The biggest, new project I'll be working on soon is an app for De Regenboog Groep. That's an organization that provides support for Amsterdam residents in social poverty. They do this in part with the help of 'buddies'; volunteers who support these people and can help them get ahead. The app should make it easier for volunteers to find necessary information and to stay informed about the latest activities, new vacancies and developments. So a good example of the kind of project I love to work on!"
Like Wouter, do you want to work on social causes?
In a young and friendly team, we work on meaningful projects. But whatever we create is always an intense interplay of individuals. That's why we look beyond the list of professional skills to your human qualities and help you develop both. Curious?