Every month, we put one of our colleagues in the spotlight to discover who the people behind our Human Cloud are. This time, we meet Jan Kuipers, Front-End Developer at Embrace. A down-to-earth Frisian with a passion for technology and a life of action, literally.
From rescuing Bambi's to skydiving
If you don't know Jan yet, you don't know that, in addition to his work, he is active as a volunteer in the fire department. In the middle of the night or just before the workday starts, he may have taken action. “Recently, a deer in the water. That animal couldn't get out on its own. Then you and your colleagues are there pulling a Bambi out of a channel early,” he says with a smile. “You never know what to expect.”
In addition to his emergency services, he likes to be among people, and if possible, he takes a nice trip. Italy scored high on the list, mostly for its food, but his dream is to one day skydive over a spectacular foreign destination. “Not just over a meadow in the Netherlands. If you do it, do it well.”
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From the police to the cloud
Before entering the world of software, Jan was already walking around fully armed as an agent at the age of eighteen. “I was young, but I quickly knew I wanted to do more with my interest in technology,” he says. From a self-built game website project, he slowly but surely rolled into ICT. After an MBO and higher professional education in software development and a period at Exact, he ended up at Embrace.
One project that Jan will remember for a while is the development of the Self-ServicesScenario Runner, a powerful extension to the product that allows users to set up their own processes. “It actually started with a few lines of text. No documentation, hardly any context,” explains Jan. “Along the way, together with designers, Product Owners and backend colleagues, I developed the concept, from a rough idea to a full-fledged part of the software.” It was a process full of research, coordination and creative puzzling, exactly the way of working that gives Jan energy.
AI as a colleague
In addition to larger projects, Jan also enjoys small, smart improvements. For example, he participated in an AI integration into the chat function, which automatically recognizes which language a user speaks and translates directly. “For tenants who don't speak Dutch, that's really a godsend. For us as developers, it's just cool to work with such new techniques.”
What he particularly appreciates is how Embrace embraces new technologies. “We're moving more and more towards AI, from how we develop software to how we support users. It is inspiring to see that, as an organization, we do not stand still, but are constantly looking for ways to improve. In addition to being a hype, AI is really a tool that makes our work smarter.”
Working together in Sneek and beyond
Although Jan often works in the office in Sneek, he appreciates the balance between working from home and meeting colleagues. “A good working day starts with coffee and then catching up with everyone. Not everything has to be about work right away, it's those social moments that make Embrace special.”
What else strikes him is the willingness of everyone to help each other. “There is a nice atmosphere. Whether it's a technical problem or just thinking along: you're never alone.” In his first year at Embrace, he mainly learned how important good preparation is. “If you want to build something good, you have to understand it first. You can achieve that by consulting, collaborating and learning from each other.”
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