About

Hi, my name is Michiel Staessen. Here are some fun facts about me.

I breathe software engineering

I’m one of those people that turned their hobby into a career. I enjoy programming and problem solving. After work, I will usually continue working on projects of my own.

C# is my programming language of choice.

I started my journey into programming with HTML. Then came PHP. Then Java. Then C#, which I enjoy the most. Along the way, I’ve also learned JavaScript and TypeScript. I don’t like Python.

I am a curious person

I enjoy learning new things. Even though every time I do, I realize there is just more to learn. I save a ton of recorded conference talks to my YouTube “Watch Later” list in order to soak up the knowledge during my commute.

I don’t mind to lift to carpet to see what has been swept underneath. And then I’ll happily clean that up. Always leave a place in a better condition than you have found it.

I have pretty strong opinions about software design

Quality software begins with quality design. I absolutely loathe awful code & poor practices and will actively push for improvement while keeping an eye on added value.

I (generally) don’t believe in rewrites

You are better of evolving something that has already been proven to work, rather then starting over. I’ve been in such projects. You’ll typically spend the first year(s) recreating the bugs that were already fixed in the system you are trying to replace.

Of course there are exceptions, but this is not the place to discuss them.

I work as a software architect at Capgemini Belgium

I joined the international IT consultancy Capgemini after my software engineering studies at KU Leuven. I wasn’t really sure consulting was going to be something I like, but I certainly do. I like the plethora of challenges I am faced with daily and being a consultant gives me the opportunity to change assignments every once in a while.

Next to my role as architect, I also take up the role of “Microsoft Community lead”, by gathering like-minded people around a bunch of pizza & code every month, perform job interviews, design career paths, and coach our young talents.

Disclaimer

Unless stated otherwise, all views and opinions expressed on this blog are my own.