Lukas, could you just start by explaining how you ended up at craftworks?

At some point in my previous job, I felt that I needed a change. Luckily, I’d known Jakob for quite some time then and was aware that craftworks were looking for a Software Engineer at the time. So, I visited the craftworks office and after we talked in detail about what craftworks do and which problems they solve every day, I knew this was the place where I wanted to work.

What did you do before craftworks?

I finished my Software Engineering Master at TU Vienna in 2015. After that, I worked for a large company as a C++ Software Developer for Windows. This included the whole package – from drivers to UI programming.

What do you like most about your work?

There are always plenty of challenging tasks and everyone is motivated to get them done – it never gets boring! And even if things don’t always work out the way they’re planned, the mood in the office is always good.

What advice would you give someone who’s just starting out in your field?

As everyone knows, it’s very important to stay up-to-date with new technologies and developments. However, I think it’s also significant to have a look at old(er), still relevant technologies now and again. Just because a technology is not ‚ hip‘at the moment doesn’t mean it cannot help you to become a better engineer. You can either use it directly or learn from its concepts.

How do you go about continuing to develop your professional skills and knowledge?

I try and stay up-to-date not only with the technologies I work with on a daily basis (mainly Java and Java frameworks) but also with other fields like C++. I think knowing other technologies helps us to think outside the box.

In order to keep up with the latest news, I like using Twitter. It allows me to find out about mixing different technologies and I constantly discover interesting new articles in my feed. Additionally, we have lots of books about new developments at craftworks, which can be helpful if you want to sink your teeth into more details.

Lukas, could you share some twitter accounts you follow?

Some of the accounts I like are: @javacodegeeks, @Hibernate, @springframework, @isocpp, @qtproject, @BruceDawson0xB

Thanks a lot! Apart from work, what do you do with your time off?

I try to do different sports regularly to balance out my work, especially running. Now and again, I also play soccer and enjoy skiing during the winter. I’m a big fan of live gigs, so if there’s a band in town I like, you’ll probably find me at their concert.

And I like meeting friends for drinks in the evening.

What does your typical day at craftworks look like?

Normally I am the first one in the office and I kick off my day with a delicious coffee from our espresso machine. Then I’ll start with what I like most about my work – programming.

In between, I enjoy our lunches with the whole team and the time off on our terrace, catching fresh air and interesting conversations.

Only 3 short questions left:

Mac or PC? PC.

Office or remote? Office if possible, but it’s awesome to have the opportunity to work remotely if needed.

Which music is playing on your player right now?

Rise Against – Hero of War

Thank you, Lukas!

Thank you for reading our interviews!