Igor Ustych - Software Developer

My name is Igor, and I have a background in computer science. In the beginning of 2011 I got a job in Amsterdam and moved here from Odessa, Ukraine. Almost 10 years later I’m still here, working as a software developer in VLK. As every other developer in our department I’m responsible for a complete software development cycle from collecting requirements to production support. My team’s domain is reporting. Largely simplified – we make sure the investors receive correct reports.

A typical workday
Our team starts at 9 with a stand up – a short meeting for the members to synchronize. Then we work on tasks we’ve planned in the sprint. Sometimes I get the whole day of coding which is the best case scenario since I enjoy it a lot. More often than not there are also meetings and discussions here and there, but we try to keep those to a minimum for maximizing focus time and minimizing context switch. Occasionally I go for a run in the park. Around 5 we sign off.

What I like most about my job
Programming was by far my favorite subject at school and if it wasn’t my occupation I’d be doing it as a hobby. Therefore my favorite part is that I don’t really consider it a job, I’m just doing what I really like to do and get paid for it.

Let me tell you a bit more about a recent project I worked on
Creating client reports requires a large amount of manual effort to collect the data from countless sources. There’s no reason for this process to involve any human intervention except, perhaps, validating the reports before releasing. Automating reporting process and improving internal infrastructure along the way is what we’ve been busy so far.

Last but not least: a piece of advice for people thinking of applying to work for Van Lanschot Kempen 
Everybody has their own expectations of course, if you are looking for a crazy cowboy style startup environment – keep looking elsewhere.
On the other hand, if you want to have a good work life balance and up to a challenge of handling a complicated enterprise landscape – you’re welcome!