Welcome, مرحبا
I'm Zakaria, a full-stack software engineer, frontend expert, and user experience enthusiast (UX).
Profesional life: Consultancy and mentoring 👨🏻💻
I'm a lead software engineer and team captain. Whatever the project, I'm always advocating for modern tech, clean code principles, and effective UX. I try never to lose track of a project's purpose. Yes, I sure love state-of-the-art solutions! But, I'm also a pragmatist: Achieving business goals is most important, and that can be done with established design patterns.
As a team captain, I got the incredible opportunity to coach other developers individually. I love motivating them, sharing knowledge, and helping them grow in their careers. Additionally, in my spare time, I mentor multiple software engineering students, providing guidance, assisting with code, and explaining various aspects of my field. I find immense joy in helping others achieve their goals and reach their full potential. On paper, I am a consultant. So for most clients I collaborate with I have a senior and advising role. Check out iodigital.com for more info on my current employer.
Side Projects
Since my full-time job wasn't enough to quench my creative thirst: I built kepp.nl, a multi-tenant quality management application. It was made to accelerate the growth of a startup consultancy firm. For a complete list of my side projects, check out my linkedin profile.
Personal development: Retreats and Volunteering 🤝🏼
Next to mentoring others, I make sure I'm always learning myself. Besides keeping up to date with tech, I try to regularly attend conferences, meet-ups, and trainings. Some examples that I value most were cross-cultural and leadership communication.
Alongside my full-time role, I dedicate myself to volunteer work for an organization focused on developing future leaders in the Muslim community: sabiel.nl. It's satisfying to utilize my skills for a greater purpose. I'm also a participant myself, attending multiple weekend retreats to work on leadership competencies like strategic thinking and emotional intelligence. All are packaged within a spiritual context.
I've also done some volunteer work as a kickboxing instructor for a local youth center. 🥊
Growing up: Nerd alert 🤓
I've always been a huge nerd. I knew I loved computers when my father gave me an old 286 PC he found on the streets when I was 7 years old (this exact one). I had to learn DOS commands to get it to work. I was hooked. I spent countless hours playing games, learning how to use the computer, and eventually, how to program. The library was my second home, but not just because of the books. There were computers there connected to the magical internet, which I had no access to at home. The librarians had to punish me once when I hacked one of the computers to get access to the file system, making it possible to install Quake 3 Arena. 🙈
Something similar happened later in my teenage years when I was in middle school. The local network had a messaging system that allowed teachers and employees to communicate with each other. I found a way to get access and bombarded every single person on the network with thousands of messages. This made every PC and laptop connected freeze. I almost got kicked out of school for that one.
Technology isn't my only interest. I adore anything that is remotely geek/nerdy in nature! Still, I also enjoy the more common things: watching/playing sports, going to the movies, and spending time with friends and family. This is why you can have a conversation with me about almost anything! So let's grab a coffee if you'd like that 😊.
Personality and character 💛
As you could probably tell by the last story, I have a bit of a rebellious side to me 😅. It's part of my strengths, but also a pitfall: I find ways to make things work, to move forward. However, sometimes you need to take a step back and accept that you can't win it all... I'm working on it.
I'm not one to focus on details. I'm more of a pragmatic, quality-driven, and goal-oriented problem solver. Have you heard of the DISC analysis? I'm very red and very yellow: I can quickly make decisions based on limited information, and am less afraid of risks or conflict than most (red). Also influential (yellow), as I easily connect with people and form connections between others too. I don't like to overanalyse details or take the safe route. Thankfully I'm aware of this, and I love to have people on my team that are more cautious. That way, they can hold back my enthusiasm a bit and help me with the details.
Personal life 🏡
Islaam serves as the main guiding force in everything I do. It shapes my values and inspires me to continuously better myself. I have 3 kids and a lovely wife. They are my biggest source of purpose, joy, and motivation.
Traveling is important to me, with a particular love for Indonesia. This beautiful country is more than just a destination; it's where the love of my life, my wife, was born. Exploring Indonesia not only introduced me to its stunning landscapes and delicious cuisine but also connected me with the most warm-hearted and hospitable people who possess remarkable manners, helpfulness, and positive attitudes.
I love to cook and eat good, varied food. Yeah, who doesn't right? But did you ever have a dish that moved you to tears? South East Asian cuisine in particular, holds a special place in my heart. The spicier, the better 🌶️!
Get in touch 📬
If you have any questions or would like to collaborate, please feel free to reach out. Let's create something amazing together!