kevin_kraemer

about_me

from_finance_to_code

The first language that I picked up at university was Python. I started out porting excel sheets to simple Python scripts to scale out my assignments. Afterwards, I got more interested in general programming all thanks to the book "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python". I quickly discovered that short scripts could result in significant time savings and that really piqued my interest in programming.

My career began in finance. I started out as a financial risk analyst in a very small team. Automation was key there, and it’s also what made me choose a small company over a larger one. Being in a small company means you get to work on a bit of everything. It gave me the chance to naturally transition into software development.

what_i_work_on

Currently, I work as a full-stack developer in a company that is represented globally. I work once again within a small team that is developing a free web application to assist small businesses and startups with their management of intellectual property. I ensure that everything can expand and change by working across the stack, from frontend interfaces to backend services.

I enjoy shipping features, making quick iterations, and laughing while we try new things, break things, and improve as a team. Little bit of chaos keeps things interesting.

my_philosophy

The way I approach software development is shaped by my background in finance. I’m not into grand plans or perfect designs. For example, stock markets are highly complex systems. There are millions of participants and constantly changing feedback loops. It makes prediction impossible. They discount information immediately, and the ability to adapt is far more important. Life has a way of throwing surprises into your plans.

As such, I focus on building solutions that favor a balance of clear constraints and flexibility. Just like in finance and in nature, I see the pattern of fractals, complex structures emerge from simple rules. I write software with this mindset and it is probably why I favor functional programming patterns.

In the end, I follow the mindset of making it work fast from A to B and then investing time to improve and polish it. I think getting quick feedback, just like in the stock market, is the best way to evolve software.

beyond_code

Outside of work, I’m curious and like learning new things, especially programming languages. I enjoy road and gravel cycling. Ever since I bought power meters for my road and gravel bike, I have adopted this habit of following the same routes over and over again. I am on the competitive side, years of swimming and playing Dota 2 have shaped that side of me. Dota 2 practically ruined all other video games for me. These days I enjoy indie games and have phases where I get hooked on online chess. Hopefully, one day I go back to the fintech world with an interesting value proposition.

tech_and_tools_I_love

The languages I know and use, as well as the things I am currently investing time into.