Joshua's next step as a Business Engineer

At JAM-IT we work with great dedication on developing smart, user-friendly IT solutions for our clients. Our colleague Joshua is a fine example of that. After a long and successful assignment at Gemeente Rotterdam, he recently started somewhere new: at housing landlord Woonhave. In this blog he talks about his move, what he has learned and what he is now working on with a lot of energy.

"At Gemeente Rotterdam I grew along with the team"

When Joshua started at Gemeente Rotterdam, he joined a compact team working on app development. After 18 months he made a start with the Digital Quality Team. "I was part of the Digital Quality Team, which I set up with Edgar and Ruben. We worked on maintaining generic modules, such as an email module used in many applications. When we took over the maintenance of every application within Gemeente Rotterdam, the work became a good deal more complex. We had to understand how everything worked."

The challenge lay not only in the technology, but also in the rapid growth of the team itself. "You grow as a team, but you also have to make sure everything keeps working together. That calls for clear communication, collaboration and keeping sight of the whole."

It is no surprise, then, that Joshua is above all proud of what he built up together with his colleagues: "The Digital Quality Team grew into an important point of contact within the organisation. It felt good to help build that."

Technically, Joshua developed at lightning speed during his assignment at Gemeente Rotterdam, but he also discovered the importance of soft skills: "There I really learned to listen properly. To solve a problem well, you first have to understand what it is. So you listen, you ask questions, and you try to map out the problem before you start on the solution."

His problem-solving ability also grew, as did his ability not only to build applications but also to maintain and manage them in the long term.

New environment, new role: getting started at Woonhave

After his time at Gemeente Rotterdam it was time for Joshua to take a next step. He started as a senior developer on a project at Woonhave, where he is responsible for the further development of a large internal application that streamlines processes around rental housing.

"The biggest difference? I am now the only developer on this project. That means I have a lot more responsibility. I manage the development process based on the roadmap and build new features and integrations. I have Armando and Martijn in the background for support." The work is challenging, but also exactly what Joshua was looking for. "Because I have more experience now, I also dare to do more."

Collaboration remains essential

Even though he now works on the code alone more often, Joshua says collaboration remains essential. "At Gemeente Rotterdam I learned how valuable it is to exchange ideas with other developers. You learn so much from that."

Joshua's tip for other developers

Joshua has a clear message for other developers or maintainers:

"Never stop learning. The world of software development changes fast, certainly now that AI is gaining more and more influence. Stay curious and work together with others. It is precisely from that collaboration that you learn the most practical things."

With his fresh energy, technical expertise and a healthy dose of eagerness to learn, Joshua is right at home in his new role. And at JAM-IT? We are proud to have colleagues like Joshua: people who want to keep growing and building smart solutions that really make a difference.