Meet The Team: Interview with Madis Liias

We are growing! Today we are chatting to Madis, who joined our team in the beginning of October and is working as an incredible software developer. Wish you a pleasant reading!

What did you do before craftworks?

My „developer“ career started when I was around 16 writing PHP as a freelancer. Naturally, after high school I went on to study computer science in University of Tartu. Then I joined a bank as a software developer and stayed there for 6,5 years.

What about your work do you like the most?

About software development – I like that it has an useful outcome and there are actually people (directly or indirectly) using the software. About craftworks – I like that the company is small, people are really friendly and have a broad range of skills.

Could you describe craftworks in 3 words?

Focused, no-nonsense, learning-new-things-mindset

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

I learn the best when I have specific issues which I want to overcome. Understanding a new technology stack means using it and learning along the way.

Which book would you recommend to read and why?

As mentioned by Boian already, Clean Code by Robert C. Martin resonates with me (protip: there are also video versions). But more than books I like condensed blog posts, thorough Stack Overflow answers or good documentations.

Sci-Fi – Bobiverse by Dennis E. Taylor (protip: audiobooks are very well produced)

What does your typical day at craftworks look like?

I arrive around 9, greet each person, make coffee and continue work from yesterday or lay out a task for today. Then I have common lunch with others, make another coffee, continue working and play 1-2 Tischkicks during the evening.

Apart from work, what do you do with your time off?

Spending time with my girlfriend, taking walks with our dog, exploring Vienna, jogging rarely.

You lived in Estonia before you moved to Vienna right? Did you have any difficulties as you moved to Vienna and how did you deal with them? Maybe you could also tell us what you like most about Vienna.

Largest issue to overcome was finding apartment that suited my needs with manageable monthly rent, but it only took 1-2 weeks. Also, Vienna is divided into districts which are not all alike, so you have the option to choose one you like the most. Other than finding an apartment, it was quite easy here – surprisingly many people speak English, including older generation. Culture is not super different comparing to Estonia (except people eat a lot of pastries here). One thing I like about Vienna is how it feels much smaller than it really is – the only time I really know there are a lot of people here is on morning/evening U-bahn.

3 short questions:

Mac or PC?

PC, Linux ftw

Office or remote?

Office, but I will definitely use the opportunity to work remotely.

Which music is playing on your player right now?

U2 – One

Thank you Madis!

We hope you enjoyed our interview!

PS: Due to the  large amount of  new projects we have, we’re currently hiring more team-members. Sounds interesting?  Check our career page.