”Meet Acubiz” is a series of articles that’ll take you behind the scenes at Acubiz. They’ll tell the stories of the everyday heroes. In this article, the spotlight is turned towards our talented API Developer, Joacim Vetterlain.
Can you tell us about your role in the Development team in Acubiz?
My role includes working with API integrations for salary and finance systems. Acubiz has had a lot of success working with integrations for salary and finance systems, and lately there’s been more focus on API’s. That’s why I was hired – to help modernize old API’s and build new ones. Let me explain what an API is. If we look at our Acubiz One app, it’s possible to scan a receipt. I take the picture, the amount, the currency and any other relevant information and gather it in a file which the salary or finance systems can read. Integrations with these systems are a basic prerequisite for optimal use of our solution. So I do play a big role in regards to delivering our sublime solution for our customers. But that’s of course something all my colleagues are doing – in their own individual way. Right now I’m working on integrations, a new web interface and a self-service universe where new customers can easily launch and configure an Acubiz solution.What does a typical day at the office look like for you?
Well, I show up for work in the morning and walk around the office to say good morning to everyone. I have my cup of coffee, and then the development team typically has a meeting where we discuss what we finished yesterday, and what we’ll be working on today. So, we set up some goals and figure out what the status is on our ongoing projects. After that, I start developing, documenting, operating and supporting. We’re also having more in-depth meetings where we discuss future projects, and (again) how far we’ve come with the implementation of current ones. It’s very important for the development team to make sure that everything doesn’t just work okay. It needs to work perfectly. That’s our focus, and it’s also why we maintain ongoing communication, so we ensure that everyone works in the same direction. All in all, I develop and code most of the time. I also learn new things and get to use all the things I already know.What motivates you to drive all the way from Hundested to Birkerød?
It’s a long trip, but I actually don’t mind it that much. When I’m at work I have the chance to develop (😉 ) my skills and be challenged so I improve and become an even more skilled version of myself. That’s why it’s worth it to me. Of course I also value that I can walk into an office and have a lot of colleagues to talk to. I also feel like I would be missing something by not showing up at the office. Even though I would be, I wouldn’t feel as involved in decision making and the planning of Acubiz’ future on the tech-side. That’s why I’m at the office approx. 4 days a week.Have you always been interested in API integrations and IT?
No, I can’t say that I have. I’ve always been interested in computers. Since I was young, I’ve been building computers with my stepdad. At that time I wasn’t interested in coding, but more on how the hardware parts of a computer worked. Later in life I started educating myself to become a ship officer, but I quickly learned that life on sea didn’t suit me as well as I’d originally thought. When I went ashore, I got a job at a transporting company, where my boss realized that I was pretty good with computers. He helped me get an education as an information technologist. To this day, I’m still very grateful for that! I completed my education while still working at the transporting company as a developer, and I created a couple of integrations for different transportation systems. So, I’ve changed direction quite a bit, but I now feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be.What questions do your colleagues ask you the most?
Well, that depends on what you refer to. I go hunting quite often, so sometimes I get asked if I’ve shot anything in the weekend or if I’ve caught any fish. In terms of work-related questions, I often get asked if I can help with coding. I also get asked about what’s possible to code in different contexts. This could be, for example, whether you can pull data from one specific system and into another. It could also be the other developers who might have some questions regarding something that they need help coding.What is the biggest difference between Acubiz and your previous workplaces?
That’s a tough question as I haven’t worked at a lot of different places. As mentioned earlier, I used to work for a transportation company, and now I work in fintech. Those industries are quite different. The biggest difference is probably that I was the only developer at my previous workplace. Now I’m part of a team of seven. In terms of size and tasks, the two workplaces are actually quite similar as I’ve built integrations at both companies. So, most of what I’m working with today, I’ve been working with before. Maybe things have different names, but aside from that much remains the same.Can you give three tips for anyone who wants to give coding a try?
- I think that it’s a good idea to have a reason to start coding, as in: you have a problem and you need coding in order to solve it. Let’s say that you’ve planted some peas, but you keep on forgetting to water them. In this case, it would make sense to build a little thing to water your plants for you – and you would need to code it in order for it to function properly. So in short, find a simple project that you can easily finish.
- Watch a lot of tutorials on YouTube or other online platforms. By doing this, you can see how others code and learn some tips and tricks.
- Choose one language and master it. And by this I don’t mean Danish or English, but a coding language like Python or JavaScript. Focus on that one language and then you can expand your horizon later.
