Meet Adam, the first Keypup software engineer

By now you know that at Keypup we are a cool bunch of developers who want to make software engineers’ and tech leads’ lives easier. We created a virtual assistant that helps you clean the mess around issues and pull requests, automate these pesky tasks, have a centralized and prioritised information flow and most importantly reclaim your own dev time. You don’t know us yet? Well let's get to know each other a bit better!

The goal is to discover what Keypup does, but also who is behind the platform. et us introduce Adam Abdelaziz, who has been a Keypup team member since Day 1. You’ll see that becoming a software engineer has always been his destiny - and that the force is with him - (Ok I’ll stop now). Adam comes with years of experience (and a lifetime of geekiness) and he’s agreed to open up about his background and the keys to be a killer Dev.

Hi Adam! Can you introduce yourself?

Hi! I’m a software engineer at Keypup.io. I’m originally from the U.S. and I’ve spent some time in France since I’ve started at Keypup.

FullStack or Front End? 

Full stack but I’d say I spend most of my time on the backend.

What tools do you use every day? 

I use Github, JIRA, Slack and VScode quite a bit. I also use tmux and vim, mostly because they make me look cool (I hope). And now I also use Keypup to help me stay on top of my work… so basically, I use Keypup to help me build Keypup.

Why did you become a software engineer?

I went to university for engineering but was not able to finish my studies due to financial reasons. I ended up spending most of my early career in sales and finance but after a few years it was apparent that there wasn’t much room left for growth and I felt like the work wasn’t very intellectually demanding, which is something I missed from engineering. 

The hours I worked were also exceptionally long (sometimes > 60hrs/week). It was time for a change. I wanted a career that was mentally rewarding, that would allow me to constantly learn and grow. I also wanted more of a work-life balance since the hours I had been working meant I didn’t get to spend much time with family and friends anymore. Software engineering was a perfect fit! I attended a coding bootcamp and the rest is history.

How did you manage the pandemic?

I feel very lucky to be a developer, especially during these times. Work didn’t change very much for me and I think that made it easier to deal with all the other changes that came along with the pandemic.

What’s the main challenge devs face today?

I think there’s sort of an information overload. Constantly learning new technologies, best practices, etc. is already challenging. Then you add the effort it takes to sift through notifications and emails to determine what is or isn’t important on a daily basis. I’ve found myself spending >1hr just prioritizing my work for the day.

Star Wars or Star Trek?

I’d have to go with Star Trek on this one. C’mon who isn’t a Leonard Nimoy (Spock) fan?!

How do you deal with messy code?

Messy code usually needs to be refactored, and I’m sure plenty of devs will understand what I mean when I say I LOVE to delete unnecessary code.

What’s the most annoying pitfall that you often struggle with when programming?

I get “tunnel vision” sometimes when I’m working on a problem for a long time. It drives me crazy when I realize I missed something simple… like 3 or 4 hours ago. -_-

Parlez-vous français ?

Oui! Je parle un peu français, mais je dois pratiquer beaucoup plus. Je ne peux pas faire le son “R”

Tell us about your role on the Keypup team. What are your responsibilities?

I’m the first software engineer to join Keypup and I’m responsible for helping to develop the platform alongside our CTO Arnaud. (*And he rocks at it, note from Arnaud*)

‍

Do you feel you are in Keypup’s main target audience?

I would say that I’ll become a part of Keypup’s main target as our team grows. I use the platform every day already, but I’d rely on it even more on a bigger team when there is more to “keypup” with.

What’s the main quality a dev should have to be successful?

The technologies we use to develop software are constantly changing, so I think being able to learn new technologies quickly is one of the most important skills a developer can have.

What tips would you give to somebody who is starting out as a developer?

Know when to ask for help. When I was starting out, I was a little stubborn about wanting to solve everything myself and I’ve noticed the same with a lot of devs starting out.

Asking for help when you’re stuck will help you learn at a much faster pace and cut out a lot of the trial and error you would have gone through. I’ve learned a tremendous amount from my teammates, and a lot of the things I’ve learned I might have never picked up on my own.

“Keypup” with our growing teams in the weeks to come. In the meantime, follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for more interesting and fun content!

Discover Keypup here.

‍