Thijs Oostdam: “I Look for Any Way to Avoid Repetitive Tasks
- Thijs OostdamDevOps Engineer
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We have to be able to control data flows and protect customers from cyberattacks.
If given the chance, Java developer Thijs Oostdam would automate anything he can lay his hands on. But when he does, he’ll often choose the path of greatest resistance, knowing that’s the best way to learn. “It shows you how to work smarter and simpler.”
This former architecture student quickly went digital with his design talent as a C++ game developer- and gamer. “I used mods to automate a nuclear reactor in Minecraft. It had absolutely zero benefit, but I loved doing it.”
Thijs spent his evenings studying for his Java certifications. “I wanted a job that allowed me to do what I love doing more than anything else: exploring the world’s best kite-surfing spots.” Thijs eventually found happiness not on the Indonesian island, but close enough: as a passionate Java developer, and a family man with his wife and two children.
Faultless Features
Thijs now works as a DevOps engineer at Rabobank’s Digital & Customer Interaction tribe. His team is in charge of notifications, marketing pop-ups and other information that appears on the Rabo App home screen. “That includes things like the ‘Is this you?’ prompt that shows in the app when you call the bank.”
Millions of customers see, use and experience Thijs’s work, so it has to be faultless. “These services have to be very responsive, manage huge volumes of traffic and be available almost around-the-clock. Our deployments, for example, are usually done as rolling upgrades, so that customers have a seamless experience. Ensuring app performance is tough, but it’s what I like about my job.”
No Single Point of Failure
Compliance is essential at Rabobank, and it plays into Thijs’ current project: developing a feature to display in-app messages. “It sounds easy, until you factor in that banks aren’t allowed to establish unrestricted connections with customers. We have to be able to control data flows and protect customers from cyberattacks. It just goes to show how something that seems so simple can hide serious security issues.”
Thijs often uses built-in redundancy to maximize trust. “I’m talking data bases, back-ups, services. Or when customers receive a notification asking them to confirm a credit card payment. It’s smooth, but it can’t be the only path to complete that action, otherwise it becomes a single point of failure.”
Thijs extends that way of thinking to his private life, too. For instance, he has bank accounts with two different banks in case he’s unable to access one of them. “It gives me peace of mind knowing I can always pay if I need to.”
Scouting Members for the Java Community
Thijs is also a lead in the Java Community, one of Rabobank’s largest. “We have more than a thousand members with whom we share news about recent developments, events and sessions. We also organize our yearly ‘J-Summer Community Conference’, a fantastic day with a high-profile speaker, workshops and presentations by coworkers who’ve done something interesting. It’s a truly collective way to learn and develop.”
I used mods to automate a nuclear reactor in Minecraft. It had absolutely zero benefit, but I loved doing it."
Eager to scout new members, Thijs decided to build a dedicated app from scratch. “It scans for Java files that have been used recently at the bank and shows who’s used them, so I can see which coworkers probably work with Java but aren’t yet a member. I can then jump in and say, ‘Welcome to Rabobank! I see you’re a Java developer. Did you know we have a dedicated Java Community?’”
Choosing the Path of Greatest Resistance
Thijs looks for any way to avoid repetitive tasks. “If it can be automated, we’ll automate it: one-click production deployments, testing all applications against every commit, both UI and API, and automatic detection and notification of incidents.”
Thijs uses that same smart approach to save time at home, gradually building a smart home with Home Assistant on his Ubiquiti network. Even the washing-up has been optimized. “Things get bit a heated with my wife whenever I spot yet another more efficient way to do something,” he says, laughing.
Thijs describes how he’s driven by curiosity. “I enjoy learning and trying out new things. And when I do, I often choose the path of greatest resistance, because that’s the best way to learn. It shows you how to work smarter and simpler. Figuring things out, solving problems and thinking outside the box is the best way to keep on growing.”
