A day in a life of David Nääs, frontend Engineer at the classical music-streaming service IDAGIO
“I started at IDAGIO in 2016 to help build our web app, but that project has now become two: a web and a desktop app.”
1. What does a typical day for you at IDAGIO look like?
I usually start my day by getting in to work later than I had planned, grabbing some of our delicious coffee, and then proceeding to sit down at my desk where I do Professional Software Development™. From a bystander’s perspective, my days look pretty similar, but my tasks vary depending on where the product is heading. As an example, I started at IDAGIO in 2016 to help build our web app, but that project has now become two: a web and a desktop app. In general, you could say that I implement the designs and specifications that my colleagues in the UX and product design department produce. My days naturally involve a lot of coding, but our roles are not that rigid. As a developer I also participate in more high level activities and discussions.
2. What made you decide to join IDAGIO?
I got in contact with a developer working at IDAGIO in late 2015 through the web audio meetup here in Berlin. They were looking for a senior frontend developer, which I was not, but I decided to apply anyway, which is something I don’t regret. The reason I, in the end, decided to join was twofold. First, I got a very good vibe from the company in terms of its culture. It’s very welcoming and friendly, but people are still very driven and believe in the product. Second, I have a personal interest in music and, although the majority of the work I do isn’t strictly music or audio related, it’s nice to have that connection to stay motivated.
3. What do you do for fun? Any crazy hobbies?
In Berlin, it’s hard to look crazy. Like any other hipster, expat, coffee drinking dude in Berlin, I record and produce music. But I also like just chilling out in my flat wearing comfy clothes and slippers, which is pretty rad now that I think of it.
4. Any advice for aspiring frontend developers out there?
Don’t believe the hype! You don’t have to be the maintainer of a large open source project, ship a personal side project every month, and have a full time employment at a unicorn startup in order to be a competent developer.
