Meet the Nomic Team — Christopher Dedominici, Software Engineer on Hardhat

Meet Chris — a Software Engineer on the Hardhat team and an avid ice bather!

Where are you located? Is that where you are from originally?

I currently live in Zurich, Switzerland, but originally, I’m Italian, from a small city near Turin. Before moving to Switzerland, I spent 4 years in Copenhagen. After 4 years in such a flat country, I decided to completely change the landscape and move to a very mountainous one.

Who are you outside of work? What do you like to do in your spare time?

Like many software engineers, I love coding and working on personal projects in my free time. I’m also a huge sports enthusiast: I exercise at the gym, swim, ski, and whenever possible, I try to go sailing. My passion for sailing was so strong that several years ago, I decided to get a sailing license. I still have the secret dream of sailing around the world for 6–12 months. Also, during my time in Denmark, I was introduced to ice bathing by a colleague of mine. At first, I thought he was completely crazy. But after giving it a try, I changed my mind! He was a genius! It’s one of the best feelings ever, even though it was a bit painful the first time, as you can see from the photo below (Nordic Sea on a January morning, water around 1 degree Celsius) 🙂

What were you doing professionally before joining Nomic?

Before joining Nomic, I worked at a large tech company. Then, I decided to make a switch to the blockchain world and the startup scene by joining a crypto bank. Moving from a big company to smaller ones was a very interesting experience. I transitioned from a very “vertical” and organized structure to a more flexible and dynamic one.

Why did you decide to join the team?

I’ve always used Hardhat for my personal projects in my free time, and I also used it in my previous job. So, when I got the opportunity to join a team that is so passionate about the blockchain world and maintains such high standards in the products they develop, how could I have said no?

What’s your story behind getting into crypto/blockchain/decentralized tech?

I’ve always been fascinated by the blockchain and crypto world, starting to delve into the field about 4–5 years ago. After a while, it became clear to me that the world was gradually shifting towards decentralization, prompting me to pursue a career in the field to deepen my experience and actively contribute to this change. Working on personal projects was no longer enough for me; I wanted to be more deeply involved.

What did you learn about Nomic during your first weeks?

It’s not exactly something I learned, but I have a fun story from my first days at Nomic. Several years back, while I was exploring the blockchain world, I came across free online materials by Patrick Collins (which, by the way, are amazing and highly recommended). He was using Hardhat in his videos!

I remember that shortly after joining Nomic, I was tasked with addressing a few bugs, and one of them had been reported by none other than Patrick himself! It was an amazing surprise to be fixing a bug reported by the very person who taught me how to use Hardhat!

Which of our core values resonate with you the most and why? How do you see them being “used” at Nomic?

My top three favorites, not in any particular order, are definitely these:

• High Standards: I love the attention to detail that we put into our everyday work. I realized how high the standards were from day one.
• Developer Experience: I really appreciate that we care deeply about improving the developer experience as much as possible. We attentively check and read all the comments and issues opened on GitHub by people.
• Autonomy: I love how flexible my working hours are. I can manage my time however I want. This feeling of freedom is incredible! Especially for software engineers. Because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love, sometimes, to code at 3 AM when everything in the city is asleep, and you have your favorite music in your headphones? That’s when great code is made!

What are you excited about when you think about your future at Nomic?

We have a lot of exciting new products and features set to be released this year and in the years to come, which are going to have a huge impact on the ecosystem. Being part of the team that develops tools used by so many people in the blockchain world is an incredible feeling! It truly makes you feel valuable. Plus, the best part is that everything is open-sourced!

What is your best tip for staying productive and happy when working remotely?

This is a tricky question because I believe it varies from person to person.

To be honest, at the beginning, I was a bit apprehensive about starting a job that was 100% remote, with no physical office at all. Being Italian, I’m naturally very social and I always enjoyed going to the office to work and spend time with my colleagues. However, the sense of freedom and control over my time that comes with a 100% remote job is truly incredible!

But, as Spider-Man says, “With great power comes great responsibility” 🙂 The absence of fixed office hours could become a challenge if you’re not adept at managing your time. To mitigate this, I try to set specific working hours dedicated solely to focusing on work, without distractions.

To maintain a good social interaction level, sometimes I work a few hours in bars or cafes, though not too often since I need my two big screens. I haven’t started yet, but I’m also planning to go to a co-working space 2–3 times a week.

Do you want to join our team and help grow the ecosystem? We’re hiring!