Meet Ahmed, our Android Developer and space science enthusiast

New Year, new team members joining Meet the Team series! This month, we are happy to get a chance to speak with Ahmed, savedroid’s Android Developer!

Ahmed has been in software development for 12 years, loves exploring new cultures and enjoys human interaction and meeting new people. He really loves going out of his comfort zone, as he always says, “enjoy life, but enjoy it wisely.” Everyone in the office also knows Ahmed for loving butter… Read below to find out why!

Hello, Ahmed!

• Thank you for participating in this interview. First off, could you please tell us about yourself?
• Certainly. I am Ahmed and I work at savedroid as an Android Engineer. I originally come from Egypt, and I have spent nearly 12 years in software development, going between backend development and frontend development. That’s briefly me!
• So, you came here directly from Egypt. When did you move here and why did you choose Germany?
• I’ve been in Germany just for three months now. Before I was in Egypt, in Alexandria, and this is my first time in Germany and in a European country. From the beginning, my original plan was actually to go to Dubai as it’s closer to Egypt and the culture is familiar. However, I had another plan which was to obtain my PhD in Germany, as I know the education is one of the best here. In the end, that is what brought me here, as well as the fact that the working environment and the quality of life in Germany is way better. Also, Dubai was way too hot! *laughs*

• And how do you like German culture? What are the main differences between the German culture and the one you were raised in?
• One of the main differences is the working culture itself. In Germany, I noticed that people are more dedicated to work. I guess, I’m only saying that because probably in Egypt the lifestyle is more relaxed, and people spend more time on the streets and in cafés. Also, in Germany there are many more restrictions, for instance everything closes by 8:00 in the evening. The main difference I can point out is that in Egypt, you hang out with your friends a lot more at night and can spend time with each other whenever you want, especially in Cairo where the city is really alive at night. Everything is also open on Saturdays and Sundays.
• That seems like a big change. Now you are here working in a startup, at savedroid, but you also worked in a big corporation. What do you prefer, a startup or a big company?
• Both have their pros and cons for sure. My personal preference though are startups. I’ve been working in startups for about 6 or 7 years in my entire career and really enjoyed it because you learn new things and are always challenged. I have learned skills such as personal development, management, and basically a lot of different things from various fields. Moreover, working in a startup is definitely like being at home, as you have this warm feeling from being in really close contact with the people you work with which you do not normally find in bigger companies. For sure, big companies will give you stability and less stress in work, but for me, the challenge that comes with working in a startup will really drive me to improve and develop myself further. I really enjoy it.
• Before coming to savedroid, you’ve also worked as a backend developer, front end engineer, and scrum master. What made you now choose mobile development and why Android?
• I chose mobile development in 2011, and the main reason for this is that you can show your application directly to people and get feedback instantly for what you are working on. This is not the case in backend engineering which is something that is not that obvious for others to show. I indeed switched because I want to show my work to people and share what I’m doing in my life. I started first with developing for Blackberry, then switched to Android as it has just started for around 2 years and was quite an interesting platform gaining a lot of momentum and widely spreading. In summary, I basically just wanted to have my products and my work in my hands always.
• There is something interesting we found out about you. You studied something connected to aviation and space. What made you choose not to pursue that?
• At first, I entered the college of space science, but I didn’t find myself in it because it was very difficult. The learning method there wasn’t quite interesting, so I shifted to my second passion which is development. It was really cool because I discovered that there, I could still learn about aerospace and aerodynamics at the same time. It is nice that I have my base in this, but I still haven’t shifted to my dream of learning about astronomy, space, how our universe works. But who knows, maybe one day you will see me in NASA. *laughs*
• So, how did you manage to smoothly switch from being in the space industry to mobile development? Was it difficult?
• No. To reach the space, you need to have technology, and I am kind of working in the same field of technology at the moment, so I am not that diverted from my passion and dream. I guess, I would just call it a small step in a big dream. Hopefully, it will help me one day to reach it.
• We also know that you’re a self-learner. Do you have any tips for others?
• Sure! My first and most important tip is — don’t be afraid of anything, just conquer whatever you want to learn and start learning it step by step, with even just small bits and data. Once you break the ice and break the barriers, you will see that everything else is simple and you can definitely learn it, and it’s just your internal fear that is separating you from achieving your dreams.
• Very well said. Moving on, everyone in our office knows your addiction to butter. Can you explain that please? Is it part of a specific diet or do you just simply like it?
• It’s an old addiction and an old passion. Not just for butter, but any fatty foods in general. *laughs* I really just like fatty, juicy foods, that’s why. But lately, I started a diet called Keto, and one of the main goals of this diet is to consume more high-quality butter and healthy fats. It was interesting to me and I currently enjoy doing it!
• Oh, so butter is a healthy fat then!
• Yes, it’s healthy but only if you consume it in the right way. *laughs*
• Thank you very much for the interview Ahmed!
• Thank you.