Christian & Markus, Senior Software Developer

Hi, I'm Dins (Christian Dins), 32 years old and a Senior Software Developer at CHECK24 since mid-2019. I started with a bachelor's and master's degree in computer science at the University of Augsburg, where I also worked as a research assistant. After that, I started working directly in software development here.

Hi, I'm Markus, 32 years old and also a Senior Software Developer at the Augsburg location. I first completed an apprenticeship as an IT specialist for application development in a small agency. Then I worked in a medium-sized company as an IT manager, among other things, until I joined CHECK24 in February 2022.

The Booking Machine is a very diverse area related to everything that accompanies the customer from A-Z in terms of booking in the back-end area. If you look at a car, we are precisely what is under the bonnet - in other words, the engine. One of our current exciting topics is performance optimization, aiming to increase the site's speed and thus make the user experience even better.

We have the task of further developing the software and fixing errors and deviations from suppliers. I am explicitly responsible for the product in Spain and take care of the market-specific orientation in coordination with the product managers in Madrid. We work on the same software in both Germany and Spain but adapt it individually to country-specific conditions.

I don't have a fixed time - sometimes I'm there exceptionally early and sometimes later. My starting time varies between 6:00 and 09:30 in the morning. Since I live only 5 minutes away on foot, I like to be spontaneous. I also don't have a fixed pattern for how I start the day, but system stability is the first thing that is relevant to me. Otherwise, I look at the pull requests, i.e., the code reviews of my team colleagues, and release them. Finally, shortly before closing time, I review the day and prepare for the next day.

I'm in the office at the same time every day because I come by public transport, so I always start at 8:30. Then I always get a coffee first. Strengthened by this, I check the logs on the Spanish and German systems to ensure the stability of the software. My last move is to test what I have developed during the day and to finish the day with an after-work beer.

I'm definitely a team office person, but the home office allows me to take time out and focus entirely on one topic. But if I don't have to, I prefer to be in the office.

I am also clearly in the team office, but I also enjoy being able to go to the home office spontaneously sometimes. It gives me the flexibility I need, especially for my family.

Since the logic behind most programming languages remains the same, I don't have a favorite technology. I find it exciting when you have the opportunity to evaluate new approaches, and I am also happy to be able to try out new techniques with CHECK24.

My favorite technology is PHP - because I've been programming in PHP for over 15 years and have experienced all the changes in the language. However, if I had to choose one framework, it would be Symfony - even though we only use this part and the focus is on Laminas.

I find it impressive that Markus has taken over the whole area of Spain quickly. He has quickly established himself as the central point of contact and has the other team members' backs.

Dins has an astonishingly stoic calm, even in complex and large projects. Even shortly before deadlines or with complex problems, simply nothing upsets him.