Frank Bloo (27)
Joined BigMile in July 2020 as a tech lead
What do you do at BigMile?
‘I was one of the first to work on BigMile software when it was still a project from Districon, commissioned by Connekt and Topsector Logistiek. I was already working on BigMile about three to four days a week, when it became clear that BigMile was going to be an independent company. I then decided to join BigMile fulltime in 2020. In the very beginning, my work consisted of executing the plans devised by others; doing whatever was necessary.
Ever since BigMile became independent, we came closer to the helm of affairs and made our own decisions on what to develop. My job is to think about how to make the software work from a technical point of view for effective development before writing the code. For example, how we can deal with the large amount of data that we need to process. Or how can we provide customers insights in all the data.’
What do you like about your work at BigMile?
‘Because I was there from very the beginning, it feels like BigMile is my own. I have a deep knowledge of the platform; and all of its components, how they interact with each other, the environment in which they operate, and the principles used to design the software. What I like about working at BigMile is that we have a young development team, with people who are all very eager to learn. Together with the team manager I map out the learning needs of everyone and we evaluate how we can achieve this. The other thing that I like is that there is a lot of room for making my own decisions.’
How often do you go to the office and what is the first thing you do when you get there?
‘I go to the office two, mostly three times a week. I am always there on Wednesdays and Fridays. On Wednesday, the entire development team is there and I like to go on Friday. I am trying to reinstate Friday afternoon drinks. What I have noticed is that roads are getting more congested. Every week I decide whether I go or not on Monday.’
If you had to teach someone else something, what would it be?
‘With most of the things I do, I apply the “just do it” mentality. Just like Pippi Longstocking’s famous quote: “I have never tried that before, so I think I should be able to do it.” I believe that sometimes it is better not to know all the details before you start something, because otherwise you might not have started it at all. So I would rather foster a growth mindset than teaching a skill.’
What superpower would you like to have?
‘If I could arrange the weather, that would be very cool. Not only to have tailwind when I am on my bike, but also keep it sunny and dry during the day. Rain could come at nighttime. I would probably also pull a practical joke from time to time. For example, making it snow within a 100-metre radius of someone’s house.’
