Three interesting things about Raphael
1. I've enjoyed rollerskating since I was 16. I've broken an elbow, an ankle and my knees are usually in pain. But I won't stop! I'm still rollerskating (just, slowly).
2. My girlfriend and I own a campervan. Notable fact; we had a road trip to West England, and Ireland last summer. Most of the time it was NOT raining (and it was beautiful, but that was expected).
3. My entire family name is much longer than the above (I don't own a castle, though, sadly).
How did you start a career in tech?
I've had computers since I was a child (the first one at home was a Thomson MO5!). For many years it was just a hobby for which I had a lot of curiosity: I tried to create my first HTML page 20 years ago. 12 years ago, I was unemployed for some months, and a friend asked me to help on their website. I did my best and learnt the basics of PHP. That lead me later to Drupal, and then Symfony. Not long after that, I became a freelancer: Et voilà!
What do you find hard about coding?
The hard part is also the best; you have to learn every day. We never get bored. As everything changes a lot, it can be frustrating to have to choose between technology. Coding, reading documentation, learning new API, new practices, new design patterns. Sometimes you need to take a break (so you buy a campervan!).
Talk about your ideal development environment
My computer (Archlinux, NVIM and a lot of Firefox tabs), a large coffee, and my cat (his name is Lucifer, yes, really). If the desk could be in the middle of the mountain, or in front of the ocean, it would be a perfect day!
What do you like most about freelancing for Code Enigma?
Team spirit. I'm a newcomer, but it seems that everyone is involved and happy. Open Source is everywhere and encouraged, dev meetings are not boring; you're allowed to smile, wear an old t-shirt, enjoy a tea or coffee with colleagues. Most importantly, I'm already learning new things, which is making me a better developer. And If I'm better, then the team benefit.