Rieven Martis is a Dutch Caribbean Full-Stack Developer with a passion for Bioinformatics. Python is his native language, following Java, R and Bash. Music inspires him, just as much as good conversations about science, spirituality, literature, history, art and culture.
Where has your career taken you?
I don’t completely understand the question. Do you mean a place? or where I am right now in my career? I am now a better developer and in my personal life I can communicate better with people. Because of my career I also learned how to handle feedback much better.
What’s the coolest thing about your project/work?
Seeing the result after the build. Looking back and be proud of myself of what I’ve build.
What is your relationship with Ngrane, have you ever collaborated with us before and if so, what were/are your thoughts on your experience with us?
I work at Ngrane 😊 I think Ngrane’s people are what makes it so special, everybody has a unique personality which fits Ngrane’s company culture and philosophy. We all aim for excellence and are eager to learn new things. We want to become better and sometimes even the best.
What’s a book/film/podcast you think everyone should know about and why?
Check the video below! It’s about how you can forgive someone by having a crucial conversation. It is healing! One of the most value books we read as team was actually called Crucial Conversations and we still implement knowledge from the book each day.
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What’s your ultimate tip for leading a better and more productive remote-working life?
Take responsibility. Know that when you work from home, if you procrastinate, you have to finish it. What also helps is to decorate you environment in a manner you can work more efficient and have a clear mind. The same type of environment like you would have at the office for example. Finally, planning your day in advance makes a big difference.
What service or app could you never do without and would recommend everyone?
Google Drive. I think the flexibility you have to collaborate on documents and also the search functionality is amazing. Everything is there and you can find it quickly.
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received, and why?
An electric guitar. I had helped this man with his computer while working at a computer repair company. I exceeded his expectation by going above and beyond. So he gifted me an electric guitar!
If you could give one piece of advice (in your field of work) to a big group of people, what would it be?
I would say, find something outside of work where you can reset your mind, a hobby, something which sets your mind to zero. This helps your mind to be clear during working hours. It gives you more energy to think. You can memorize things better. This can help with your overall performance.
How do you take care of your mental health while working from home during these times?
I go to the gym. I specifically do cardio when I start. This helps the blood pump through my veins and relieves stress and thoughts. It makes my mind wander for a bit to just let go. This gets my endorphins flowing and makes me very happy.
Imagine you could step in a teleport for a day and go to any place and time in history. Where and when would you travel to?
I would travel to Egypt in times of 20th Dynasty and find out how they’ve built the Pyramid. I also want that type of knowledge!
What is the nerdiest thing you do in your free time?
I play Mario Kart Tour on my phone.
What’s the most useless talent you have?
I can put my whole pinky in my nose.
What does community and inclusion mean to you and why are they important?
It is a sense of belonging, that people look after you, people are worry about you, they care. When you are included you feel love and understanding. You feel that you are part of something and are treated with respect. People want you to feel that your difference is normal, your difference is respected, don’t you worry you can be what you want to be and we respect that. It is normal to feel or be different.
What does success mean to you?
Success means that I have control over my life and that I have the good health to accomplish this. I am happy and able to do what I want in this lifetime.
What are you looking forward to?
Forward to become a better version of myself. Improve myself personally and at work.