Software Engineer, Programmer, Web Developer, teacher and poet.
Steven Koerts (1997) (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), is a software engineer, technical educator, and storyteller recognized for his ability to synthesize complex system architecture with a human-centric narrative. He holds a Bachelor of Computer Science (BSc) from the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (2020), where he followed a minor in software engineering and storytelling. Stevens professional career is defined by his transition from building large-scale digital infrastructures for leading agencies like Hoppinger and Vidda Digital to shaping the next generation of engineers as a teacher in Computer Science. His technical portfolio spans from intricate 3rd-party integrations and global stakeholder management to the development of custom platforms for the cultural sector. Currently, he is focused on high-level technical strategy, cloud architecture and thinking of the process to setup a new structure that supports business needs.
Beyond his technical contributions, Steven is also an often seen figure in the creative scene and cultural sector as a poet, storyteller and sometimes even with a comedic twist(#nopressure). This unique intersection of disciplines allows him to shift between technical details and the human needs. Always keeping the bigger picture and story in mind. Whether designing a software ecosystem or advocating for cultural innovation, Steven bridges the gap between technical rigor and creative expression.
A picture of me at my best when I hit the stage.
Here is a list of websites that I have built in the past, either for clients or for community projects.
And offcourse this one: stevenkoerts.nl
FYI: I'm born in 1997, so what do I know. ;)
The possibilities of modern web applications are becomming more and more advanced. With the rise of new technologies like React, Angular and Vue.js, the web is changing rapidly. With just HTML, Javascript and CSS you can build a full scale application.
But, what about the old days? The days of the internet of the 90s. The days of the blink tag, the marquee tag or the headbanging_banana.gif.
The internet allowed you to have a personal homepage (PHP, no pun intended) where you can just express yourself. A little online creative space where you show to the world who you are (or who you are not, depending on your point of view).
The 90s web is the inspiration for this website. Since I am the only maintainer of my portfolio website, why should I configure a complicated CMS, maintain a database and have a complex build process?
I can just write some HTML, CSS and Javascript on a single file and put it on the internet. The 90s seemed to have figured out simplicity perfectly. No need for a fancy build process, no need for a database, no need for a CMS. By removing unnescary complexity, you also reduce the risk of breaking things in the future. Think of it like a car, the more features it has, the more things can break.
Why even have CSS and Javascript?
HTML provides enough functionality to get your point across.
It is a markup language after all. Look at motherfuckingwebsite.com/
They seem to have gotten the memo.
Being able to write a piece of text and put it live through a single document is a very elegant way of maintaining a website. Look at the YAGNI principle. By going back to the basics, it gives room to think about the essence why you are creating something in the first place.
Sidenote: Who remembers hyves.nl, or were you more of a myspace kind of person?
The idea of having a personal website is a good way to express creativity. From old style 90s websites and personalized homepages to big multinational brands. Having a place where you can try new idea's and directly share them with the wonderfull world of the wide web gives a feeling of ultimate freedom. Whether you put your idea's on some sticky notes on the wall, or in a public directory for everyone to see. Writing it down and sharing your thoughts is the first step towards realization.
Don't be affraid to share new idea's and random thoughts. Just make stuff, throw it into the world and let the people respond to it.
Functional Programming is one of those skills that not every programmer has and where the opinions among developers deviate whether they think it is usefull, or not. Where one programmer will see pure beauty within closures, lambda expressions, immutability, function compositions and curried functions. Others are completely confused by the syntax.
Functional Programming might not get you a job in the real world, but it definitely gives the engineer a higher level of understanding about the computer science world. In most cases you probably also don't need any functional programming knowledge. Nevertheless, the few programmers who know it will be able to set themselves apart from the crowd.
I am one of those programmers who sees the beauty within functional programming paradigms and once in a while it is nice to fiddle some draft functions in a blanco project.
Let's take a look at the above code snippet written in Typescript, that I picked up while following a software engineering minor and that I still use today. (Guess what, something I learned in school is still usefull.)
The snippet includes an interface Func, that simulates the structure of a lambda, simular to the
Func in C#.
Each attribute is a function.
Where:
Understanding every inch of these concepts is a long road. Eventually functional programming practices the concept of writing code that doesn't break over time. Being able to write code that does not break, that sounds like music to my ears and that is what every self respecting developer tries to strive towards.
So, are you ready to give functional programming a chance?
This is a list of books that I either picked up during my studies or picked up later on in my spare time. These books are nice way to get new insights, or just to refresh my memory.
Always keep learning!
Ter gelegenheid van 750 jaar stadsrechten Schiedam heb ik een storytelling platform gebouwd om zoveel mogelijk verhalen uit de stad te verzamelen. Deel jouw verhaal met de stad en breng een mooie ode!
Bekijk de site op odeaanschiedam.nl
And for the techies reading this. The project is made with state of the art technologies. This project gave me the liberty to experiment with Strapi headless CMS and Next.js.
PRO TIP: Don't throw away any of your code, keep everything you write.
You never know when you need it again. As a software developer your code is your most valuable asset.
I store all of my past code in my Github Gist.
For instance this Force Directed Graph layouting algorithm using Freuchterman-Reingold that I wrote as part of my graduation thesis.