Today we are going to talk to Amos Bastian, the CTO of StudyPoint. Amos is half English and half Dutch, and he has been working as a software developer for nearly 4 years now. Currently based in Copenhagen, he has been helping StudyPoint to grow. In this interview, you will get to know more about him and his journey at StudyPoint.
How did you get into programming?
I was studying astrophysics at university and we had some classes where we had to do some programming with Python. During this time I realised I enjoyed programming much more than what I was currently doing, so I decided to learn more about it and eventually switched to studying computer science the following year.
What does your day look like?
Since I'm a full stack developer it can vary a lot depending on what kind of project I am working on so it's quite difficult to answer this question. I would say what most days have in common is a lot of Googling and going on StackOverflow. 🤣
What do you do in your spare time?
I really enjoy programming so I also spend a lot of my spare time coding stuff and learning new things related to programming. Other than that I like lifting weights at the gym and spending time with my lovely girlfriend.
Why did you decide to join StudyPoint and what did you learn?
I decided to join StudyPoint for multiple reasons. First of all I thought it was a good idea with a lot of potential — it is something I would have definitely used myself during university. Secondly, it was a good opportunity for me to learn a lot about every single part of a web application such as user authentication, uploading images, analytics etc. as well as learn more about working in a team and planning a project.
Have you ever visited Slovakia? (If yes, how did you like it there?)
Yes, I've been to Slovakia a couple of times and I have loved every single time. The first time I went there was in the summer of 2020 to visit Kristina, and I ended up staying longer than planned, so that should tell you enough.
What was/is the most challenging part of your job at StudyPoint?
Since I'm the only programmer currently working at StudyPoint it means that when I have a problem I can't talk to someone else about it, which can mean that stuff takes longer to get done. Of course I learn a lot this way and I can honestly say I really enjoy the challenge.
What do you think is the most challenging part of StudyPoint?
I think the most challenging part of StudyPoint is to get the users to keep coming back, which is sort of true for every business out there. We are still trying to figure out the best way to do this, but I think we already have some good ideas on how to improve this!
Describe StudyPoint with 3 words.
Learn and earn.
Why should students use StudyPoint?
I was terrible at writing my own notes, so if you are like me, then you should definitely use StudyPoint to find notes written by someone else that you can then use to ace your exams. If you aren't like me and are actually good at writing notes, then StudyPoint is a great opportunity for you to earn some money while simultaneously helping out your fellow students.
We hope the interview was interesting, and if you want to help other students or earn some money, StudyPoint is the right place for you.