Thorleif Thorleifsson

Meet Morten - Full Stack Developer

Welcome to Maritime Optima Morten. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Thank you! I am 22 years old and I currently live in Gjøvik, Oppland but grew up close to Oslo in Bærum. I have a big family with 3 siblings, a mother who is a serial tech entrepreneur and a father working at the local high school. From a young age I have always had a passion for music in the form of playing classical guitar. When I got older I found a new passion in computer technologies and programming.

During high school, I mostly took A level classes such as math, physics and chemistry until I was an exchange student in York, England. When I got home I worked throughout the summer break for a tech startup, helping out doing digital marketing and started learning a bit about coding. When the summer break was over, I chose to take two courses in informatics instead of physics and chemistry.

After I finished school, I spent another summer working for the same company as the year before learning more about programming and on digital marketing. In 2016 I started my bachelor in programming at NTNU in Gjøvik and I finished my BSc in June 2019, while spending the summer breaks working for different companies. I have been with i-Sea AS, where I worked with the boating app Embark and I have been with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute working with maps and with their frontend and backend solutions.

I wrote a bachelor thesis about “Visualizing 3D BIM Models in the Real World Using Augmented Reality” together with two fellow students.

What programming languages do you feel comfortable working with both frontend and backend?

Throughout my studies I have had the opportunity to work with several different companies and got to experience several different tech stacks and programming languages. The one I am most comfortable with is probably Javascript, using frameworks such as React and React-Native while I also like working with backend solutions using NodeJS. I have written a lot of Java and Kotlin both for Android and other Java based solutions throughout the last year.

I have some experience in C++ as we have used it throughout school, but I do not prefer it unless necessary. I have touched on other languages like Python and PHP and I have recently started using Golang which I have enjoyed. I have used and learned a lot of languages, however I do believe that it is more important to use the right language for the job rather than sticking to a language you like. Learning a new programming language is not too difficult, therefore it is more important to look at the requirements you need and the language’s strengths and weaknesses.

What do you hope to achieve during the summer months in Maritime Optima?

During the summer I would like to get experience working with new and exciting technologies and architecture. I really like the idea behind Maritime Optima but I am especially excited about the current technology stack. At the end of the summer break, I would love to feel like I have contributed to making a really special product, and learned a lot about building complex architectures and to look back at a good MVP product built from scratch.

There are so many digital maritime initiatives around and start-ups - what is unique with Maritime Optima?

I think the idea about digitising the maritime industry is great. I am not a specialist in that particular field, but I have found the subject very fascinating and I think the product will be very special. However, as I briefly mentioned earlier, I think that the technology stack is incredibly interesting. The idea of gathering a huge amount of data and using well designed micro services to make complex calculations about ship voyages and costs is very cool. In addition, the concept of using machine learning to improve such calculations is also something I think is unique.

I also think that the people behind Maritime Optima makes it unique. There is a lot of experience and knowledge within management, business and shipping, as well as there  is great technical skills from young and hungry developers. The team is extremely hard working people who are willing to go to extreme lengths to make the product great. I think this makes Maritime Optima unique.

Can you describe what you mean by “a successful team” – and what is important for you to stay on a team?

A successful team is effective in getting work done, has good routines and a fitting work methodology for their project, and has good communication where everyone is completely honest about their own and other’s performance, but respectful towards each other. It is important to take advantage of different people’s strengths and be conscious about their weaknesses so that they can be improved.

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