Hello everyone,
The Devolutions family is growing yet again with the addition of our great new Senior Software Engineer Sebastien Robitaille! Recently, I chatted with Sebastien to learn more about his background and role:
Can you tell me a bit about your professional background?
Of course! After getting my Bachelor’s degree in physics and Master’s degree in computer science, I started my career as a software developer 16 years ago. Since then, I’ve worked for a few software companies in Montreal and Laval as a software developer, technical leader, software architect and scrum master.
Over the years, I’ve had the chance to work in very diversified environments, both technology-wise and domain-wise. For example, I developed software for domains such as portfolio management (finance), software assessment (source-code analysis) and video management (security). I’ve also worked on many SDKs, implemented low-level protocols, worked on multi-platform infrastructures, and implemented complex multi-tier application frameworks. I even wrote a game and created 3D assets as part of a personal project!
What would you say is your biggest professional achievement so far?
Writing software is easy; anybody with a computer can write software. The most difficult part is to develop something useful that people need and want. When I speak with former colleagues and they tell me the source code I wrote 10 or 15 years ago is still working well and used in actual products, I feel proud and I consider that as my biggest achievement.
What was it about Devolutions that made you want to work here?
Well, I could say I wanted to work at Devolutions because of the flexible hours, the foosball and ping-pong tables, the on-site gym, the huge cafeteria with HDTVs and couches, but those aren’t the real reasons. Of course, all of those benefits caught my attention, but they’re not what made me want to work at Devolutions. That happened when I first came for an interview with David Hervieux and Stéfane Lavergne. That experience changed everything!
For years, I’ve been analyzing the software development field, and in particular thinking about the problems and challenges of writing software, because there is always more pressure to deliver new features to potential customers. Unfortunately, in some companies, this means that quality is neglected in favor of quantity, and where developers are often disconnected from the needs of customers.
When David described Devolutions’ business model to me, I was shocked! Many of the widespread quality problems in software companies are not found here at Devolutions. I think the reason for this is directly related to the company’s culture, the business model, and how David leads the company. Devolutions is community-driven as is evidenced by the very active platform, there is a strong marketing team, and the development team is not under pressure to meet sales quotas. This allows for a direct connection between the development team and the community.
In addition, David is very decision-driven, and I’ve never accepted a job position so fast in my life! I sent my resume, got an interview, and was offered a job, all on the same day! For all those reasons and more, I decided to join the Devolutions family.
What would you say are your top three strengths at work?
I would say that I value technical excellence, that I’m a solution-oriented team player, and that I’m curious by nature and always eager to explore the unknown.
What tasks do you carry out in your job, and what are some of the tools that you use?
Currently, I write software in C# with Microsoft Visual Studio 2015. Since my arrival a few weeks ago, I’ve also fixed bugs and written a few RDM Add-ons that were requested by our customers. I’m also working on an infrastructure to help bring some existing features of RDM for Windows to the other platforms. I’m sure that I will be adding more projects and duties in the weeks and months ahead.
What are your impressions about working here?
There is a strong culture of transparency at Devolutions. It’s one of the main differentiators with my previous jobs, where decisions were made behind closed doors. Clearly that’s not the case here and I really appreciate it.
What goals would you like to achieve at Devolutions?
In the short term, I want to master our products, understand how they’re used by customers, and have a clear understanding of their architecture and design. This will help me do my day-to-day job of developing software.
In the long term, while I do not have any definitive goals since there is so much to learn and explore, I already know that I would like to be part of Devolutions’ growth. I would like to be involved more and more in the architecture and decisions about our products.
On a personal note, what are some of your hobbies and interests?
I bought myself a very lightweight, used canoe a few years ago. Since then, a friend of mine and I like to “go where almost no man has gone before”, canoeing and portaging to places not accessible by other means. This adventure is my yearly escape from technology, and it helps me ground myself and recharge my batteries!
Please share a few words with our community of IT pros:
In a previous job, I worked on a security system, and I said many times to my friends and family that I was proud to “help make the world a safer place”. Now with Devolutions and RDM’s connection and password management solution, I look forward to continuing this commitment! 