Every month, we move our spotlight to someone behind In The Pocket's screens. Who are the people behind the digital products? What drives them? And what can they teach us? Today’s guest of honour: Jef Vandooren, the finest React Native developer there is!

"You get to practise what you preach and preach what you practise amongst like-minded co-workers. Being able to apply this to challenging projects only makes it better."

On average, what’s the most satisfying part of your day? And you can’t say lunch.

One of the little things I like the most is the emoji's my co-workers use to announce their start or end of the day. It's a fun way of communicating what you did last night or what you're about to do after work.

But the most satisfying moments of my day occur when I finally find a solution to a bug that's been bugging me (pun intended) for a long time. Seeing the problem fixed on my screen sparks a moment of joy and pride.

What's it like to be a developer at In The Pocket?

Honestly, it’s pretty nice. You get to practise what you preach and preach what you practise amongst like-minded co-workers. Being able to apply this to challenging projects only makes it better.

I've also learned more from my team members than I could have ever imagined. From constructive criticism on merge requests to interesting reads floating on the web, they always find a way to share their knowledge.

Explain why React Native is better than any other software framework.

I come from a web background, so it's nice that you can use a language you’re already familiar with. Not only to build websites but also to build native iOS and Android apps in a single codebase.

The large open source community contributes to the technology on a daily basis, which makes it an even better technology to use. This community makes sure the framework evolves over time, so it doesn't get outdated.

Could you describe your most memorable day at work? And it can't be the team trip

The first time I actually saw my co-workers in real life was really great. We had an awesome lunch (provided by the amazing Jessy) by the waterside and got to know each other a bit better. It felt really welcoming as a new joiner!

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