About Me

Dutchie living in the Caribbean

Software Engineer

My name is Melissa and I was born in the Netherlands. I am married and together with my husband I have a teenage son. In the summer of 2021 we moved from the Netherlands to Aruba to enjoy the tropical island life.

Since 2013 I have been active in IT as a software developer with a background in user experience design. I have over 15 years of work experience where I worked in finance in my early career. My work at an advertising agency inspired me to go back to school full time to get a degree in Art and Technology. This is where I first came into contact with programming.
After my studies I first worked as a freelancer in the field of both design and software development. After a while I decided to fully commit to software development and started an IT Traineeship to become a fulltime software developer.

In my free time I love to go for a hike in nature, go scuba diving or free diving and since 2020 I am also into photography. I love to capture beautiful landscapes, birds and other wildlife. I also love to participate in citizen science projects, beach clean ups and advocating science and programming to children.

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Timeline