Joachim Zeelmaekers
Making Sense of Technology, People, and Everything In Between

Latest

Feb
16
The Cost of Keeping What You Should Remove

The Cost of Keeping What You Should Remove

Every product I have worked on has features that cost more to keep than they are worth. Not broken features.
3 min read
Feb
09
What Code Reviews Actually Teach Us

What Code Reviews Actually Teach Us

If I had to name something that taught me a lot as a software engineer, it would be the code
5 min read
Feb
02
What Great Teams Understand

What Great Teams Understand

I've been on a lot of teams. Some of them looked great on paper. Smart people. Good intentions.
4 min read
Jan
26
One Month of Writing in Public: What the Numbers Actually Say

One Month of Writing in Public: What the Numbers Actually Say

I've been at this for a month now. One month of trying something that, honestly, made me awkward
4 min read
Jan
20
Revisiting: Clean Up Your Code by Applying These 7 Rules

Revisiting: Clean Up Your Code by Applying These 7 Rules

About five years ago, I wrote a post titled “Clean Up Your Code by Applying These 7 Rules.” At the
4 min read
Jan
13
Architecture Without Constraints Is Just Speculation

Architecture Without Constraints Is Just Speculation

Early in my career, I built a lot of prototypes. MVPs with tight budgets, tighter deadlines, and one clear goal:
3 min read
Jan
05
A More Practical Way for Developers to Learn Algorithms

A More Practical Way for Developers to Learn Algorithms

Many developers quietly assume Big-O and data structures are only for low-level specialists. Stacksmith is my experiment to disprove that myth and show how everyday algorithmic choices can radically change performance.
6 min read
Dec
30
Respecting What Came Before

Respecting What Came Before

We all know the saying “respect your elders”. Most of us grow up with the idea that experience matters, and
3 min read
Dec
21
Listening Through a Year of Change

Listening Through a Year of Change

This year, the return to the office for a few days a week brought back something I had quietly lost
3 min read
Aug
17
My First 5 Years as a Software Engineer

My First 5 Years as a Software Engineer

I’ll take you through "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of what I experienced in the first 5 years of my career.
5 min read