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From graduate to expert developer | Dragos Vrabie’s Mendix journey
In the first installment of our developer profile series, we feature Dragos Vrabie, Consultant Developer at AuraQ. Hear more about his journey from joining AuraQ as a graduate to recently becoming a certified Mendix Expert Developer.
When and how did you come about joining AuraQ?
I first heard of AuraQ shortly after graduating. AuraQ was sponsoring a careers fair at Worcester University and, following a brief interview on the day, I was invited to visit the office the following week and offered a graduate role, which I gladly accepted. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I always thought I would end up sat at a desk and given work under strict supervision. It was quite refreshing to be able to jump between teams, learn different technologies and get acquainted with everyone.
What is your educational background?
I moved to England to study Games Design & Development at Worcester University. The course ended up being a lot of C# and .net with some system design peppered on top for good measure. After university I thought that creating software would not feel engaging, but I wanted to give it a try. To my surprise, I found a lot of satisfaction in creating web apps.
How were you introduced to Mendix?
Around three months after joining AuraQ, I was asked to familiarise myself with the Mendix Academy and took the Mendix Introduction course a few weeks later. Around this time, and as part of my on-boarding, I had a few flings with other technologies but ultimately settled down on Mendix. For me, from the start, Mendix was head-and-shoulders above its peers. It had a much friendlier interface, which made my learning journey significantly easier.
How long have you been using the low-code platform?
It’s around 5 years since I started using Mendix.
Casting your memory back, what was your first Mendix project and how was the experience?
My first project was for LV= insurance. The project was a migration to Mendix for LV=. It was certainly daunting on a personal level; first project, on customer site in Exeter (roughly 150 miles from home), face to face with the client. The work itself wasn’t anything I hadn’t been prepared for technically, but I learnt a lot in terms of client interactions and this set me in good stead for future projects.
For you, what’s the coolest feature of Mendix?
To go back to basics, I think the domain model integration is Mendix’s strongest feature. It is very intuitive to use and it automates the entire DB creation and usage which saves a lot of time.
What app/project are you most proud of?
Generally, I’m usually most proud of my most recent project. The reason is because with each new project, there’s always new widgets and integrations to play with which makes the newest apps the most interesting. But to answer the question, I’ve recently finished a treasury application for London Treasury Limited, which I’m very proud of. The system featured a lot of interlocked features, for example, a number of bank accounts were managed, and money from said accounts would be moved to and from investments and debts, with every action incurring gains or losses, updating KPIs and forecasting portfolio positions.
Finally, congratulations on becoming a certified “Expert Developer.” What advice would you give to other Mendix developers?
I would suggest exploring as many facets of the development as possible, find what really clicks with you and what you find enjoyable, then keep doing it until you’ve mastered it! Go make it!!!
About Mendix Expert Developer Certification
To achieve the Expert Developer Certification you need to send your application to Mendix who will evaluate your completion of the requirements as well as your motivation, project description, customer references, and portfolio. When you reach the Expert Developer Certification you demonstrate capabilities in taking the lead when delivering Mendix applications to customers and must have the following pre-requisites:
- An Advanced Developer Certification
- At least 350 working days on Mendix projects
- Done at least 3 projects as lead developer where the 3 projects were done on different applications and for different clients
While the Rapid Developer Certification proves your Mendix knowledge and the Advanced Developer Certification proves your Mendix skills, the Expert Developer Certification proves more than just knowledge and skills—it proves expertise and experience. As a certified Mendix Expert Developer, you can lead project teams, do project estimations and proofs of concept, and coach other teams.
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