My life @ 45 Degrees : Wim Schepkens

Wim Schepkens, 41 years old and I’ve been in the IT world for a little over 20 years. Started as a junior developer at the height of the dotcom bubble and evolved into architecture, solution architecture and cloud solution architecture. I was involved in a wide range of projects during my career so far. Ranging from e-commerce platforms, POS systems as well as IoT platforms controlling the country’s highway lights and online learning platforms for pharmacies.

How did you find 45 Degrees ?

I was looking for a new opportunity which was really cloud focused, where I would be able to design and help implement complex cloud based environments. I had been working in an international consultancy firm, and also wanted to join something smaller, more focused and flexible. That’s why I was looking for opportunities on a contract basis instead of full employment. This meant I mostly got freelance opportunities, but they couldn’t wait until I was free to start an assignment.

That’s when Loes contacted me through LinkedIn with a proposal to join a small starting company that did only cloud architecture. And since they were specifically looking for profiles like mine, they had no problem to wait until I was free.

Why did you join 45 Degrees ?

As I said earlier, mostly because it’s a smaller, more dynamic company which specializes in cloud architecture and cloud adoption.

What projects did you do so far ?

My first project was helping to design and implement a cloud environment for Windows Virtual Desktop to enable the client to work remotely.

Shortly after that I got involved in an ongoing project which is really building a cloud center of excellence with that client. This consists of participating and delivering multiple projects, while guiding the client on the technology side of things as well as best practices, architecture and organization.

What do you like about working for 45 Degrees ?

The open atmosphere, the flexible structure of the company, you can talk to anyone openly and you will get a quick response.

I like the fact that the structure of the company is pretty flat, so not much “Title”-ego going around.

But mostly the “can-do” attitude.

What are you most proud of during your time @45 Degrees ?

Being able build a good working relationship with a new client by delivering when it’s most critical. Being a partner they know they can count on.

What are your professional ambitions ?

Keep growing, improve my skillset, help build a solid foundation within the company and keep on doing diverse and interesting projects.