Introduction
In this issue of Behind the Dev, we're going to be taking a look into the day-to-day of the developer Christoph Rumpel.
Christoph is a prominent figure in the Laravel world and has released several video courses, including his latest course "PEST Driven Laravel".
If you don't already follow him on Twitter, make sure to check out his profile at: @christophrumpel!
Behind the Dev
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi! My name is Christoph Rumpel, and I’m a web developer from Vienna. For the last ten years, I have been working as a backend developer using PHP and Laravel daily.
Since 2018 I’ve been operating independently as a freelancer, consultant, and teacher. In the last years, I have released the video courses PEST Driven Laravel, Mastering PhpStorm, and Laravel Core Adventures.
I love coding, teaching, surfing, bouldering, and my little garden.
How did you first get into web development?
After school, I played guitar in a punk-rock band for almost ten years. Our dream was to live from our music, but that didn’t come true. In 2009, when I was 24 years old, I decided to look for a "real" job, and I started studying Applied Media at a local university.
Through the years with my band, I got already in touch with a lot of creative tasks like creating our merchandise, our first websites, and recording videos. When I started coding at University, I loved the creative part of it right from the beginning. Writing some code and turning it into a website or web application still fascinates me every day.
As a developer, what’s your typical day like?
Most of my days still are very similar to working as an employed developer. That’s because I try to work the same hours as my wife, who works at a bank. But the big difference is that I work from home.
I love the benefits of being my own boss and going for a run or climbing during the day if the conditions are right.
My daily tasks are quite different and depend on whether I currently work for a client or if I work on my own learning platform and new products.
Are there any tools that you use on a daily basis?
Oh, there are many :-) First, I use my favorite IDE, PhpStorm, every single day. Over the years, I have customized it to my personal needs, and I try to become more efficient every day. That’s also the reason I created my video course Mastering PhpStorm.
My current to-do app is Height. I try to work as organized as possible, so keeping my to-dos in sync is crucial.
I have a big list of all the other tools and hardware I use for coding and creating other content.
Is there anything in particular related to development that you enjoy working on the most?
Currently, it is definitely my new learning platform which I built this year. I still have a ton of little features on my list I’d like to implement on the go, but it brings a lot of joy working on your own little platform.
Then, similar to many other devs, I enjoy working on side projects. This allows you to explore new tools, languages, or techniques without too much pressure. But I must admit that this was even more fun while I was employed. Since I work independently, spending time on side projects is often difficult. It is always time that I could also use for “work” too.
I also like to work on open-source projects that are open to the world. This doesn’t have to be coding; I like to share my experience through my blog, podcast, or videos too.
If you could go back in time and give younger Christoph some advice when you were first starting in development, what would it be?
Today I tackle my projects step by step. Even the biggest and most complex tasks can be done when you take one step at a time. I would tell my younger self to give it a try.
Do you have any hobbies outside of web development?
Sports, for sure! I’ve been doing all kinds of sports since I was a kid and still couldn’t live without them. Today I also need it as a counterpart to my hours in front of the computer. It helps me to relax and clears my head.
Some years ago, I started bouldering which I now do twice weekly. It’s a super fascinating sport that pushes you physically but also mentally. Every route can be climbed differently, and finding different ways to reach the end is exciting. I also like to go running or surfing when possible. I’m lucky that I can do all those activities together with my lovely wife.
Can you tell us about your new “PEST Driven Laravel” course?
Sure. Today, I am a big fan of testing and test-driven development, but this wasn’t always the case. I still remember how difficult it was to get into testing and all the difficult terms and techniques involved. It took me many years to understand the benefits of testing and how to use it efficiently.
Testing and Test-Driven Development (TDD) are essential practices in programming today. But especially the switch from just writing some tests to TDD can be challenging. After using TDD for several years, I can fairly say that this has become my favorite way of coding, and I want to show others why.
I created a video course about testing, TDD, and the new testing framework PEST that I wish I had myself when I started learning about testing. PEST Driven Laravel is a course to unlock the power of TDD.