Meet the Writer: HackerNoon's Contributor David Finson, Software Engineer

If you’re seeing this interview draft, it means you’ve recently published on HackerNoon a story that the community found interesting and/or valuable. For this reason, we would like to help the community get to know you better as well as find out some writing tips from you.

While this template is automatic, our interest in the answers below is genuine and our human editors (and some cyborg wannabes) will review it before publishing.

So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.

Hey all, I'm David Finson. I work as a software engineer at Microsoft in the Industry Solutions Engineering (ISE) group, where I get to work every day with amazing people to help Microsoft’s top customers solve some of their most interesting technical challenges.

Before that, I had experience in the startup world, including co-founding a few companies in the fintech sector. One of my biggest passions is improving developer experience (which I've learned the importance of the hard way).

I channel that passion by working on open-source projects like the Apifi Java GraphQL framework, as well as exploring how containerized applications can be made more developer friendly.

When I'm not coding, you can find me playing piano, exploring the great outdoors, or just causally contemplating the meaning of life (Ok, I meant vegging out - no judging!).

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

My latest Hackernoon story is all about containerization and how it can make a (python) developer's life a whole lot easier.

I dove into setting up a containerized development environment using Docker and Docker Compose, which is a fancy way of saying packaging everything an app needs to run into one simple package.

It's a game changer when it comes to managing complex projects, which is something I'm passionate about as a developer.

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

When I'm working on a coding project, I sometimes come across developer experience-related issues that aren't just specific to that project. I then try to come up with a generic solution that can be used for other projects as well. That's what my latest article is all about.

The same thing happened when I was working on my Apifi Java GraphQL framework.

I was trying to make life easier for developers (including myself) by automating all the repetitive tasks that were piling up because of ever-changing API requirements during my time at my second fintech startup.

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

Write first, (over)think later 😀

But seriously, I’ve had friends tell me that I don't write - I just talk in writing. I like to get my thoughts out there when I'm writing, and I'll worry about making it all come together in a concise and (hopefully) coherent way afterward.

It's easier for me to keep going and fix things up after, rather than trying to make it perfect right from the start.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

A challenge I come across when writing is realizing that I don't always understand the topic at hand as well as I thought I did. Writing is both a learning and a creative process for me. That and of course, finding the time to begin with.

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

AI is exploding, and before an aging Arnold Schwarzenegger comes for us all, I'm excited about the possibilities it holds for making a developer's life easier. I plan to dive deep into all things AI and specifically, how it can be used to enhance the developer experience.

I'm really looking forward to a future where developers don't have to spend time on tedious low-level tasks and can focus on more high-level and interesting challenges. Stay tuned 😀

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

Who doesn’t enjoy a good action movie from time to time? Or two? Or three? Or… You get the point.

Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?

I love music, whether it's listening to it or playing piano, alone, or jamming with friends. I can sometimes find myself doing it for hours at a time.

What can the Hacker Noon community expect to read from you next?

I'm excited to dive into the world of AI and see how it can make our lives as developers easier. Should be an interesting ride.

What’s your opinion on HackerNoon as a platform for writers?

You guys make sure the blogs are published in a way that maximizes readership. The traffic on the site is also high quality, which is a huge plus as well.

Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?

Have a nice day!