Programming tools. And the body.

Matthias, how did you get your nickname AutoMatt? 

Within our process squad at Open Telekom Cloud my colleagues and I work on the automation of business processes. We develop tools and write own JIRA plugins to work more efficiently.  I am a creative person, I like to develop things on my own and I always look for new solutions, also in terms of working methods or process steps. I automate everything that I do more than twice, which is why I am also known at work under the nickname AutoMatt (Matt for Matthias).

How do programming and acrobatics fit together?

Since my youth I have been doing extreme sports such as BMX or windsurfing with passion. I never was the guy for classic team sports, but I find peace in the extreme. For me, acrobatics is also automation, your body is learning to repeat the same motion sequences over and over again. The more you train, the easier it gets. There is this special moment when you are entirely absorbed in something and turn your head off. I experience the same effect when I’m programming, I bury myself in a code.

How do you manage to find enough time for your training in everyday life?

I am very grateful for my job and for having the freedom to work from home, because this is where I am most creative. Therefore, switching from the office to working from home during the lockdown was not a problem for me. I do yoga on a daily basis and I like to integrate an afternoon or evening training session into my schedule. At the moment I concentrate on hand balancing, this can easily be done alone.