visitor@jan-guenzel: ~/about

~/about

$ cat about.md

whoami

I’m Jan, 24 years old and a developer based in Germany. A large part of my work happens in quiet, focused sessions where I work alone and dive deep into problems. Just as important, however, is the exchange with a small circle of long-time friends and collaborators, with whom I develop ideas further and challenge them critically. This balance between concentrated solo work and collaborative reflection with people I trust is what defines my way of working.

What drives me is actually quite simple: trying new things, learning from them, and moving forward. I enjoy exploring different tools and approaches and don’t hesitate to dive into unfamiliar territory. I care more about testing things in practice than staying in a comfort zone for too long. Along the way, I often end up running several small experiments in parallel that gradually evolve over time.

how it started

Like for many people in tech, it all started pretty unspectacularly with video games. One in particular quickly became more than just a way to pass the time: Minecraft in Java. At first, it was just playing, hopping between servers, building worlds, and hanging out with friends. But what really pulled me in was the ability to completely reshape the game through mods — both on the client and server side. Pretty much everything was up for change.

The only issue was: no mod ever did exactly what I had in mind. It was always “close enough,” but never quite there. So I started following YouTube tutorials and building my own mods from scratch — all in Java. That’s how I actually learned the language, not through structured courses, but by trying to build things that didn’t exist yet. At some point, the tutorials became unnecessary, and StackOverflow became a very regular part of my life instead.

Then came the moment where all those mods suddenly needed to store data — players, progress, states, and all kinds of chaos. So I had to learn a database. MySQL was the obvious choice back then, so I picked that up too. Since then, the same pattern has basically repeated itself: I have an idea, I hit a limit, and I learn whatever I need to push past it — sometimes intentionally, sometimes by running headfirst into the wall, but so far, it’s worked surprisingly well.

git log --oneline

  1. nowfinishing my CS degree while building a company

    I’m currently focused on completing my Bachelor’s in Computer Science while deepening my understanding of the theoretical foundations behind it. The program regularly pulls me into deep dives — most recently into machine learning, where I explored the Netflix Prize and recommender systems in a written paper. Alongside that, I’m growing my own company in data automation, which keeps the practical side constantly active. Depending on the context, I either work alone when deep focus is needed or collaborate closely with friends when shared thinking leads to better outcomes.

  2. 2022agency work for well-known clients

    Built websites and web applications for established German brands, alongside a long-running lead management and distribution platform. I worked with a roughly 20-person development team, mostly based in India, and coordinated the software building and integration process between the client and the engineering team. I also acted as the main technical bridge, ensuring alignment between product vision and implementation.

  3. 2021early agency experience — learning by doing

    Joined an agency and spent my first year deeply involved in a project called TrainYourTown, initially as the second developer and later taking over parts of the system. It was a fast-paced introduction to modern stacks — React Native, TypeScript, NestJS, microservices, MongoDB, and cloud infrastructure like Firebase, all at once.

  4. 2019CS-focused high school & first real engineering teamwork

    Transferred to a computer-science focused high school where I revisited Java with a much deeper understanding of data structures and algorithmic complexity. Together with two classmates, I completed an internship building fleet management software using Angular, a Spring Boot backend, Docker, and OpenShift.

  5. 2016first steps into web development

    Started experimenting with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, building simple beginner websites with Bootstrap. Two things became obvious quickly: building for the web is fun, and visual design is not where my strengths lie.

  6. 2014first Java code through Minecraft mods

    Everything started with Minecraft modding in Java — driven by the need to change how the game worked beyond what existing mods allowed. That curiosity eventually led me to MySQL as I began storing and managing data behind my creations.

languages --by-usage

  • TypeScriptsince 2020
  • Javasince 2014
  • React / React Nativesince 2021
  • Node / NestJSsince 2021
  • MongoDBsince 2021
  • SQLsince 2015

uptime

Right now, most of my energy goes into the final stretch of my Computer Science degree — that’s the clear priority. Alongside that, I’m building my own company, focused on automating repetitive and time-consuming data work that tends to drain people’s day. At its core, the pattern hasn’t really changed since my Minecraft days: find something worth building, learn whatever is missing along the way, and ship it. And yes — I use Arch, btw.

thanks for reading — say hi on the board.