Meet Kosmosnautes #1: Django, Applications Manager

Django has been Applications Manager at Kosmos for over 8 years. At the heart of the Application Management team and in direct contact with our customers, he is the guarantor of service quality and application availability. He is involved in a wide range of technical areas, from front- and back-end problems to complex infrastructure and database issues.

• Hi Django! Can you tell us a bit about your background?

  I'm a Graduate specializing in programming. I started out working in Angers in the education sector as a developer. Following this experience, I wanted to discover another field that had attracted me for a long time. So I took a training course to become a trainer, and it was a fascinating experience. After this training, I returned to the IT field and worked for a few years in ESN in development for different structures and sectors of activity. And in 2011, I joined Kosmos.

• What about your career at Kosmos?

  I started out as part of the Technical Support Center team, which ensures the smooth operation of Skolengoi.e. version upgrades, infrastructure management and user feedback. After five years, I moved to the TMA team. I've now been in charge of the product for three years. K-Supour open-source business solution for higher education and research. My work is similar to that of the Technical Support Center, with version upgrades, installations and customer relations, for example. But I'll also be fixing software bugs and even upgrades. So today, I do more development.

• What made you want to join Kosmos?

  I was co-opted by a friend's brother, who recommended Kosmos to me and told me about the good atmosphere, the team spirit and the projects. As Kosmos specializes in the education sector, it brought me a bit closer to the training as a trainer that I'd taken before and from which I'd drifted away. There was a certain logic in joining Kosmos.

• Can you tell us what your day-to-day life as an Applications Manager is like, as if you had to explain your job to your grandmother?

  I receive requests from customers using our K-Sup product who are experiencing problems, and my role is to help them solve them. It's a permanent link with customers who report a need, which we then manage by correcting if necessary.

• What do you love most about your job?

  I like the fact that it's very varied. Sometimes we'll get very technical feedback, where we'll get to the bottom of the product, and other times it'll be more about the aesthetics of their website. We're really going to be involved in different technologies, and that's what I like. There are few days when I don't learn something new. It's a bit of a challenge every day, because sometimes there are very complex problems that upset the comfort of everyday life!

• What are your key references in your field?

  Kyle Simpson's "You don't know JS" is a Serie of books that has helped me progress enormously. It covers the basics of javascript right up to the latest developments. It's an enjoyable read, and even funny at times. Above all, it covers the basics in the simplest, most intelligible way possible.

• What qualities do you think are required for this job?

  I think you have to be curious, especially when you're faced with a computer bug. You can't close yourself off to a single technology. Secondly, you need to be capable of abstraction. That means being able to imagine the entire problem. And last but not least, patience. Sometimes we stumble over a problem, but if we persevere, we can solve it!

• An achievement or project that made you proud?

  The first time one of my evolutions went online! Every time I come across it again, I feel a little proud. It's my contribution to the edifice.
  But I've also created several tools to simplify my life. When I showed them to the rest of the team, I got very good feedback, and several people are still using them today. They're a source of pride!

• If you hadn't done this job, what would you have done?

  Rockstar! I've been making music for years, and I've had some experience of bands and concerts, especially as a guitarist. But one profession I hesitated about for a long time was photography. If I'd been born 20 years earlier, I think it would have been my profession. Today, it's such a complicated business that I didn't want to go into it professionally. But that doesn't stop me from pursuing photography as a passion.

• What do you like best about Kosmos?

  The atmosphere, because for some of us we're not just colleagues, we see each other outside too. We don't leave people who can't manage to do something on their own to fend for themselves. The location in the heart of the city is also very pleasant. And I'm only 10 minutes by bike from home, which is very convenient!

• Do you have a wish or an idea on your Bucket list?

  To have a band where I'll be the drummer and take a trip to Australia!