We are very glad to welcome Cane Lagerwaard, a leading Project Manager for the DEITY Core, at Meet Magento Croatia 2018 stage. From a young age, he had an affection for technology which is why he initially started with web development but combining his Business and Technology skills is what he enjoys the most. Currently, he is responsible for the delivery of the DEITY Open Source Project.
At one point in life, he was a professional League of Legends player. What good did that bring to him and how does he apply what he learned in gaming to his everyday and work environment – find out in the interview.
Hi Cane! Before we start, I would like to ask you to tell us a thing or two about yourself.
I wouldn’t know where to start or end haha, tough question. I’ve always been passionate about technology and business in general from a young age. I grew up with my father’s company and learned a great deal from that. Initially I was interested in developing games and kind of started with C++ (it’s a rough start, trust me) when I was in secondary school, but eventually, I started making websites.
In the short bio you sent us earlier, you mentioned that at one point in your life you were a professional gamer. What was the game and did that gaming experience ever help you with other things in life?
Very cool that you ask me about that, I could probably talk all day about it.
The game I competed in is called League of Legends, it’s a very popular MOBA game. In general, people seem to be unaware of what is actually required of a person to compete in eSports, it’s not a matter of who spends the most time, but rather a combination of personal traits and skills. I could name a couple things that apply to gaming on a high level and which can be brought to pretty much any work environment:– Being able to adapt to quickly changing situations
– Not lose your sh*t in stressful environments
– Seeking new opportunities
– Working hard to reach your goals
– Analyzing competitors/colleagues
– Always try to think ahead
– The drive to always better yourself
– Working together with a teamI’d say my gaming experience has definitely shaped me into the person I am today.
Did you have any experience with PWA’s before Deity or are you just a really fast Learner?
I believe there are some misconceptions about the definition of PWA, for me it’s just icing on the cake. When we are talking strictly about PWA, then yes I did have experience with that. Service workers, push notifications, offline mode, etc.
At first, you got a job in Deity as a Frontend Developer but after only 4 months, you became a Project Manager. Being so, would you say that you enjoy the business side of your job more or are there any other circumstances that got you where you are now?
I really enjoy the business side a lot. I have always liked to think about the big picture (without overlooking the details, details are important), managing teams and making certain decisions. However, sometimes I kinda miss the great feeling of finally fixing that bug that you’ve been hunting for so long.
For those who will not be able to participate at MM18HR, what would you like to emphasize as the most important thing in your presentation that you would like everyone to know?
Headless PWA front-ends with Service Oriented Architectures are the way forward in e-commerce. Deity provides you with all the necessary tools and allows you to improve conversions and get ahead of your competitors.
We are glad to hear so many useful information from these interviews, can’t wait to hear more in 2 short days! Besides presentations, we’ll have the chance to enjoy tons of diverse activities to make you remember #MM18HR for a long time. Check them all out on this link.