On (Modern?) Software Development

Curriculum Vitae

My name is Alexander Thurow.

Since 2005 I have been working in multiple different positions at German software providers.

This page is designed to provide you with a detailed overview of my activities in the field of professional software development.

In case of any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Who am I?

  • I was born in Hamburg in 1975.
  • I graduated as “Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Inform. (FH)” in 2005 at Leuphana Lüneburg with a final grade of 1,28.(*)
  • Currently I am located at Überlingen (Lake Constance, Germany).
  • You can also find me on:

(*) University of applied sciences computer science and business administration degree

Positions held since 2005

Starting in 2005 I worked in multiple different roles:

  • Software developer (at every point in time)
  • Supporter for colleagues and customers
  • Technical trainer
  • Consultant
  • Team and (interim-) project leader

Main areas of interest

  • Software development (specializations: Clean Code, Refactoring, Technical Debt)
  • Knowledge transfer and mentoring

Additional professional activities

In parallel to my day-to-day activities as a software developer, I also dedicate time to:

  • Coaching and mentoring of junior developers
  • Organisation and implementation of company-internal educational formats:
    • Code Camps
    • After Work Talks
  • Speaker at software development-related meetups, job fairs and (German) conferences
  • Guest lecturer at (German) universities:
  • Author for German “Eclipse Magazin”

Detailed occupational timeline

Since 2025

  • Freelancing Senior Pair Programmer
    • Starting in July 2025, Frank Gerhardt and I will be offering our Java software development know how to customers interested in a senior developer pair (also see LinkedIn post):
      • “Frank and Alex found each other again and want to pair-program for you.

        We worked together perfectly as a pair earlier in our careers and currently both have development capacity available. Therefore we are looking for a development project, in which we can yet work again as a gelled two person team.

        We stand for agile development (XP) and quality in the Java enterprise ecosystem – with Pairing, TDD and Refactoring.

        For you, your benefit, as active support for your team.

        Energized and fully motivated we want to boldly go with you where no one has gone before…

        Live long & prosper, 🖖
        Frank & Alex”
  • Freelancing (Modern?) Software Development Consultant

Since 2024

2012 to 2024

  • ACTICO, Immenstaad am Bodensee
  • Software developer
    • Member of the ACTICO Platform product development team focused on the development of an Eclipse-based rich client application (ACTICO Modeler, 4 developers)
      • Enhancement of platform language features and embedding into Eclipse-based tooling
      • Enhancement of platform language type system
      • Customer-specific development of a Web Service-integration for the ACTICO Platform (ACTICO Platform, Apache CXF)
      • Docker-izing of ACTICO software components (Docker, Docker Compose, Gradle)
      • Maintenance of Jenkins-based build pipelines (Jenkins Pipeline, Maven, Gradle, Groovy)
      • Refactoring and Clean Code
      • Ongoing monitoring and enhancement of code-quality metrics (SonarQube)
    • Team member of a CRM client/server software project (Java, Spring, ACTICO Platform, 9 developers)
      • Requirements management, design and implementation of legal requirement „CRS – Common Reporting Standard“ (ACTICO Rules, PL/SQL, SQL*Plus)
      • Removal of „FWHT“ feature from existing application
      • Large scale refactoring of central Java component concerned with CRM UI lay-outing
      • (Interim-) Project leader for customer project
      • Refactoring and Clean Code
      • Ongoing monitoring and enhancement of code-quality metrics (SonarQube)
  • Mentoring of junior developers
  • Speaker at universities and job fairs
  • Organisation and implementation of company-internal educational events (Code Camps, After Work Talks)

2005 to 2012

  • WeigleWilczek GmbH, Esslingen am Neckar
  • Software developer
    • Development of a Lift and Scala-based web application
    • Development of an Eclipse RCP-based framework for generic UI-layouting of XText-generated data types
    • Development of an RCP-/Spring-based workflow application for entering and supervising accident reports
    • Maintenance and development of a data synchronization application and a digital signature application (both Eclipse RCP/JEE)
    • Enhancing a Spring-/RCP-based banking framework
    • Refactoring and Clean Code
  • Consultant
    • Design and development of a database-centric web service (Java, Axis, Oracle)
  • Team leader
    • Coordination of a four-person development team (mainly JEE-/Spring- and Eclipse RCP-based development projects)
  • Project management
    • Coordination of a two-person developer team
    • Effort estimation and time scheduling for Lift-/Scala-based web application project
  • Technical trainer
    • Eclipse RCP and Eclipse IDE coaching services
  • Author

2005

  • Final thesis at T-Systems International GmbH, Leinfelden-Echterdingen
  • Topic: Service oriented application coupling in the T-Systems International product ecosystem (Java, Axis)

2004

  • Internship at Active Information Concept GmbH, Lüneburg

1998 to 2001

  • Apprenticeship as travel agent at TUI International GmbH, Hamburg

Awards

  • 2nd-best “Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Inform. (FH)” graduation of graduating class at the Leuphana Lüneburg
  • Award for outstanding academic performance at Leuphana Lüneburg
  • Award for student representation work at Leuphana Lüneburg (“Fachschaftsrat”)
  • 3rd-best graduation of graduating class to travel agent

Additional private and social activities

  • Volunteer work at the municipality of Langenargen as neighborhood supporter (“Nachbarschaftshelfer”)
  • Sports: Paddling, skiing, jogging, cycling and motorcycling
  • Additional hobbies: Reading, “all things guitar”