Hello everyone,
It’s my pleasure to introduce you to our new DevOps Specialist, Richer Larivière! Richer is a very versatile person, with interests ranging from drone automation to playing the piano. He recently told me that drones are being developed to help during natural disasters. How amazing is that?
To help you get to know Richer better, here’s a snapshot of my recent chat with him:
Can you tell me a bit about your background?
My background is driven by my curiosity and interest in learning new concepts and processes, which include but also go beyond the world of programming. For example, I love exploring new languages and technologies, then applying them to my work contributions. I have a background in drone automation, web development and, most recently, DevOps. I studied software engineering at École de technologie supérieure, and I’m involved in the community. Having a positive impact on people is a great source of happiness to me!
What would you say is your biggest achievement so far?
My biggest achievement so far was probably when I attended the Unmanned System Canada Student Competition, which is a drone competition. Our team — Dronolab — built a drone built from scratch, and succeeded in performing an autonomous flight mission. We won third place out of fifteen competitors. It was really challenging both mentally and physically, since we had this competition right after our finals. Also, the same year we went to an American competition called AUVSI SUAS in Maryland, where we placed seventh out of fifty-six teams from around the world. Even today, I continue to harvest the fruits of that experience. It’s a source of daily inspiration.
What was it about Devolutions that made you want to work here?
There are many reasons, but one of the biggest is the vision of operating a large and growing software development enterprise outside of a big city. Instead of spending hours stuck in traffic, I can enjoy a healthy work-life balance. Devolutions has a positive impact on the community here, and this is the kind of business that I want to be part of.
What would you say are your top three strengths at work?
First, I’m endlessly curious and always looking to learn new things. Second, my holistic vision allows me to keep an eye on the big picture at all times. Third, I work really well on teams, and enjoy when colleagues share advice and provide input on my work.
What tasks do you carry out in your job, and what are some of the tools that you use?
Currently, I’m working as a DevOps specialist on the Wayk Now team, and focusing on ways that we can improve and optimize our software development practices. I work with distributed technologies like Docker and Kubernetes in order to provide a solid infrastructure.
What is your impression of working here?
Everyone has been very welcoming, and integrating onto my new team was smooth. So far, it’s a nice experience, and, in my humble opinion, I think it’s a really intelligent place to work.
What goals would you like to achieve at Devolutions?
I want to increase my knowledge and experience in DevOps processes, and also find ways to help my local community.
On a personal note, what are some of your hobbies and interests?
I love reading about philosophy and psychology. I also play piano, and I enjoy contributing to the autonomous drone ecosystem. In addition, I’m interested in art — mostly abstract psychedelic art — as well as music. I used to listen to progressive music across all genres, but these days I’m mostly listening to underground experimental music. I kind of consider myself half-artist, half-scientist.
Please share a few words with our community of IT pros:
I’m excited and happy to contribute to the community, and motivated to help make your work easier and more efficient!