Hi, I'm
Sam Van Herck
Software & Data Engineer
With a decade of software engineering experience, I'm transitioning into data engineering with a focus on Azure and Databricks.
About me
From the moment I got my first computer at around 12 years old, I was drawn into the world of web development. I started by building simple HTML and CSS websites, but that curiosity quickly evolved into creating more complex systems, including social media-like platforms in PHP.
That passion led me to a career in software engineering, where I worked a lot with APIs, integrations, data migrations, and cloud platforms like Azure. Over time, I built up a real interest in data engineering, and decided to fully make the switch.
Beyond my professional work, I'm also working on Rockit (rockit.to), an edtech platform that simulates a real professional workspace to help aspiring tech professionals prepare for their first job.
Experience
2025 - 2026
Personal & Career Growth Year
- After a decade of software engineering experience, I took a career break to fully transition into data engineering. During this time I've been actively deepening my knowledge in modern data platforms, with a focus on Azure and Databricks.
- Alongside that, I'm also working on a side project called Rockit (rockit.to), an edtech platform that simulates a real professional workspace to help aspiring tech professionals prepare for their first job.
2022 - 2025
Software Engineer at Alignment
NxtPort International
- Development of an API marketplace platform exposing REST APIs as managed data products, providing container ship statistics to seaports worldwide. Built on Azure services such as APIM, Azure Storage, and Bicep for infrastructure as code
Departement Landbouw en Visserij
- Maintained and extended a platform for fishing vessels, including data integration with European reporting systems for transmitting vessel data such as sail boundaries and fish load capacities
2020 - 2021
Software Engineer at ADESA
- Worked on a large-scale car auction platform, focusing on multiple partner data integrations, authentication transition to OKTA, and contributing to the migration to AWS
2017 - 2020
Software Consultant at Akkoo
Confederatie Bouw
- Built REST APIs consuming legacy SOAP services and developed a data migration and synchronization service between two CRM systems
Sciensano
- Developed a data aggregation pipeline collecting and processing product data from various supermarkets, and maintained a mobile application for tracking and analyzing tick bites
Tobania
- Built an online mail delivery solution integrating authentication, digital signing, and payment flows
2016 - 2017
Analyst Developer at Softwel
- Developed and maintained a large healthcare platform, contributing to a migration to a modern technology stack. Responsible for analysis, development, and testing across multiple modules.
2015 - 2016
Analyst Developer at RiskMatrix
- Developed multiple tools for the security sector, including a map-based application for marking safety points, as sole developer responsible for the full development lifecycle
Projects
Rockit EdTech Platform
An experimental edtech platform that trains developer skills through real codebases and professional workflows within a simulated developer environment.
Stack Radar
Discover the most in-demand tech stacks by scraping live job listings from LinkedIn and Indeed. A personal project powered by Apify, Azure ADLS Gen2, and Databricks.
education
2015
.NET Developer
VDAB
2013 - 2015
Professional Bachelor - Applied Informatics
Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven
2011 - 2013
Web Design
Sint-Maria Instituut
2009 - 2011
Multimedia Techniques
Technische Scholen Mechelen