About me

Michel Escaravage

28 years old, from the Netherlands.

Michel Escaravage

I am an enthusiastic programmer who enjoys endlessly puzzling in search of solutions. I like figuring things out, even when it takes time. For me, programming is not just writing code, but also testing ideas, making mistakes, learning from them, and slowly finding the way to something that works.

I am currently working as an Accessibility Engineer at Babbage B.V. in Roosendaal, which has sparked a real interest in making the digital world accessible for all kinds of people. Together with the team at Babbage, I have helped make it possible for people to work in modern work environments without needing constant assistance from others.

Using their screen reader together with our scripts or add-ons for the applications they need, they can keep up with their colleagues and do their work more independently. I find a lot of gratification in that. Helping people live their lives more normally, stay independent, and keep doing their job despite the difficulties they face is something that really matters to me.

My Background

Through my varied experience in different industries, I have developed unique skills that support me in my work. I have worked in customer-facing jobs, delivery, distribution, retail, care, welfare, social work, and now software and accessibility.

Those experiences taught me how different people communicate, how important patience can be, and how useful it is to stay calm when something does not go as planned.

Communication

Years of following courses such as social skills and aggression training have taught me how to effectively give and receive feedback.

Additionally, I have learned de-escalation techniques, which are extremely helpful in customer interactions and support situations. These skills also help me when working in a team, asking questions, explaining problems, or helping someone understand a technical issue.

Outside Of Work

Outside of my professional life, I love traveling, exploring the world, and meeting new people from different cultures. I enjoy seeing how people live, how they communicate, and what their everyday life looks like. It helps me stay open-minded and reminds me that there is always more than one way to look at something.

As a multilingual person, I speak Dutch and English fluently, and I also have basic knowledge of French. I like that languages make it easier to connect with people, even if it is just through a small conversation while traveling.

In my free time, I also enjoy coding and working on personal projects. Sometimes that means trying out a new idea, improving something I already built, or just getting stuck on a problem until I finally understand it. Besides that, I like spending time with friends and enjoying the simple things outside of work and study.

How I Look At Development

My background in social work and customer support has shaped the way I approach development. I try to think beyond only "does it work?" and also ask "is it clear?", "is it usable?", and "can someone else understand this?". That mindset connects well with my current work in accessibility.

On the technical side, I have worked with C#, XAML, WinUI 3, WPF, MySQL, APIs, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Astro, and Tailwind CSS. I have built desktop applications, API-based projects, database-driven apps, and this portfolio website.

Still Learning

I completed MBO-4 Software Developer at Curio Roosendaal cum laude. Before that, I also studied Care and Welfare and Social Work. That combination may look a bit unusual at first, but for me it makes sense. I like technology, but I also care about people. I think both sides matter when building good software.

I am still learning and improving, and I enjoy that part of programming. There is always something new to understand, a cleaner way to build something, or a better way to solve a problem. That is what keeps it interesting for me.