We're excited to share that Rehan van der Merwe is joining Resend as a DevOps Engineer.

Rehan is one of the few AWS Heroes worldwide with extensive experience in serverless architectures and microservices. He also organizes the AWS South Africa meetup.

He brings a wealth of cloud engineering expertise from his past roles at DataChef, MessageBird, and Ship Logic.

How did you get into software?

I have a non-traditional developer story. I grew up in a small town where schools only offered basic subjects, so I took woodwork since we didn't have any programming courses. Still, I knew I wanted to pursue programming and robotics. The Matrix might have influenced me, it's hard to pinpoint any single inspiration, but the mental problem-solving aspect truly excited me.

I continued to study Electrical and Electronic Communications Engineering through online studies while simultaneously completing programming courses at a small private college, earning various Microsoft certifications.

After receiving my Engineering diploma, I realized that while the hardware and electronics were fun, working with potentially brain-melting antennas wasn't for me. I much rather prefer setting breakpoints and debugging code (and to keep my brain intact).

What does your desktop/home screen look like?

I keep my background simple, preferring nature scenes from Mac's dynamic wallpapers. I switch them occasionally when I want a change.

Why are you at Resend?

I got really excited about Resend because they're tackling an email problem I've bumped into so many times before. Their Philosophies really clicked with me right away when I checked out their site.

Plus, it's not just about solving a technical problem. I am excited to work with this talented team and help build something that'll make sending emails way better for everyone.

I bring extensive experience in software, DevOps, infrastructure & platform engineering, which I've used to build and scale systems, particularly on AWS.

Where do you find #inspiration?

I draw inspiration from the people around me, especially from working alongside talented and compassionate individuals who share common goals.

I find it very fulfilling to build products and see the impact they have on others. Also, to be the best possible dad and husband while providing for my family.

If you weren't programming, what would you be doing?

I like playing games on the PlayStation. I'm not a huge gamer, but I recently got into Souls and Souls-like games. I'm now playing Black Myth Wukong after I finished Elden Ring. I’m also into anime and a big Rick and Morty fan.

On weekends, I usually hang out with friends and family or tinker with my Home Assistant setup.

Favorite tool?

My favorite tool has to be Jetbrains IDEs, I love how much more productive I can be in it compared to something like VS Code or the CLI. But they are falling behind in the AI race, the GitHub Copilot extension always lags to the VS Code version and I’m afraid a breakup might be on the cards.

Favorite hotkey?

My favorite hotkey has to be Ctrl+D. I’ve got it set up to duplicate the current line or selected text, and I use it constantly.

I’m also probably committing one of the biggest tech sins. I’ve remapped my Mac keyboard to follow the Windows layout. After switching to Mac, I just couldn’t shake years of muscle memory.

Favorite place to visit?

While I've only traveled to the Netherlands and Spain, I don't have a single favorite destination. I'm most at peace in natural settings, there's nothing better than fishing next to a dam beneath a star-filled sky.

Advice for ambitious software engineers?

Start by gaining a breadth of experience, working with as many technologies and languages as possible. Then specialize in a few fields, and don't underestimate the power of building your personal brand.

Put yourself out there through blogs, presentations, YouTube videos, etc. If it's outside your comfort zone, that's even more reason to do it. Grow and learn from the right people, stay true to your values, and always be kind.