Who I am – Ties Van de Pol

ABOUT ME ABOUT ME ABOUT ME ABOUT ME

Some important milestones and projects which I feel deserve a highlight.

September 2019

Started studying music production

I initially started out as a keyboard player, and later transitioned to music production. I learned about e.g. music theory, sound design, and digital audio workstations (DAWs).

PXL Music, HasseltBachelorsPerforming arts

September 2023

Enrolled in programming course

As a follow-up to my growing interest in programming, I enrolled in a programming course at Thomas More, Geel. This marked the real beginning of my journey into software and web development.

Thomas More Campus, GeelGraduateIT

March 2024

Built 'Order By Disorder'

As part of my finals project, I created 'Order By Disorder', a project in which I explored the intersection of music, technology and installation art.

MusicInstallation ArtCreative CodingComputer Vision

August 2024

First freelance project

Completed my first paid freelance project: an event website for a dj. Learned a lot about client communication and project management.

WordpressCSSCustom Development

Feb - May 2025

Internship at Collide

Secured a 3-month internship at Collide, an IT consultancy, where I worked on the development of a talent matching platform. Gained valuable experience in full-stack development, AI / machine learning, Java, and cloud services.

AWSPythonJavaReactAI / Machine LearningAgile

October 2025 - now

Full-stack developer at Collide

Joined Collide as a full-stack developer after finishing my internship there. I have worked on several of their platforms since, including the talent matching one I first built as an intern.

June 2021

Met My Girlfriend

I met my girlfriend, who has been a constant source of support and inspiration in my life. I love you, Lien!

October 2024

Built my first website

While learning the basics of web development, I created my first website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It was a simple portfolio site to showcase my advancements in both programming and music.

HTMLCSSJavaScript

June 2024

Finished music production studies

I graduated with honors in music production, now focusing more on the technical side of music.

MusicCreativeArt

October 2024

Built Sh*t yourself rich

Built the first version of Sh*t yourself rich, the ticketing platform for a fundraiser I hosted with my Scouting group. I Rebuilt it from scratch in 2026, mainly to improve maintainability and add some new features.

ReactExpressMongoDBStripeAWSTerraform

July 2025

Synthlobby

Synthlobby is a platform that scrapes, tracks and analyses pricing for keyboards and synthesizers across the larger music gear sites. It is idle at the moment, since other work has had my attention, but the groundwork holds up and I intend to pick it back up.

Full-stackReactNode.jsData ScrapingMusic Tech

September 2019

Started studying music production

I initially started out as a keyboard player, and later transitioned to music production. I learned about e.g. music theory, sound design, and digital audio workstations (DAWs).

PXL Music, HasseltBachelorsPerforming arts

June 2021

Met My Girlfriend

I met my girlfriend, who has been a constant source of support and inspiration in my life. I love you, Lien!

September 2023

Enrolled in programming course

As a follow-up to my growing interest in programming, I enrolled in a programming course at Thomas More, Geel. This marked the real beginning of my journey into software and web development.

Thomas More Campus, GeelGraduateIT

October 2024

Built my first website

While learning the basics of web development, I created my first website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It was a simple portfolio site to showcase my advancements in both programming and music.

HTMLCSSJavaScript

March 2024

Built 'Order By Disorder'

As part of my finals project, I created 'Order By Disorder', a project in which I explored the intersection of music, technology and installation art.

MusicInstallation ArtCreative CodingComputer Vision

June 2024

Finished music production studies

I graduated with honors in music production, now focusing more on the technical side of music.

MusicCreativeArt

August 2024

First freelance project

Completed my first paid freelance project: an event website for a dj. Learned a lot about client communication and project management.

WordpressCSSCustom Development

October 2024

Built Sh*t yourself rich

ReactExpressMongoDBStripeAWSTerraform

Feb - May 2025

Internship at Collide

AWSPythonJavaReactAI / Machine LearningAgile

July 2025

Synthlobby

Full-stackReactNode.jsData ScrapingMusic Tech

October 2025 - now

Full-stack developer at Collide

Joined Collide as a full-stack developer after finishing my internship there. I have worked on several of their platforms since, including the talent matching one I first built as an intern.

Development

I'm passionate about creating stuff that is intriguing in a way. I'm usually web-oriented, but dabble in other areas as well.

Web Development

My core toolkit for web applications:

TypeScript

JS superset

React

UI framework

Tailwind

CSS shortcuts

Next.js

React framework

Vite

Bundler & server

Lambda

Serverless

GSAP

Smooth animations

Zod

Schema validation

Other Dependencies

Technologies I use for a diverse range of both personal and external projects:

Node.js

JS runtime

Java

Backend language

Spring Boot

Java framework

AWS

Cloud services

Terraform

IaC

GitHub Actions

CI/CD pipelines

Docker

Local services

Vercel

Deployment

PostgreSQL

SQL database

DynamoDB

NoSQL database

Vector DB

AI data storage

Vitest

Unit & e2e testing

Stripe

Payments

Clerk

Authentication

Ubuntu

Home server

And more...

hobbies

Music

You probably already guessed it, but I love music! I'm a keyboard player, songwriter, composer, and sound designer. I've been playing classical piano since I was 5 and started taking it seriously around age 10. During my time at PXL, I learned how to write and compose songs for different genres.

Later on, got interested in audio production and sound design, so I learned how to use Logic Pro X, Ableton, and different types of hardware. Right now, I've been in multiple bands as a keyboard/synth player, wrote songs for both myself and other musicians, produced around 10 records, and mixed/mastered a couple as well. I've also composed for movie trailers, muzak, and art installations.

My most important project is 'Order By Disorder'. More about that project can be found in the projects section.

hobbies

Travel

I have a soft spot for travelling to less known places. I love exploring the world, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures. Whether it's hiking in the mountains or relaxing on a beach, I sincerely enjoy it all.

As someone in IT, it's sometimes easy to feel disconnected from the world. Travelling helps me reconnect with nature and people, and it gives me a fresh perspective on life. My current favorite destinations: Kyrgyzstan and Montenegro.

hobbies

Scouting

When I'm not busy writing music or code, I'm usually outside. I've been in Scouting since I was 6 years old and am currently the group supervisor for the oldest members. Scouting has taught me a lot about leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving. Cliches aside, Scouting has really shaped who I am today.

I love organizing activities, teaching new skills, and helping young people grow. Also, it's an awesome way to braindump your most crazy ideas and see them come to life.

FOOTER FOOTER FOOTER FOOTER

Some important milestones and projects which I feel deserve a highlight.

September 2019

Started studying music production

I initially started out as a keyboard player, and later transitioned to music production. I learned about e.g. music theory, sound design, and digital audio workstations (DAWs).

PXL Music, HasseltBachelorsPerforming arts

September 2023

Enrolled in programming course

As a follow-up to my growing interest in programming, I enrolled in a programming course at Thomas More, Geel. This marked the real beginning of my journey into software and web development.

Thomas More Campus, GeelGraduateIT

March 2024

Built 'Order By Disorder'

As part of my finals project, I created 'Order By Disorder', a project in which I explored the intersection of music, technology and installation art.

MusicInstallation ArtCreative CodingComputer Vision

August 2024

First freelance project

Completed my first paid freelance project: an event website for a dj. Learned a lot about client communication and project management.

WordpressCSSCustom Development

Feb - May 2025

Internship at Collide

AWSPythonJavaReactAI / Machine LearningAgile

October 2025 - now

Full-stack developer at Collide

Joined Collide as a full-stack developer after finishing my internship there. I have worked on several of their platforms since, including the talent matching one I first built as an intern.

June 2021

Met My Girlfriend

I met my girlfriend, who has been a constant source of support and inspiration in my life. I love you, Lien!

October 2024

Built my first website

While learning the basics of web development, I created my first website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It was a simple portfolio site to showcase my advancements in both programming and music.

HTMLCSSJavaScript

June 2024

Finished music production studies

I graduated with honors in music production, now focusing more on the technical side of music.

MusicCreativeArt

October 2024

Built Sh*t yourself rich

ReactExpressMongoDBStripeAWSTerraform

July 2025

Synthlobby

Full-stackReactNode.jsData ScrapingMusic Tech

September 2019

Started studying music production

I initially started out as a keyboard player, and later transitioned to music production. I learned about e.g. music theory, sound design, and digital audio workstations (DAWs).

PXL Music, HasseltBachelorsPerforming arts

June 2021

Met My Girlfriend

I met my girlfriend, who has been a constant source of support and inspiration in my life. I love you, Lien!

September 2023

Enrolled in programming course

As a follow-up to my growing interest in programming, I enrolled in a programming course at Thomas More, Geel. This marked the real beginning of my journey into software and web development.

Thomas More Campus, GeelGraduateIT

October 2024

Built my first website

While learning the basics of web development, I created my first website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It was a simple portfolio site to showcase my advancements in both programming and music.

HTMLCSSJavaScript

March 2024

Built 'Order By Disorder'

As part of my finals project, I created 'Order By Disorder', a project in which I explored the intersection of music, technology and installation art.

MusicInstallation ArtCreative CodingComputer Vision

June 2024

Finished music production studies

I graduated with honors in music production, now focusing more on the technical side of music.

MusicCreativeArt

August 2024

First freelance project

Completed my first paid freelance project: an event website for a dj. Learned a lot about client communication and project management.

WordpressCSSCustom Development

October 2024

Built Sh*t yourself rich

ReactExpressMongoDBStripeAWSTerraform

Feb - May 2025

Internship at Collide

AWSPythonJavaReactAI / Machine LearningAgile

July 2025

Synthlobby

Full-stackReactNode.jsData ScrapingMusic Tech

October 2025 - now

Full-stack developer at Collide

Joined Collide as a full-stack developer after finishing my internship there. I have worked on several of their platforms since, including the talent matching one I first built as an intern.