Julie Ng

I'm a FastTrack for Azure Engineer with design and full-stack development experience. I am also a barefoot runner, rock climber and recently summitted Kilimanjaro.

I started making websites in 1999. After a successful career as a web designer, I got into frontend and backend development to create and launch the products I envisioned - trying but failing to start my own company. I decided in 2016 to get a job and by chance ended up at the Allianz.

As an enterprise architect, I helped developer teams map their git flows to CI/CD pipelines. I also co-authored concepts for AMQP messaging and object storage in the public cloud and their integration into the AZD-Cloud. In 2019, I joined Microsoft as a Cloud Solutions Architect.

Me staring at Kilimanjaro at 3AM.
Me staring at Kilimanjaro. Photo by Ke Zhang.

Profile

Name
Julie Ng
Born in
Boston, USA
Lives in
Munich, Germany
Speaks
English, German, Chinese
Degree
B.A. in International Relations, Economics, German, Tufts University, 2007
Skills
Git, JavaScript, NodeJS, Rails, Ruby, CI/CD, Docker, Jenkins, HTML, CSS, UX, Design
Hobbies
Running, Climbing, Snowboarding, Traveling, Cooking

Co-Founder

Refresh Munich

In 2011 friends and I founded Refresh Munich e.V., a community of designers and developers, passionate about pixels and code. We believe that in order to create excellent user experiences designers and developers need to work close together.

Co-Organizer

UX Munich Conference

In addition to meetups, Refresh Munich also organized the UX Munich Conference. We brought leading designers and developers including Oliver Reichenstein, Leisa Reichelt, Erik Spiekermann to Munich to share their expertise with the community.

View resume →

Speaker

Conference Talks →

The Big Picture

Computers are useless.
They only give you answers.

— Pablo Picasso

I have extensive experience in product design, development and marketing, which is why I can see the big picture easily. I am the architect who asks many questions:

  • Are we solving the right problem?

    I asked this as a designer and will challenge product decisions. Developers should not let the current code base and infrastructure limitations dictate product features.

  • Can this be done faster?

    I also stop and consider if I can automate it or create tools for mid- and long term exponential gains.

  • Is this the right tool for the job?

    I am not afraid to take risks and detour. If necessary I will fake it to meet deadlines without sacrificing specifications - or build something else.

Climbing
Looking for beta in Oberammergau

I love challenges and am curious by nature. So I’ve tried many different things and roles, not just in technology:

  • Book-shelver at the Harvard Medical School Library
  • Member of the Boston Mayor’s Youth Council
  • White House Press Corps Assistant
  • Restaurant Waitress, Assistant Manager
  • English Teacher, Translator
  • Designer, Developer, Consultant
  • (Failed) Entrepreneuer

Only recently I’ve really started to appreciate how the variety in my past experience makes me better at my job today, helping me find connections quicker.

Stay hungry. Stay Foolish.

— Steve Jobs

Hungry

It’s not boredom. I’m always hungry, for the next challenge and problem. That’s why I love climbing, which is problem solving with your own body and all its limitations. To progress you need to push yourself and take risks. You reach a problem and figure out the move, commit and jump.

I’ve fallen many times. But when you catch that hold or finally grasp that new concept, it’s glorious.

All the Hats and Risks →