I went from software engineering to navigating people through German bureaucracy. It started as a simple blog, but applied a lot of software engineering knowledge to the problems I face. Simple things like using calculated variables in my content, monitoring German legal texts for changes, and building calculators and letter generators for my readers. I also implement more complex things like a custom static site generator that lints content. It keeps the work varied and fun.

More and more, I also build contacts in and around Berlin's government to effect change at a lower level, instead of building a nice layer on top of a crap bureaucracy.

It has been my full time job since 2020, and it's still going pretty solid. I absolutely love it, in part because the work itself is fun, and in part because I have a kind and grateful audience.

I describe the why and the how here: https://nicolasbouliane.com/projects/all-about-berlin