Hello Yacine! Shed some light on your life’s journey.
I was born in Algeria, and my family immigrated to Canada in 1999. I remember arriving in Quebec, Montreal, during winter. It’s a really festive time here. I was so pumped to see snow for the first time, a completely different city with its carnivals and lights and people wearing coats. I celebrated the year 2000 in Montreal when I was five years old. I didn’t understand why people were so hyped at the time, but I was sharing their excitement nonetheless.
Growing up in Montreal was a beautiful and unforgettable experience. I had friends from all nationalities and neighbors from all around the world! Italians, Haitians, French-Canadian Quebecers, North Africans, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Russians, Chinese, various Latin American nationals, Polish, and so on. That feeling of international, multiple cultures, people with different phenotypes, different languages… All of this simply made me happy and buzzing.
I remember our apartment was small, and how packed it was when I invited friends for my birthday. My brother and I used to play all kinds of sports in the streets of Montreal with our friends and neighbors, such as inline skating and street hockey, but our favorite sport was soccer! During the winter, we would go ice skating and slide down the hills on sleds. I was also taking swimming lessons with my brother at the municipal pool. Back in the day, we were almost always outside rather than inside, and we were really active - I should get back to it, by the way, haha.
My father would take me to the library to borrow computer video games, which I would play on my "dinosaur" PC with Windows 98. That's how we refer to those beige PCs from the early 2000s in Québec. These kinds of simple things used to make me really happy when I was a kid. Now I have so many video games that I don't know what to play, and I get frustrated that there are no MMORPGs I like that don't have a toxic publisher, and that are full of in-game transactions 😂
Our school organized many activities and field trips around Montreal, such as visits to the Biodome, La Ronde, the Cosmodrome, IMAX movies, and even a night spent sleeping at school before Christmas break! Looking back, I am very grateful to have grown up in Montreal just before the advent of social media and smartphones. Montreal, a big city with a lot of trees; full of life and activities.
We honestly didn't have much, but we were happy and thriving. That era of Montreal had a unique charm that never fails to evoke a sense of nostalgia in me. It was the era when The Lord of the Rings was released in theaters 🤩
I have always loved computers and technology. My father was a university computer science teacher in Algeria, and he has always been interested in technology. I believe that passion was passed down to me. Connected objects, smart devices, new technologies, and innovation have always piqued my curiosity, and they continue to do so today. Studying computer science felt like a natural choice to me. There was nothing else that interested me anyway, and the career opportunities were also very motivating. This is why I studied computer science at the Université du Québec à Montréal.
I consider myself extremely fortunate that Dynatrace reached out to me on LinkedIn right after I completed my degree. I know how challenging it can be to find a first role after graduation. When I learned that the position was both technical and customer-facing, I got really interested. As I explored Dynatrace during my interview preparation, I gained insight into the product and its capabilities. The platform looked aesthetic and powerful. It gave me strong confidence in both the technology and the company, which played a key role in my decision to accept the offer.
Tell us about your work and what interesting things you’re working on.
What I enjoy most about my role is the balance between technical work and business interaction. On the technical side, I find absolute satisfaction in resolving problems with customers, especially when I do it during a live call.
I particularly enjoy working with data, DQL, and Workflows. These tools feel powerful and allow meaningful automation. I am also very interested in Dynatrace’s AI-driven capabilities and how they can be leveraged to create value at scale.
Another aspect I value is understanding my customers’ business goals and translating those objectives into concrete technical solutions using Dynatrace. I regularly organize working sessions with customers to help them move closer to those goals. For instance, a customer mentioned they would like to become more proactive in resolving their application problems, so that it impacts their customers. I demonstrated to them how this goal could be achieved using Dynatrace Synthetics, and it has been proven to be an effective solution.
On the learning side, I am currently studying for the AWS AI Practitioner certification. My next goal is to obtain the Dynatrace Automation Specialist certification. Ultimately, I hope to combine AI and automation and collaborate with a customer on a real-world project that delivers measurable value.
What makes you excited about being part of Dynatrace?
I highly appreciate the flexibility of working fully remote. I also love that I get to use both French and English. My role allows me to collaborate with major organizations that are part of my everyday life, such as Desjardins, Energir, and RAMQ.
I regularly interact with a diverse range of stakeholders, including engineers, directors, vice presidents, customer success managers, account executives, and solution engineers, both internally and on the customer side. I also enjoy the opportunity to visit customers on-site from time to time.
The product itself is another major source of excitement. Dynatrace consistently leads the Gartner Magic Quadrant and continues to innovate with powerful features, including DQL, Application Security, Workflows, the new RUM, Live Debugger, and AI Obs. There is always something new to learn, and everything I learn directly translates into value for customers.
What makes Dynatrace Community important to you?
The Dynatrace Community is essential to me because it allows knowledge to be shared efficiently among customers. It allows me to disseminate information, best practices, and solutions to multiple customers simultaneously. It also plays a key role in improving Dynatrace through RFEs, ensuring that customer feedback is heard and considered.
"Community provides access to detailed, real-world solutions and cross-industry perspectives that go beyond standard documentation."
Most importantly, the Community gives customers a true sense of belonging. It allows them to connect with peers, product managers, and developers, so people they would not usually have direct access to. It creates a collaborative ecosystem where everyone benefits.
My advice to someone new to the Community is to actively participate: search, ask questions, share findings, and contribute solutions. The value you receive grows exponentially with engagement.
Tell us something about you that most people don’t know. What is your biggest joy or passion in life?
Outside of work, I enjoy going to the gym. This also naturally led me to learn about healthy eating habits, and it became another one of my passions. I also enjoy cooking and experimenting with different recipes. I am also passionate about skincare routines and products. It took me a long time to research all the different active ingredients I could possibly buy, then determine which products were good, and narrow them down to a few necessary ones.
I am a fan of video games, particularly titles like Resident Evil and Skyrim. I also enjoy continuously learning about AI and emerging technologies. Back then, I used to write poetry; I want to find the time to get back into it and learn a new language.
What achievement are you most proud of?
One of the achievements I am most proud of is graduating from college. During that time, I spent over two and a half hours every day commuting by bus and metro. I would leave the campus at 11 PM, even during wintertime. That degree is not the easiest one to begin with. It was physically and mentally exhausting, but it taught me discipline, resilience, and perseverance.
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