About Jerry Lucas
Hi, I'm Jerry Lucas, and I was born and raised in Indonesia. I'm an INTJ, which means I love exploring new ideas and always strive to find logical and actionable solutions to challenges. I'm not afraid to challenge the status quo or break with tradition when it's necessary to create better, more effective outcomes.
I'm passionate about personal growth and constantly reflect on how I can become a better version of myself. I value independence, honesty, and intellectual curiosity. I believe that every experience holds valuable lessons, and I love to push the limits of my knowledge by tackling complex problems just for fun.
Thoughts & Quotes
While you are pursuing a goal, someone else is too. And any time that you step down and decide that something else is more important in that moment, they will pass you. And the reason is simple, in that moment they wanted it more than you did.
No matter how much you want a particular goal, someone else wants it too. And the way of the world is that the prize usually goes to the most qualified.
The willingness to sacrifice, the ability to delay gratification is the key to achieving your dreams. Being able to set aside wants for a higher goal is a part of being a functional adult.
What technologies do you work with?
I work with a variety of modern web and software development technologies, including:
- Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript
- Backend: Go, Node.js, Python, Java
- AI/ML: TensorFlow, PyTorch, LangChain, XGBoost
- Cloud: AWS, Google Cloud Platform
- DevOps: Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines
I'm always exploring and learning new technologies to solve problems more effectively.
Are you available for freelance work or consulting?
I'm not currently looking for new projects or consulting work. That said, I'm always curious about the problems people are running into. Feel free to email me at jerrylcas@gmail.com if you'd like to share. You never know what might spark the next idea.
How did you get started in software development?
My journey into software development began during my university days. I became fascinated with machine learning after experimenting with basic algorithms like linear regression and k-nearest neighbors. I was amazed at how these models could find patterns in data to make predictions like classifying handwritten digits or forecasting trends.
That early exposure sparked my curiosity. Later, I became increasingly drawn to how software could solve complex problems and create value. I started with small projects and gradually worked my way up to more complex applications.
What's your approach to building software?
I believe in approaching software development from first principles, ignoring conventions and starting with the fundamental problems. Before writing code, ask: What is the core need here? Why hasn't it been solved well before? This strips away assumptions and lets you rebuild solutions from the ground up.
But first principles alone aren't enough. You must combine this with another rule: Make something people want. It's not about your vision of "better," but about what users actively crave. The best engineering solves real problems for real users.
What do you do when you're not coding?
When I'm away from the keyboard, you'll often find me reading (everything from philosophy, biographies, history, and psychology) and working out (physical discipline complements mental rigor). I also enjoy solving Rubik's cubes and playing chess.
aR3 y0u s1n9L3?
Unfortunately, yes. But hear me out, I'm not awkward, I know how to talk to girls, how to flirt; I go outside and touch grass regularly, I don't use dark mode all the time, so I'm not a nerd. I'm pretty normal actually (I use vim btw).
The real reason goes back to 1970 when I wasn't born yet. That's the year when mathematicians proved that P vs NP is probably unsolvable. This created a temporal paradox in the universe's dating algorithm because finding the optimal romantic partner is clearly an NP-complete problem, but my brain keeps trying to solve it in polynomial time. Since the universe can't handle this computational contradiction, it just returns null every time someone shows interest in me.
Also, do you know why C programmers need glasses? ... because they can't see sharp, hahaha (React is for kids)