Steve Verhelle

Software / Systems Engineer

Event-Driven developer; music enjoyer; systems whisperer.

I build performant, scalable, and easily maintainable tools by leveraging the unique strengths of my core technology stack. Whether it's high-speed backend services or complex data processing, my ecosystem is designed to work together seamlessly.

I use the handle enqack on Github and produce music under the name Hellfonic.


Core Knowledge

unix

Advanced system administration

From bash to zcat. From DNS to email. I possess the skills to configure and administer your systems.

clusters

Distributed systems architecture

Whether it is consensus or discovery I can navigate a route through the hive.

programming

Advanced software design

From build tooling to design patterns I can craft anything given the resources.

unix

NixOS

A unique, declarative Linux distribution built on top of the Nix package manager, where the entire operating system configuration—including packages, system services, and configuration files—is managed via a single functional language.

systems

Advanced networking

Websockets, QUIC are of prime interest.

systems

DevOps

Whether it is NixOS or Terraform and Ansible I have the experience to overcome your deployment gaps.

emerging

AI

A frontier landscape I enjoy exploring.


Core Technologies

go

Go

Powering high-concurrency backend services, CLI tools, and systems that require raw performance and fast execution.

protobuf

Protocol Buffers

The connective tissue of the organization. Protobufs maintain strictly typed, language-agnostic, and lightning-fast communication contracts.

python

Python

The province of data processing, scripting, automation, and rapid prototyping within the ecosystem.

Go and Python with Protocol Buffers is a proven stack for high-performance, cross-language microservices. Go owns performance-critical services; Python handles data science, ML, and automation. Communication is anchored by a centralized .proto file defining shared data structures and service contracts, from which language-specific message types, gRPC interfaces, and client stubs are generated for both languages. The runtime layer is completed by the standard protobuf library via PyPI for Python and Google's official protobuf modules for Go — giving a consistent, efficient serialization foundation across both languages.


Resume

Skills
Language
Bash C/C++ Go HTML/CSS Javascript Python
Cognitive
Problem solver Fast learner Logical thinker Creative Strives for perfection
Experience
Software / Systems Engineer
Independent & Open Source
2015 – Present
  • Designing and maintaining high-concurrency backend services in Go
  • Building data processing pipelines and automation tooling in Python
  • Administering Linux/NixOS infrastructure, networking, and DevOps workflows
  • Developing agentic AI harnesses and LLM integrations
Owner / Operator
Midnight Toll, LLC
November 2012 - July 2015
  • Standard business operations.
  • Development of a video game.
Software / Systems Engineer
University of Michigan Hospital Systems - LMS
January 2006 - June 2006
  • Performed routine maintenance of learning maintenance system.
Software / Systems Engineer
University of Michigan Hospital Systems - MCIT
December 2001 – February 2005
  • Responsible for coordination and creation of configuration files for Core Image rollouts and single workstation deployment.
  • Granting network access for non-Core devices.
  • Perform maintenance on the VTAM Web Application; an ASP, JavaScript, and VBS based front-end for an Oracle workstation configuration and IP assignment tracking database.
Shipping and Receiving Clerk
ACC Penske
March 2001 - June 2001
  • Responsible for updating and maintaining data for GM on-demand
  • warehouse inventory system.
  • Logistical tracking of part containers for warehouse.
  • Processing and approval of shipping and receiving paperwork.
Mechanic
Prestige Chevrolet
March 2000 – September 2000
  • Performed routine maintenance and inspection of vehicles.
  • Performed minor mechanical, electrical, and body repairs.

Projects


Epilogue

The best systems are the ones nobody notices - until they're gone.

Good software engineering is not a collection of techniques - it is a disposition toward systems. It is the habit of asking what a thing actually does before asking how to make it faster, the reflex to name failure modes before celebrating success paths, and the discipline to leave a codebase more legible than you found it. These are not taught in a curriculum. They are earned through years of maintaining systems that outlive their original authors, debugging production failures at 2 AM, and learning - repeatedly - that complexity is not a sign of sophistication but of deferred decisions.

I have spent more than two decades cultivating that disposition. My career traces the full vertical of modern infrastructure: from the machine-level concerns of configuration management and network provisioning, through the architectural challenges of distributed systems and high-concurrency services, to the emerging frontier of agentic AI. What connects those layers is not the technology but the underlying commitment to systems that are correct, observable, and honest about their failure modes.

My core stack reflects considered tradeoffs, not trend-following. Go handles the performance-critical path: concurrent, fast, explicit about errors. Python owns the data plane and automation layer: expressive, composable, pragmatic. Protocol Buffers enforce the contract between them: typed, language-agnostic, resistant to the drift that kills long-lived systems. Each tool earns its place.