My career path has been anything but traditional. I started out in the telecom industry as a salesman back in 2006, but in 2019, I decided to take a leap of faith and switch for a career in IT. It was a daunting project, but one that luckily led me to where I am now.
After spending two years working in the IT department of a heavy machinery company, I joined our team and have been fortunate enough to work as a consultant for the same customer ever since. What’s been truly remarkable is the opportunity to switch projects and explore different aspects of Software Development Quality Assurance.
Diverse projects and the power of collaboration
I can’t go too much in the details but my assignments have included building test automation from scratch to new products that are being designed for customers, maintaining a vast and complicated mobile app test automation solution for big enterprises, and exploratory- and manual testing small updates to currently in use applications.
Some of these projects have been done in a sprint, some have taken multiple months, each and everyone of those has been a great learning experience for me. The diversity of the projects is what keeps my energy flowing as I’m able to learn new things with each project. I can honestly say there’s not been many dull moments in these projects.
But what really sets our community apart is the support and like mindedness that exists among team members. No one is left behind, and everyone is willing to lend a helping hand. Whether it’s a tricky problem or a new tool to learn, there’s always someone available to offer help and support. This sense of collaboration and teamwork has made my time here truly enjoyable.
Our ways of collaboration are not limited to the office only as we have slack channels to many topics where one can ask a question that might be bothering us. In the more complicated topics our people persons have arranged training sessions and we have taken our customer’s personnel there too! This way we can enhance the co-operation with the customer and develop ours and customer’s skills to meet the future requirements. As the tech stack in use keeps getting bigger with the assignments, there’s always support in the back-office.
Building community through shared passions
When we’re not working, we like to have some fun too! Our community is very active and diverse, with a range of free time activity Glubs to suit all interests. From curling and board games to dancing and karaoke to hackathons, there’s always something going on in the offices or remotely. These activities offer a chance to meet with colleagues outside of the office or with people from other offices.
People that work mostly remote are not forgotten either, we have a slack channel where we can chat and also have weekly huddles to collaborate and discuss about various topics. Some of us have also arranged multiplayer sessions where colleagues have joined forces to play online versions of boardgames or tackle a monster or two in more graphical games.
One of the benefits that I’ve particularly appreciated is our company’s stock-savings-plan. Since joining, I’ve been able to take part in this program, which has been a great way to invest in my future. Hopefully this is an extra good addition to my retirement-plan!
As I look back on my time here, I’m filled with a sense of gratitude and appreciation. I’ve enjoyed every moment, from the challenges and opportunities to the friendships and memories made. I’m excited to see what the future holds, and I hope to be a part of this community for many years to come.
