On the occasion of International Women's Day, we interviewed three employees who give us interesting insights into their personal and professional lives. In this article, they share their stories and talk about their career paths as well as their daily work and what they value about it.

We start with Tugce, who has been with us for almost exactly one year now. Tugce studied bioinformatics and joined us as a software developer directly after her studies. Among other things, she tells us about her experiences as a young professional.

“After my studies, I wanted to find a job in the field of data science and came to IT Sonix through a friend. Here, I work as a software developer in the Operations department with DevOps and I am also part of the Data Science team. A not insignificant part of the work is automating processes, broadly speaking, bringing structure to things. That is also something that has accompanied me on my path so far. I have always enjoyed taking on responsibility and dealing with topics that require structure – in university, I was the student council chairperson.

Apart from the fact that I really appreciate the professional nature of my work, I also feel very comfortable here in other ways. Although I came straight from university, my ideas and suggestions were immediately taken seriously and I had the opportunity to contribute my knowledge and skills to the project right from the start. My interest in the connections behind things is also something that helps me in my daily work. In the Operations team, it is important to understand the whole process, and that includes the impact of individual decisions on the end result.

I already had a good feeling on the first day during my onboarding. I received a friendly welcome from my team leader and everything was already prepared and set up for the work assignment – both on site and remotely. My team members were very helpful and open to my questions. Over time, I have grown particularly fond of my team's sense of humour.

Since I commute to work and work remotely a lot, the hybrid work model suits me very well and in the end it is also the variety that appeals to me here, both in the project and in the office. For example, in addition to many different offers, there is a lunch buffet, which I like to use and which is always worth a detour to the office, not to mention the great employees you meet here.”

Our next interview partner Stephanie is product owner with us and additionally takes over the management of two teams within her project. She has been with us for more than six years now and has previously worked in various jobs, from project manager in the travel industry to consultant in quality management to project manager for a customer portal.

“It's sometimes hard to believe that I've been here for six years now. At the same time, it's also my first job in the IT industry. However, I already had some contact with agile working methods before that in my work as a project manager for a customer portal of a large travel provider, where I worked with Scrum.

In my professional career, I have also always had the opportunity to gain experience in working with customers, and that is something that helps me enormously today as well. In my role as product owner and project manager, it is particularly important to respond to people individually and to understand their wishes. It always makes me happy when I can satisfy one of our clients with our work.

The other big part of my job is organisation and planning. I have to be able to maintain a good overview of the topics and the project – even in detail. Up to 80 % of my working day takes place in meetings and is characterised by many changes of focus. Since I have to do several things at the same time, I depend not only on my experience but also on good teamwork. Furthermore, understanding and communicating complex issues – wrapping up technical requirements and processes in a way that is suitable for customers – are central points of my work.

Every day is different here and that suits my way of working very well. There are always new and exciting challenges and that is something that spurs me on every day to look for new methods and solutions. Overall, everything works so well here because you can rely on the others and communication takes place on a level playing field. The community and teamwork are in the foreground. I am glad that I no longer have to be a lone wolf and that I get enough support from my teams. At the same time, it is also important for me to pay attention to the needs of others – whether employees or customers – and I always have an open ear for everyone.

Another positive thing that strikes me is that women are represented in all positions here, from developer to management. In general, the entire company culture invites everyone to feel comfortable in the company.”

Our interview series concludes with Beatrice, who came to us in the middle of the corona pandemic. Beatrice studied media informatics and before joining us as a product owner, she had already gained experience as a Java developer as well as a scrum master and product owner.

“At the time, I was looking for new challenges and at the same time wanted to take everything positive from my old job with me – the pleasant working environment and the flexibility. In the course of my career, my interest in the agile way of working increased more and more, which is why I eventually became a product owner. My requirements for the new job naturally narrowed down the range of offers and in the end I chose IT Sonix.

Here, in addition to the agile way of working being lived through and through, I also find the flexibility I need as well as an open company culture that is characterised by flat hierarchies and a great willingness to help. Here, no one has to be afraid to ask a question or contribute ideas. I have the opportunity to work a 4-day week here and balance my professional and private life. In addition to this flexibility, being able to work on different projects and thus dive into new worlds again and again makes working here very attractive. At the same time, I can also commit to a project and bring my expertise to it, there is no pressure. I supervise a wonderful team that thinks beyond its tasks and I understand my role as an interface between the inside and the outside, communication is very important.

In general, the way we treat each other in the company is very respectful and always on the same level, and even though many of our teams are mixed, the proportion of women in the IT industry is not yet where it could be.

In day-to-day business, however, I don't really notice that, because as I mentioned earlier, the interaction in the company is very pleasant. No stumbling blocks are put in the way and everyone can get ahead here if they want to. The fact that we have a woman on the management team also shows, in my opinion, that we are heading in the right direction and taking important steps towards a future in which equal opportunities are no longer the exception.”

Finally, we would like to thank our three employees for their inspiring stories. With our company culture, we want to foster a working environment that gives everyone the opportunity to develop their skills and talents. We are proud to be able to create a working environment together in which our employees can always be successful and grow.