ITIDO

My IT journey started a little over 8 years ago. At the time I was working for a company providing programming courses to children, which was very innovative for Bulgaria.

Working in a field somewhat connected to programming sparked my own interest in the area. To top it off, all my friends and family were working in the IT sector, so moving from administration to programming was not only expected, but also supported by my closest people. 

HOW I STARTED AT ITIDO

ITIDO came four and a half years ago at the very beginning of my path as a programmer. Initially I was impressed with the environment I saw even during the recruitment processes. The passion, ambition, and team spirit was evident even in those 1 hour interviews.

And what made me accept the challenge was exactly that – the culture. Of course in addition I was presented with the opportunity to work in complex projects for telecom companies as BST Catalog developer — an entirely new and unfamiliar experience.

On my first day, naturally, I was a little scared, but very excited too. To be honest, I was so nervous that I barely remember my first 2 weeks.

MY WORK IN TELECOM

The first project I was assigned to was Argentine Telecom. I had the opportunity to work on the development and improvement of the provisioning of the telecommunication services for one of the major local telephone companies for the northern part of Argentina.

On one hand I was assigned a mentor from ITIDO, who was guiding me through my first days in the company. And on the other – I had a line manager in the project, assigned from the client. Both of them gave me continuous support and assistance throughout my training

Additionally I was working with featured specialists with wide expertise in the telecom industry, especially specialists with experience in working with a specific framework for provisioning television, sim cards and other products related to telecom services.

After this first step, I have been part of projects for telecommunications companies in Switzerland, England, Brazil, and projects for SBB, CFF, and FFS.

MY FIRST LEADERSHIP ROLE

Within a few more months, I became Lead in a new project for the same client. It is an Open API catalog-driven fulfillment solution that eliminates silo-based network management and enables agile product launches by leveraging 5G and IoT technology to reduce time-to-market by up to 50 percent.

My role included collaborating with various stakeholders such as project managers, clients, development and test teams, and solution architects to build efficient teams and define project objectives and milestones. As well as preparation of investment proposals and business cases, along with selecting suitable methods and tools to manage projects effectively.

This was my first leadership role and by that moment I didn’t have any experience leading people. But I have one simple rule: ask questions, and you will get answers.

At ITIDO, we believe that our people are the engine of the whole “machine”. That’s why we are actively involved in a lot of fun and creative activities like knowledge-sharing sessions dubbed “Next Level Play” and team-building activities that further strengthen our trust and relationships. 

Another practice that we have is to consult with our colleagues when we face critical situations –  everyone can participate, assist and give their point of view. This ensures that everyone feels useful, is heard and is involved in the decision making process. 

IMPRESSING THE CUSTOMER

This collaborative spirit also extends to situations with clients. When I was still a newbie in my role as a Delivery Technical Manager, the client insisted on making an addition to a specific task. However, the project managers I was reporting to directly simply declined, citing that it was not part of the current sprint and not crucial for that project phase, given the lack of resources. 

Despite this, I believed it could be done, recognizing its importance to the client. I discussed the feasibility with colleagues from the company, and understanding it could be a challenge, I knew it would be a motivation boost for them, since we will be doing something new and different, we will have the opportunity to be creative and we will be able to show our potential and how flexible and applicable knowledge and skills we can apply from one project to another. We succeeded, impressing, and satisfying the customer. Notably, the solution is still being used and even reused in other projects by colleagues. 

MOTHERHOOD AND WORK

2 years ago, my whole life changed for the better as I had my first baby. But being the woman that I am, I didn’t want to stop working. During my maternity leave I didn’t lose my relationship with my team. I tried to stay involved in the company life by talking to other team members in the company, meeting with some of them over coffee etc. 

Thanks to this, the transition period and adaptation after 1 year on maternity leave were really easy for me. It was my own way of returning to work without stress. And it worked for me – 2 weeks after coming back full time, I was in full capacity. 

However, I know everyone has to find their own way. The truth is that in this sector, even a one-month vacation can be significant. You need to stay sharp. Up to date with everything new.  Therefore my advice would be to invest in yourself  and continue to develop every day.