Team Interview René (Backend)

Who are we and what happens here? There is already some information on our team page. But that only answers who works for us, not what our team does. That's why we want to give you a few more insights. To do so, we talked to a few of our colleagues. Today we introduce you to René.

Hi René, thanks for your time!

How long have you been there and what exactly do you do at wunschlösung?

My job description is something like Senior Software Developer. But I prefer to say that I'm a software developer. I've been in the software industry for quite a long time. I started during my time at university. I worked while I was studying. I stayed with the company for 10 years, then I wanted something new. Many computer scientists change jobs every few years, but I like to stay with a company longer if I like it there. Job security is very important to me. The profile of wunschlösung was a very good fit for me. I was a bit sceptical at first because wunschlösung is quite small. But the communication and cohesion were simply better here. I've been here since 1 September 2020. In the meantime, I know that the security is there and I like the size of the company and the togetherness.

How does your work fit into the wunschlösung?

You could say I am a wunschlöser. I am the implementer of the client's ideas. Together with the client and in a team with other companies, I work on the realisation of the project wishes. We don't have an internal training process, so development is more of a collaboration here. I see my role more as a software developer, not in management or control. I don't want to be the boss, but a friend, and that is possible here with the work structure.

What actually brought you to us?

A headhunter. And ultimately, it was more by chance. When I decided to leave my old company, a headhunter contacted me at about the same time and suggested two companies, including wunschlösung. And that's what happened after the meeting.

Do you still remember your first days here? What was it like?

Two weeks before, I was asked what technology I wanted to use. I got a budget for it and was allowed to design my own workspace. Everything was already there on the first day, that was important to me. When it started, Peter had already sent me thousands of access data, so I started with setting up the PC. Thomas was there as a direct contact person for the first few days, which was very helpful.

Things started very quickly for me, my first commit was a week after starting work. I started on a Tuesday and completed the first tickets on the following Monday. So I had about a week as an induction period. I spent the first four days getting to know the technologies and setting up the working environment. I brought a USB stick with me with the things I like to use for work. During this time, I also got to know the Leipzig part of the team. We ate together and talked, if that was possible due to Covid.

The learning curve was quite steep. I can imagine that it can be a challenge for new developers to keep track of everything. But logistically I am very satisfied, it was less chaotic than with many other companies.

What does a typical day in your life look like?

My alarm clock goes off at 7:30. My mobile phone rings at 8. Then I get up and go to the office. I arrive around 9:30 and talk to my colleagues to hear what's happened so far and what's planned for the day. Then I go to the coffee machine and check what I did the day before. Between 10 and 11 a.m. there are meetings to coordinate with the team. Until 12:30 I have free time for programming. At 12:45 there is lunch, and of course huddle (our lunch with the team). After that it's on, usually until about 7pm, sometimes more, sometimes less. I work 8 hours a day, of which about one hour is in meetings and 7 hours in software development. I like that a lot because it indicates efficient communication channels. After work I go home, and after that it's free time. I try to keep that separate in terms of time. Home office doesn't always make that easy. When I have a choice, I therefore prefer to go to the office.

If you were the "boss", what would you do differently?

I don't think I would change that much. You don't necessarily have to change something that doesn't disrupt operations. Personally, I would rather have all the employees in the company, but I don't think I would do it differently as a boss. Employee satisfaction is more important. And we also have team events.

And finally, why the wunschlösung and not another company?

The people, the people behind the idea, make the difference for me. In the old company, there were personnel decisions that I was very unhappy with. People left and teams were torn apart, I didn't like that. I am someone who likes stability. With the wunschlösung, there is a form of constancy that I feel comfortable with. You can talk to people here. A free exchange of ideas and tolerance are important to me.

Thank you, René!

Would you like to know more?
Find out here how the founding of wunschlösung came about, or visit our team page. You can also get to know other wunschlösers in our blog.