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A career changer in front-end development: Janina's journey into IT
A career changer in IT: Janina has taken the path that many people don't dare to take. From a traditional business degree to a position as a team leader in customer support to a front-end developer at OTTO - her resume is about as varied as her current day-to-day work. But what were Janina's beginnings in IT like? What hurdles did she encounter and how did she overcome them? We have asked!
Janina - your topic in 3 sentences!
"My goal is to ensure that users can easily interact with our software and that page load times are optimized. However, before I start the actual software development, I use a graphic design tool to prototype new features. This gives us on the team a chance to test the user interface and address design issues before I write the actual code."
Why is your topic important for OTTO?
"As a front-end developer at OTTO, my focus is not only on the technical aspect of our applications, but also on the user experience. In this way, I want to ensure that my colleagues can benefit in the best possible way from the products we develop."
What was one of the biggest challenges for you job-wise?
"As a career changer with only a 3-month boot camp as preparation, I often had the feeling at the beginning of my career that I couldn't really have a say. My colleagues had already completed a degree in software development or similar and had several years of professional experience. In meetings, I often couldn't really follow and didn't understand what it was all about or why certain things were considered a problem. For me, this meant that I had to continuously keep learning.
In addition, I was often plagued by the thought that I might not be enough for the job. While my previous position had given me some seniority, I had now decided to do something completely new. I had to learn to accept that my colleagues knew exactly what I was doing, had made a conscious decision to hire me, and that's exactly why I got the job."
What were your first points of contact with IT?
"In my previous position as a team leader at a measurement service provider, I was responsible for digitally transforming my department. As a result, I was confronted with the task of setting requirements for the software developers and discussing and debating problems with my colleagues. For the first time, I had the opportunity to look over the shoulder of a colleague while he was developing the software. I found it incredibly fascinating what he showed me there. We started to talk about the work of a developer and the typical day-to-day work in this field. This was the moment when the thought of a career change was born."
Where was your enthusiasm for IT first awakened?
"After I had my first point of contact with IT, I started thinking about how I could successfully leave my previous profession and pursue a completely different field. It was also at this time that the first develop<her> event took place. I immediately applied for a spot and was lucky enough to attend. There I wrote my first lines of code and really enjoyed it. I wanted to do more of it. The colleagues at OTTO did an excellent job of introducing the develop<her> participants to the topic, arousing interest in many of them and also igniting the spark in me that later became a real passion in a web development bootcamp."
What do you like best about your current job?
"The job as a front-end developer is the absolute dream job for me, as it offers a variety of facets and no two days are the same. The beauty of it is that I can learn new things every day. This is not only because my career in IT is still relatively young, but also because the technologies I use are constantly evolving and new technologies are emerging. The problems I face are often individual and require different approaches to solve. I like the fact that I can think creatively anew with every task and don't have the same process every day."
That's why women in the tech sector are so important for us!
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