In an attempt to maintain growth, companies are gaining market shares and developing new products. If the focus however is on fast growth and not on development, the growing potential can quickly be exhausted. The remedy usually is adopting a strategy of sustainability – both for the environment and the society. Such could include the creation and distribution of benefits – both from ecological and humanitarian perspectives.
And when millions of people are well-educated, have better incomes, and are well-catered for, the growth is sustainable and the market potential is there.
To support and maintain this growth, the profession of Software Developer will continue to be among the most desirable jobs in the next decade. As a company, our success depends on our people, and their success depends on opportunities for learning and development. At Sopra Steria Bulgaria, we believe that when a person is hungry for knowledge, has logical and analytical thinking, and is curious to try and experiment, the experience comes with time and practice. Either on a project or at their dedicated practice.
That is why, last year, we provided an opportunity for three people to join a Junior Program. Paired with mentorship, training, and a supportive environment our company offered the necessary conditions for young and ambitious people to gain professional experience and become part of our team in the long term.
We recently interviewed Dimitar, Boris & Rositsa, to find out what they think about the Junior program and how it helped them to develop their skills. In this blog, we’ll share insights from our junior colleagues who took on their software development, and we will explore the importance of skill development in this ever-evolving field. Because, in the dynamic scene of the tech industry, one constant truth remains: the need to continuously develop and expand your skill set. As one enters the world of coding and problem-solving, it’s essential to uphold the learning journey and to understand that it never truly ends.
Read how our juniors replied in the text below:
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How did you find out about our program and why did you decide to apply for it?
- I found out about the junior programmer position from an advertisement. I decided to apply because it made a very good impression on me that the company was German, relatively large, and open to training people without experience. In addition, the requirements for applicants were realistic and fit my profile. The opportunity to develop and use my German on a working level was also a big advantage. It also sounded exciting to be involved in the development and implementation of software for banks, microfinance institutions, and insurers that help millions of people access financial services every day.
At the interview itself, I already understood more details and that’s when I decided that I wanted to work at this company.
What kind of expectations did you have before starting the program and how does the experience match your expectations?
- To be honest, in the beginning, I did not expect such a program. At the interview itself, I learned about it and was very pleasantly surprised. I also didn’t expect that they would give us so much time and attention. My colleagues and I had mentors in the program who imparted knowledge and guidance on how to be successful in a real project and therefore in the company itself. The individual approach to each of us and the opportunity to help each other with the training process helped me tremendously in developing not only my technical skills but also my teamwork skills.
Tell us about the on-boarding process and how the company helped you transition into your full-time position.
- The biggest advantage for me was the training opportunities. For someone who has no experience, it’s very important to be in a place where you can see best practices and learn from people with a lot of experience. The junior program was exactly that for me. Working on an internal project showed me what to expect from working on a client project, but I also had mentors I could always turn to for advice on how to improve my code. I participated and went through a lot of additional training, and I was even able to touch Angular and Front-End development.
What specific skills and knowledge have you gained during the program? How did you learn them?
I have gained new knowledge and skills in front-end development and Angular. This happened during my work on the project I was assigned to and with the help of profiled courses provided by the company.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome during the program and how did you manage it?
- The biggest challenge for me was to learn the core things about Angular for a limited time. But I managed to do it thanks to the courses, provided by the company and the help from my colleagues.
How do you think others could benefit from joining this program?
- I think that everybody with no or little experience can benefit from the program because there are many kinds of projects with various complex tasks that help to supplement old or acquire completely new skills.
What are the skills the program helped you to develop?
The program jump-started my skills in database management and database queries because I had no practical previous knowledge. Database versioning at times can be a tricky situation and have underlying issues that are not immediately obvious, so a solid set of practical knowledge can go a long way here and save you a headache. There is also another skill that the program helped me develop and this is proper API structuring, error handling, and unit tests, which introduced me to techniques like Pair Programming and many others.
We sincerely thank Dimitar, Boris & Rositsa for their time and participation in this short interview! We are glad that they are part of our team, and we wish them success in all present and future endeavors!
We are sure that the program helped them with training, personalized guidance, and hands-on skill-building experience. We know its value and advantages from the products already created and the project work put on by our upskilling software developers.
The social and environmental initiatives that the companies organize will continue to be evidence of a good investment. So, seek out support and accountability from your peers; after all, they are navigating the same learning journey. Give support and time to the growing development community. We are all responsible for the sustainable growth of our society.
As a certified Great Place To Work® employer, we care for and support our employees in their own way. We will keep providing training and development opportunities and the focus will be on the people. Because we know that people like to be behind the steering wheel and create their success. This inevitably caters to the success of the company.
To us “Great people make great places to work” so, if anybody wants to join our team and become part of the it-e family, here is a link to our open positions.