Hello there! Would you like to introduce yourself to our readers? And please don’t forget to add some fun facts about yourself!
Weronika: I’m Weronika but go by Nika among family and close friends. Coming from Poland, I have proudly represented Slavic culture in Germany for almost 5 years now. I enjoy traveling, getting to know new people and exploring different cultures. The best if accompanied by food. Yes, I’m a foodie. This is why you will often find me in the kitchen, cooking, baking and/or drinking wine. My latest hobby? Trying out all the truffle pastas in Munich. Apart from that, I’m a planning freak, I love cats and I can’t leave my bed without a morning coffee.
Where can I apply to join your latest hobby? Judging from what you just said, I am assuming you’re working from Munich?
Weronika: Although I always thought of myself as an individualist, corona times proved me wrong and showed how much I need and value human interaction. This is why most of the time I work from our office here in Munich. I do love traveling and changing my environment though. That’s why the flexible working policy at Capmo is a blessing. It enables me to not give up on my needs and when I feel like it, I can get a bit of Italian sun during a January standup meeting. My cozy apartment on a rainy Friday is also always a good option.
Apart from our flexible working policy, what drew you to Capmo?
Weronika: I’ve been with Capmo for quite some time now. When I applied here we were twenty people and had a simple, industrial office in WERK1. So it definitely wasn’t for all the benefits we do have now as employees. I was looking for a place where I could a) feel good about the product and b) have a community of dynamic and supportive team players. I could feel that I found it at Capmo. Additionally, during the application process our CTO, Sebastian, gave me an impression of a very candid person with a clear direction in his head. That put my mind at ease with regard to the future of the company and made the decision easier. Oh and I got a free pizza when visiting the office for the first time.
Congratulations to your new role! Can you tell us a bit more about your development with Capmo?
Weronika: Thank you :) I’m super happy to become a full-time Capmo. Starting my journey here as a working student in 2020, I was very new to software engineering. My team however welcomed me warmly and with understanding onboarded me into our environment, processes and technologies we use. With time and my experience growing, I could quickly feel trusted and was given more and more responsibility, which I appreciated a lot. I have also met here a whole bunch of amazing people, with whom I feel strongly connected and who make my daily work life much brighter. I’ve learnt a lot since my beginning at Capmo and developed both professionally and personally. Being able to continue this experience as a full-time employee is first and foremost exciting!
What part of the product was most appealing to you?
Weronika: Studying environmental engineering I got to experience myself what a construction project means. Tons of technical drawings, lost in action documentation, excel sheets everywhere. This is why I could identify myself with Capmo’s mission very easily. I was (and still am) excited to contribute towards the transition we are working on in the construction industry and hopefully make lives of people in this domain (finally) easier.
What do you like best about Capmo?
Weronika: Definitely our feedback culture. I know it can sound very cliché from the outside but we really do live this value daily. It doesn’t matter if it relates to your work colleague of an equal rank, manager or somebody on a different team, you are always welcomed and even expected to speak up and share what’s on your heart. We are learning here how to exchange opinions in a valuable way, both by expressing ourselves clearly and by being able to receive constructive criticism. I appreciate it a lot. It is super important for a group to develop its way of communication that functions well and satisfies the needs of all parties by making them feel heard, understood and respected. Only then can you create an environment in which everybody can thrive and develop into their best.
I totally agree with you! Tell me, How did you get into Engineering and why?
Weronika: My path into software engineering was pretty long and not at all straightforward. Although I have always been more on the analytical side and was very good at subjects like Math (nerdy, I know), I’ve originally decided to study Environmental Engineering, following my “family tradition”. With time and experience gained during that program, I slowly and steadily developed interest in computer science and realized that, with my skills set, I can create much more impact through that field. Finally, two degrees in Environmental Engineering later, I made a bold decision and applied for Informatik @LMU. It has been one of the best decisions of my life ever since and I couldn’t have felt more fulfilled in what I’m doing professionally than I currently am.
Making bold decisions is also why you’re absolutely right here! Talking about bold decisions: What challenges are you facing right now?
Weronika: Until recently I’ve been working with Capmo part-time as a working student. I did however contribute to the team’s efforts as a full time employee would do. I attended sprint related meetings, worked on the same board tasks as the others and took part in product related discussions. This configuration can and in fact was often very challenging. You do not only want to bring valuable input in a reduced period of time per week but what is also very important, stay on top of everything. With the current pace of changes and development happening in our product, staying up-to-date is not always easy. Yet, I did actually enjoy the challenge and saw it as a great opportunity to flourish.
What is your team working on? What does your team do at Capmo?
Weronika: I’m a part of the UPO engineering team. UPO=Users, Permissions, Organizations. That means we are responsible for anything related to the product dynamics on the user and organization level, be it members’ collaboration within an organization or single account management. It’s also us who manage user’s access to different components and rights to perform or not specific actions within our system. But don’t worry, we don’t take bribes so everything stays fair :)!
Tell us a bit more about your team!
Weronika: So it’s no secret that engineering is still broadly dominated by men and so is also my team. This means that I will for sure never miss the latest updates on Cyperpunk 2077. Joking (laughing). Not really (laughing more). Working with my team means keeping things simple and direct, supporting each other and having lots of fun while doing so. Being responsible for such crucial concepts of our product like for instance user permissions, we need to keep in mind its cross-vertical functionality. This can often get complex very quickly. To stay sane, I find it extremely valuable to be able to reach out to my colleagues, discuss the issue at hand and get my portion of daily laughter in-between. We are also a full mix-and-match of different nationalities, backgrounds and opinions. In this diversity we complement one another, learn from each other and grow not only as engineers but also as human beings.
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