Borys Zielonka, PHP Developer, IT Hub Poland: „In eMAG there are no stupid ideas, everyone knows something, but no one knows everything, so everyone’s opinion counts.”

Borys s-a alăturat echipei noastre din hub-ul IT din Varșovia în 2018. A simțit că este locul potrivit pentru el, un loc în care tehnologia este o prioritate, iar aici, spune el, a învățat ce înseamnă cuvântul echipă și cum cooperarea influențează rezultatul final.

Borys joined our team in the Warsaw IT hub in 2018. He felt it was the right place for him, a place where technology is a priority, and here, he says, he learned what the word “team” means and how cooperation influences the end result.

 

What was your career path and how did you get to eMAG?

I started as a freelancer, making simple landing pages for small entrepreneurs. Then, during my studies, I ran my online store integrated with multiple e-commerce platforms. At the same time, I created a few parallel projects related to online marketing. Then, I got an internship in the IT department of Poland’s largest content publisher. I stayed there for two years, working my way up to regular developer. I participated in innovative projects that used some of the first versions of fledgling technologies, such as Vuejs and Elixir. Next, I moved to another city and changed my employer to a bank where I was responsible for creating the Anti Money Laundry system. Suddenly, an eMAG recruiter contacted me on LinkedIn, and that’s how I joined our organization.

 

Why did you choose eMAG?

I think the interviews with Krzysztof Rakowski and Michał Puczyłowski were so educating and went in a calm and professional atmosphere, I thought it was the place for me, where technology is the main priority. I felt I could trust those guys and I wanted to be a part of something big in terms of e-commerce.

 

How has your experience at eMAG changed you? What did you learn? What did you change?

At eMAG, I understood that a software engineer is a role that involves not only working with your computer and text editor but also working with other developers, as well as with people who don’t know technology at all. A developer is a role whose goal isn’t just programming but solving business problems and challenges with the use of technology. At eMAG, I learned what the word “team” means and how the quality of cooperation affects the final result.

In addition, thanks to working at eMAG, I appreciated the role of software architecture in a developer’s everyday life. How important it is to properly separate business modules and how big an impact on an end user the process’s performance might have.

I think it is also worth mentioning one more thing that became obvious to me while working for eMAG – Test Driven Development. It is hard to admit, but I didn’t appreciate this approach that much before.

 

What made you stay for so long?

Working with very skilled and passionate software engineers, the relation with my supervisors, Maria Kocon and Krzysztof Rakowski, I trust them. Lots of possibilities for self-development – access to e-learning platforms, participation in IT conferences, etc.

 

What do you see as the difference between eMAG and other employers?

In eMAG there are no stupid ideas, everyone knows something, but no one knows everything, so everyone’s opinion counts. If you have an initiative, you can validate it and pursue it.

 

What are you most proud of when it comes to your role?

Every time I read about social projects or innovations in the eMAG group, I feel proud I work for an organization that tries to make a difference and improve our lives, not only generating more and more revenue.

 

What don’t people know about what it means to develop technology for one of the most relevant e-commerce players in the region? What are the challenges?

Sometimes, behind even small features like a label ‘in_stock’ on the website, there is a great work of people who made a very complex business logic intuitive and, simple to understand by the end user. In other words, the most challenging thing is to make difficult things simple.

Also, not many people are probably aware of it, but making Black Friday possible to happen without any downtimes, incidents, or performance issues is a great challenge we prepare for weeks or even months before.

 

What do you appreciate most about the working environment at eMAG?

We have the tools we need to do a good job; we can have a real impact on the end user, and we can self-organize our teams.

 

What advice would you give to someone starting a career in the industry?

Ask yourself what you want to achieve and why and what is your purpose. When it comes to software development, the reason is usually the desire to build something that can help others. It is easier to learn if you have a goal or a project you want to complete. It might be the app just for your friends & family or the simple website for your favourite neighbourhood restaurant. If it makes sense and satisfies the needs of a single person besides yourself, it means you will get a motivational boost, even though you don’t know how to do it yet. Then start with online tutorials, books, local meetups, whatever works for you for learning new things.

It is invaluable to meet other people who have the skills you need to learn to achieve your goals. I know it’s not always easy to make such connections, but I think it’s worth the effort. If you have a mentor who is now where you want to be in the future, he will certainly help you avoid the mistakes they made in the past to become who they are now. If you can’t find anyone like this, just catch me on LinkedIn, and I’ll try to help with the first steps. And most importantly, don’t give up. Beginnings are always difficult, and the hardest thing is to start. Remember that everyone makes mistakes. We are only human. The trick is not to repeat the mistakes you have already made.