Ops/DevOps engineers

I'm responsible for keeping connections up and flow rates from different markets to our applications. I can't "misplace funds" into my friends' accounts, as they would have me do.

The first thing that comes to mind is that I'd be out on my bike way more. But from a company perspective, me not doing my job well enough might mean having to pay some fines.

I usually bring good vibes, smiles, my camera, and the occasional chocolate cake. The connection we have on a social level and the fact that we're always willing to help each other professionally are very rewarding to me.

It means that my private life takes no hits from my job.

I do. It helps that my working hours are flexible, as long as I get the job done. And I don't have to be in the office every day to perform, and that's well understood.

I would have to say the first Disaster Recovery I've gone through. It ended up being a successful one, but things didn't go as planned from the get-go. We had to failback the entire process.

Well, the stress of an unsuccessful Disaster Recovery exercise can potentially cut a few years off your life. But it's also a test for the spirit of a team and we passed with flying colours. It made me feel like I was just where I needed to be, and that feeling stood the test of time.

I’m involved in the operational side of application development. Right now, I work on delivering regulatory reports about investments.

Their questions are different, they mostly ask me about banking products and apps. I used to tell them that, despite working for ING, I don’t work for the bank in Romania, that our job focuses on developing global, reusable components and so on. I gave up in the meantime, I just answer their questions whenever I have the information.

You don’t kid around with regulatory, so I’m motivated to do well. But from a mindset point of view, it’s the switch I made when I joined the company. I’m in a community where I can speak my mind, do my own thing and do better, improve every day. These are drivers for me.

I’ve always wanted to write code, to work in command prompt, and to be an excellent IT developer.

I add joy! You’ll likely see me with a smile on my face. Sharing knowledge, helping others, bringing out the best in people, are all part of my mantra. I try to see the good part in everything or try to bring it to light.

As the captain of our running community, I also stay active with the people at work. We go for weekly runs, and sometimes join running events as a community. It’s nice to see the branded t-shirts at a race and share this hobby with the people I usually share tasks with.

It starts with being able to stick to the work schedule. This discipline allows me to spend time with family and friends, be it cooking or eating out, skiing, or cycling, travelling, just enjoying the simple things with those who matter most.
The possibility to work 4,5 days and add to the weekend is a gem.

It’s knowing that I need to make things happen. I get really absorbed into the screen during focused work, and that gets me going.

My colleagues are relaxed, eager to learn, fun. Getting to know them I found that we share some of the same hobbies, or they’re into something I’m also eyeing. Be it the gym, snowboarding, travelling, hiking, playing games, I have something in common with every one of them.

It feels like, somehow, I am exactly where I should be.

Sometimes I choose to do … just a bit more work – if I’m already in the zone and close to finishing a task.

Other times I meet up with friends. Playing tennis, airsoft, doing an extra workout, house cleaning, cooking or just being a couch potato are all solid options.

Balance is easy to me, I am pretty organised, and my job is flexible. I don’t actually need to go to the office, but I want to, and I do. Management is really friendly, laid back and understanding, regardless of the topic.

I’m quite new to the team, so my current challenge is to understand the way of working, map out processes and simplify the landscape.

More questions!

My non-IT family and friends think I fix computers for general home usage or perform servers’ maintenance. To them, I’m a computer and smartphone wizard. They’re always surprised when I don’t have the answer to random questions in the field.