Meet our integration specialist: Alexandra

Alexandra worked in tech for 15 years before joining i8c. With lots of experience in API management and Java development, we’re thrilled to add yet another expert to our i8c community! It’s pretty clear why we want to work with Alexandra, so let’s take a moment to discover why Alexandra chose to join our community…

Alexandra

17 Apr 2024

“Moving countries made it important to me that I would feel at home at my job!”

When Alexandra’s partner accepted a job in Belgium, the couple decided to take the plunge together and swap their familiar surroundings in Romania for a new adventure in Belgium. Of course, the move to Belgium also meant that Alexandra started looking for a new professional challenge. That is where our paths crossed when Alexandra came across one of our vacancies…

“While looking for a job, a vacancy for i8c stood out to me. Not only did my experience with API management match the job description well, the community-aspect appealed to me as well. That’s why I got in touch with Thomas, i8c’s HR Manager, through LinkedIn. From there on it all went fast! 2 Online meetings followed, after which I was invited to the office. I immediately felt that I would feel at home here and I admire i8c’s drive to innovate and use new technologies!

Of course, I compared the benefits different employers had to offer. It’s awesome that I got a nice car, laptop, and mobile phone, but I was especially attracted to i8c’s commitment to lifelong learning. By dedicating a budget to training and certificates and encouraging us to attend conferences and events, i8c makes sure we get everything we need to stay up-to-date.”

Welcome ̶a̶b̶r̶o̶a̶d̶ aboard!

Alexandra’s goals, priorities and training were decided early on to assure a smooth transition into our team. Right now, she’s training for her Kafka certification!

“I’ve been with i8c for just a month now, and apart to some courses, I’m currently working on an internal innovation project. We have already started discussing which projects for clients would fit me best. It puts me at ease to see how much effort is put into trying to find a project that matches my experience and my preferences.

Right now I’m focusing on a Kafka course, which feels like a good next step in my career. This way, my job can be a combination of my previous experience and new skills!”

“The relaxed work environment is a big plus!”

“It’s always nice to meet up with colleagues at the i8c’s office. It is a very nice and relaxed environment. Even though I haven’t been here a lot, I did get the chance to meet all of the team members at a FastTrack Day. During this team event, we worked together in teams and combined it with a dinner and a fun activity (karting!). Since my job is hybrid, I also get the opportunity to work from home if I want to. Luckily I8c is pretty flexible in this respect.”

IT ain’t a man’s world!

For some reason, tech is still regarded as a men’s world, luckily more and more women are building careers in the industry than ever. A good evolution, according to Alexandra!

“Of course, I have also noticed that I am one of the few women in the i8c community. But actually, I don’t mind that at all. I get treated the same way as my colleagues, as I should be. We work like a team!

If you look at the statistics, there are indeed far fewer women in IT in Belgium than in Romania, although I don’t know why. When I did my studies in Romania, many of the students were women. In fact, at my previous job, there were more women than men.

If you ask me, I really can’t think of any reason why men would be better at IT jobs than women. But I do notice that girls here have fewer role models. Hopefully, I can already change that a little bit by doing this.

My message to all girls and women interested in IT is that they should just go for it! Whether you make it in the world of IT has nothing to do with your gender, but rather with your passion for the profession!”