Surround yourself by people whose drive is contagious | The ethereal journey

It’s quite something when you get to look back and realize how things felt before actually getting into the whole Linnifian universe and now, almost a year after. Hello, digital world! I’m Stefana Bichis and I’ve been an intern here at Linnify in 2021. Now I’m a full-time developer and this is my story.

Prioritize making the most out of the present and the expectations will melt

To be frank, I did have some expectations. I had heard a lot of things about the internship at Linnify and maybe some of you have heard some too. If not, that might happen just now.

They’ve been doing internships for a while now and people always seemed so happy about everything going on. Be it card games, internal app development, bigger projects involvement, they seemed to keep the smiles on everyone’s faces and that was something that meant a lot to me.

What I know is that my beliefs at the time about working in the field of tech were a bit shaky. As I’ve been involved for multiple years in student organizations on the project management side of things, I got to admit, tech had escaped the main spotlight of my interest. Thus, by the time the graduation came closer and closer, the fact that I might’ve been expected to get a full-time job in technology had some anxiety attached to it.

That’s when the idea of an internship at Linnify stroke me as the perfect transition from student to professional.

The people were nice, the tech involved was diverse and the learning part wouldn’t stop at theory. So I applied. And… here I am now: actually enjoying working in tech, something I truly didn’t think it could change to 180 degrees this fast.

That being said, finding the best solution for the present allowed me not only enjoy it more but to make the most out of it.

Is flying from the nest more liberating than uncomfortable?

There is a certain amount of freedom to let go of the processes you’re used to and go do something completely different. This internship definitely had its “je n’ai c’est quoi” element that created an invitation for me to reinterpret something that was dear to me but that had to meet its new version: the community.

Being attached to the student organization might sometime create a comfortable bubble that is truly useful in your growth while in college. Nonetheless, it did create some distress in leaving the ‘nest’ and meeting completely different people to collaborate with on a daily basis.

As this has been my first job in tech,

I’m grateful to have had the chance to work with individuals whose drive for versatile innovative solutions is rather contagious.

On a more ‘it’s not nice but it’s healthy’ note, my gratefulness is inevitably boosted when I hear my friends working in bigger companies that the human-centered aspect of Linnify is something very special that you don’t really meet in every company.

What made the click?

To me, I think, it’s actually the environment that the people and their uniqueness create. Each Linnifian contributes to the general atmosphere where respect, growth, sense of responsibility, and doing the right thing are at home.

I know I might not be the most technical person out there but knowing there is always room for me to grow in a supportive environment is something that makes me strive for more every day.

I’m grateful to each individual who building on this one-of-a-kind workspace but I feel the need to send some special thanks to Darius Bogdan, Andreea Ghejan, and Bianca Mateiu and send out special kudos for being there from the very beginning of my journey.

What’s definitely worth mentioning is the fact that during the internship there were a lot of processes I had the chance to get familiar with. To see what it’s like to work on a real project, to observe how the serious conversations are being carried out both internally and externally truly set a solid foundation for my career development.

Accustoming to these before took a lot of pressure off my shoulders when I started working with clients. Understanding early on the internal dependencies of who does what was another big plus whose aftermath works wonders every day.

Advice for future generations?

Run after experience, after development, after challenges, after environments that offer you multiple growth possibilities, after people who see you and offer you support and guidance.

For me, Linnify has been and is the place where I feel constantly challenged to grow.

Interested in embarking on the ethereal journey?

Make the first step.