The voice of NextGen – Maksymilian Kaluza, Solutions Architect, HLT
Max explains how he came to be interested in IT and why Hermes is the perfect incubator for new talent to the sector
I was first introduced to computers when I was four years old. I very quickly found myself playing with the computer settings, intrigued by all the cool words I didn’t understand like “network interface”. My first exposure to programming was at 12. With the help of a “C# for dummies” book and some mentoring from my father I started to write programs as a hobby. When I decided to pursue a career in software development, I acquired a C# certification and started as a developer at 18 whilst studying a degree part time.
When I joined Hermes as a Next Generation (NG) developer, I very quickly found myself soaking up all the latest cloud technology and practices. Being able to work in a modern cloud environment with best practices at heart is incredibly valuable to me. After proving I was eager, capable, and quick to learn I was entrusted with complex development and design. These new challenges fuelled my interest in cloud native and helped me learn a lot in a short period of time. Previous Tech Lead Nishant Singh and previous Chief Technology Officer Alex Labonne were great mentors who recognised my talent and helped me grow my skillset whilst also providing some much-needed guidance. After Nishant left, I rose to the challenge of leading the NG team and started to help the wider company with engineering. Since then, I have been constantly learning and rising to challenges, every day striving to be a better solutions architect.
Coming from an on-premise background, going into cloud native development was the most memorable experience for me. The vast array of out-of-the-box products means you can really build and deploy good software around the globe very quickly. I still feel like a kid in a candy shop every time I learn about new cloud products.
Hermes is the perfect incubator for young and new talent to the IT world. As a developer or engineer working in other organisations you might be constrained to a single product/app/component and lack the exposure to the bigger picture you need in order to grow your knowledge. At Hermes, everyone is expected to be able to work on any part of the solution and they must actively seek to grow into that capability – there is no spoon feeding here. The company culture here is fantastic; everyone pushes to improve our products and ideas are shared and discussed freely. If you are a talented young/new IT professional who wants to work hard, learn, progress and be rewarded for it, Hermes is the place to go.
My aspirational goal is to be a world-class expert in software development, write my own books on the subject and hopefully improve software development and technology as whole.
Story edited by meantime.global
