From newbie to old-timer: My adventure on Planet Spoons
This story starts out back in 2018 — long before the era of masks, quarantines, and Immuni. Can you remember what it was like? Well, I’m here to remind you…
By Gianclè Monna, software engineer at Bending Spoons
Hi, I’m Gianclè
My name is Giovanni Clemente Monna, but you can call me Gianclè or GIM (pronounced “Jim,” an internal nickname that seems to have stuck!). In October 2018, I was a young and hopeful lad, fresh out of uni, with big dreams and one major problem: I had no professional experience. Zero. Zilch. Zip.
But as Wayne Gretzky (and Michael Scott) said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” So, when I stumbled across a fast-growing tech company on a mission to become the world’s leading mobile app developer, my interest was rightfully piqued. And I wasn’t going to let a minor thing like the blank Experience section on my CV get in the way. Like a Golden Retriever in a tennis ball factory, I was giddy with excitement. So, I committed 110% to the recruiting process and eventually got my coveted “Gianclè, we would love to work with you” email. Even today, I get all stoked up just thinking about it.
Walking into Spoons HQ
Day one. I step out of the elevator on floor four and straight into the center of the Spooniverse, full of swagger and feeling like I was born for this. Narrator voice: It didn’t stay that way for long. Soon enough, I meet my teammates — they’re all senior engineers. They’ve been there, done that. And it dawns on me… I know nothing.
I’m like Jon Snow two seconds before he first sees the Wildlings — absolutely petrified, and ready for my inevitable, painful demise. I’m told I’ll be developing the frontend of the Live Quiz app with a new and funny-sounding framework, Flutter. And my heart flutters at the mere prospect. But not in a good way. You see, there’s no training for it — I’m on my own.
The panic in my eyes must be visible from across the room because, one by one, Spooners approach me, all welcoming smiles and reassuring words. “Hey, new guy, fancy a tour?” “Let me show you where the snacks are.” “Oh, you’re gonna eff-up the code a billion times—but that’s alright, we’ve all done it, and we’ll get you through it!” And just like that, I was one of them: a Spooner.
A few months later, I moved to the backend and had to go through the uncertainty all over again. Python, Redis, Celery, MongoDB… all these fancy-sounding technologies I’d never worked with before. Again, my team lead made it a priority to show me the way, and little by little I got my head around every new language, framework, and program thrown at me.
By the time I moved to the Marketing Technology team in 2020, I had absolute confidence in the process. I didn’t even flinch when I found out my transition into the new team had to take place remotely. I was ready.
The Bending Spoons formula
Now, I’ve been a Spooner for over three years, and I’m about to switch teams again. This time, Remini Professional is calling. And you know what? If I think about it, I still get sweaty palms. Only this time it’s not fear, it’s excitement. It’s that Golden-Retriever-in-a-tennis-ball-factory feeling all over again.
It’s been a minute since my Live Quiz days. I’ve learned so much, and not just in terms of programming. Back then, I didn’t have much by way of perspective, but I see it now. At Bending Spoons, we foster a growth-focused culture that hinges on constructive feedback, continuous learning, and personal and professional development. Indeed, I have so much more to learn and haven’t lost my eagerness to prove myself. I used to think developing code was a lone-wolf-type pursuit. But not anymore. Yes, having outstanding products is crucial. State-of-the-art technologies are a massive competitive advantage. But if you ask me, the Bending Spoons formula for success is something else entirely. It’s the people here. Their genuine talent and their indelible humanity.
Come to think of it, for a data-driven app-developing company, we’re rather people-centric. And that’s why we love to call ourselves a tribe.
Speaking of our tribe: Are you interested in adding to it? If so, check out the open positions on our website. See you on the Remini team…?
