Fixed Hours to Flexible Schedule: Meet Rony Rosenberg, Front-end Developer at Hibob

Everyone should get the chance to do what makes them happy. Everyone should also get the chance to do what challenges them. The two aren’t always one and the same. However, it is entirely possible to do what you love and still endlessly learn. The catch is that finding what you love can be difficult, but take it from me: you can change your course as many times as you need to find what makes you happy.

Nine years ago, I veered off my intended career track as a psychologist after becoming enamored with Israeli culture during a five-month stay on a local kibbutz. I found myself not only intrigued by what the country had to offer, but the vast opportunities that could be in my grasp if I chose to make Aliyah. So, I returned to Chile, packed my bags, and was on the first flight back to Israel. For the next two years, I immersed myself in my surroundings by waiting tables and learning the language. I then decided to pivot my life path… again.

I enrolled in Hebrew University to pursue an MA in Communications, Internet, and New Media while working in Customer Support at Wix. I couldn’t help but feel that something was missing, though. I had reached my ‘glass ceiling’ and wanted to break through it, shattering any former expectations I had of myself and my professional development. I decided to pivot once more, signing up for a 1500-hour coding boot camp and learned what is now my fourth language.

I quickly discovered what I loved most about development; its concession to the machine. The moment I accepted and understood that the machine is always right was the same moment that I relinquished any negative self-criticism, and instead gained a sense of humility. I now understand my mistakes and perceive obstacles from a multi-dimensional view, thriving on continual self-improvement.

I landed my first job as a developer at IBM working on models, maps, charts, and dashboards. My computer monitor was home to numbers and lines; quickly realized that I needed the conception of a product and client demand. I knew that I wanted to make decisions that matter. It was the last missing piece of a puzzle that I had once incepted as a quest for growth that would see me evolve throughout my career.

In finding myself, I found a company where I’m enveloped by talent. At Hibob, everyone is good at what they do but more so, they’re helpful and open. This type of support perpetuates growth, as bobbers cohesively collaborate in search of a greater solution that not only enhances the product but its own culture. We’re all running towards the same objective, fueled by authentic care for the future of our industry. The office is shadowed by a special aura, cast by the intimate setting most startups only dream of cultivating.

Loving what you do is the secret sauce of creation and conceptualization. And sure, bob is uniquely user-friendly and effective, but the people behind the system are what make it exceptional. bob’s system comes together like Mahler’s Symphony №6; a scored six-section orchestra, where if a single instrument were to be removed, no movement would be the same. The workflow behind bob builds up to something grand as different moving pieces collide with zealous musicians each playing his part. Without passion and purpose behind the performance, a company is bound to flatline.

To be challenged on a daily basis, especially by a tangible product you take part in building, is nothing short of exciting. I often channel my inner-Hitchcock and revel in the technical obstacles of development, just as he did in filming. I’ve been a front-end developer at Hibob for a year, and the amount of pride I take in my contribution to the platform is limitless. As a product, bob is led by its UI/UX design, and its added value to clients is incomparable.

I fell for bob instantly. The pace of its features, client requests, and the autonomy that I have over my development process drew me in. I perform tasks independently in my own time, while trusted to meet all deadlines. Taking shape in an office that advises against micro-managing, has encouraged me to be flexible in my ideas and take initiative when inspiration strikes. What I’ve learned so far at Hibob, is that it’s not just my growth that mattered to me; it’s the pace at which everyone grows together.

Times are changing and the way people clock in and out are too. In a way, I’m paying it forward: supporting people through a time and attendance feature that allows them to benefit from the same flexibility that I experience now, helping them grow and remain content in the process. After all, we’re here to love what we do. But, it’s also nice to take some time off as well, right?