Wingardium Code-iosa! My Hibob Life Explained as Hogwarts

As a lifelong Harry Potter fan, I often fantasize about attending Hogwarts. I would learn magic with a wand that chose me at Olliverander’s shop, carry a satchel around campus stuffed with quills and flaky parchment, and fly a broom recklessly at the discretion of Madam Hooch. While exciting to dream about, none of these witchcraft and wizarding activities are real. I had to find a tether to reality that gave me the illusion of actually understanding and performing magic.

Coding, of course, isn’t part of the wizarding universe created by JK Rowling, but it captures the feeling of learning something that most muggles can’t comprehend. Because programming really does feel like magic sometimes. One of the most satisfying parts of coding and development is the chance to build something from nothing. At Hibob, I feel like I attend my very own muggle Hogwarts, where we learn, practice, and create magic every day. We don’t have a wand, but together we have the ability to make a little magic.

Originally, I studied Computer Science and Computational Biology to become a scientist. Why? Because the Professor Trelawney side of me was fascinated with the secrets of the universe. Except, I wasn’t gazing into a crystal ball or reading tea leaves. I was captivated by the stars and what lurked behind them. As serene as the skies can be to my soul, I’m still a millennial, which means I harbor certain tendencies that couldn’t be ignored. So, I stayed true to the MO of my generation and decided to search for a fast-paced work environment, leaving my muggle life behind. High tech would certainly be more suitable to my spirit — or should I say, my Patronus.

Send me an owl

I easily made the switch from biology to development, already having a background in computer science. I worked as a junior developer until I eventually received what I could now compare to as my own Hogwarts letter: an invitation to interview at Hibob. I met with Ori Danus, Development Team Lead, who would slowly become my Hagrid equivalent by introducing me to the Hibob world.

I had been looking for an environment that was bubbling with fun, hard-working people and wanted to vibe in a workplace where it’s cool to express yourself freely while sharing mutual interests with colleagues. The Hibob atmosphere appeared to be just that as if the reality I longed for had stepped outside the glass of the Mirror of Erised. I was actually experiencing what Albus Dumbledore would describe as the “deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts.”

Hibob loosens you up like a dose of Felix Felicis’ liquid luck, where you feel confident and at ease in the role you’re performing. So naturally, I signed my contract and prepared for the first day of work with a figurative stroll through Hogsmeade following Ori’s suggestion that I come to drink butterbeer (you know, coffee) and chat before my official start date. I set up shop as if it were my new common room at Hogwarts, and every 30 minutes someone new would come to sit and talk about personal things, not just work, but funny stories and anecdotes.

Houses of Hibob

Here, at Hibob, we drink our own bob potion. We call it using “Bob’s bob” and we love to exercise that ability. The Hogwarts-like structure had finally been coming full circle with more people joining to learn, grow, and master their craft, and everybody knows that one of our strongest incantation tools is the Org Chart. There’s now a unique sense of culture inside each team or department, especially as Hibob continues to grow. The Org Chart placed people in the same fashion as the Sorting Hat:

First and foremost: Management is my Gryffindor. The C-suite and VPs are just as charismatic as they are experts in their field, leading the charge with bravery and insight that appeals and impacts an entire space. Think: Professor McGonagall.

Customer Success is my Hufflepuff. They value hard work and are dedicated to our clients. They exude patience, loyalty, and fair play that accommodates every level of understanding needed to operate the product’s system. Think: Cedric Diggory.

Sales and Marketing are my Slytherin. They’re ambitious and cunning. Always achievement-oriented and self-driven, they weigh all possible outcomes before executing strategy. Think: Severus Snape.

Last, but not least: Developers and Product are my Ravenclaw, and that’s where I belong. We constantly innovate, using wit, academic experience, and intellectual ability to build bob. Think: Luna Lovegood.

QUAFL as a code

Typical development revolves around a machine that’s created to impact other machines but with bob, I’m contributing to a machine that impacts people. Which is why building bob can feel as if you’re playing quidditch for a stadium of Hogwarts students. It’s a product for people that excites them and makes them happy — igniting their culture — and we as #bobbers get to enjoy the platform, as well.

bob has two sides: the professional side and the cultural side. It has to be a combination of both that puts the fun back into functional. But, it’s more than just knowing how to code properly; you need to know how to use collaboration tools and write maintainable code. So, in order to make things work, you have to play as a quidditch team would. QA are our Beaters; they bunt any bugs before it reaches the consumer and counts as a point against us. Product Managers are our trusted Keepers. They maintain our competitive advantage and monitor the field. Developers play as Chasers and Israel David, CTO, is our Oliver Wood. He’s the Captain and our Coach. Israel guides the team, call plays, and ends games when it’s time to celebrate another win. Anyone can be the Seeker — any R&D team member who creates a new and exciting feature that our customers long for.

Sectum software

I was working with Java before Hibob and now, I’m working with Scala. It’s been challenging to learn a new language. It’s not as simple as discovering a Parseltongue inheritance. You have to practice. We work in agile, employing continuous integration and development which allows developers to pivot quickly to address issues, make changes, and constantly experiment. All-new features, or for that manner any new code, that I write will be integrated into bob immediately so we can give new stuff to our clients fast. Imagine it this way; agile cast a Lumos spell on bob, so our users and clients are never left in the dark.

Coding in itself is a lot like magic. You have a spell or an incantation, which is the new functionality you desire — but! You also need to perfect the swish and flick wand motion. The quality of the code you write has to be clean, understandable, maintainable, testable, and performance-oriented. You have to pronounce your spells properly. Say it with me now, it’s leviOh-sa, not levio-SA! Knowing your profession means writing quality code or else your creation is just as flat as an expired Polyjuice Potion. In the coding world, each module needs to be imported correctly or else it won’t have the desired result.

Continuous development is the beating heart of agile and other management philosophies. It makes for better software, happier users, and healthier companies. It’s a skill that I’m proud to have refined at Hibob and work process that I find exciting and enjoyable. If I had to push the ticking hands forward on my time-turner and quickly peer into my future, I would hope to see my career progress in a Tech Lead position. Hibob is an ideal place to be Back-End or a Front-End Developer and Harry Potter comparisons aside, that opportunity to advance and pick up a new skill is present here.

But for now, I’m as happy as Hermione with a hot date at the Yule Ball. At Hibob, I can focus on my personal and professional development, but in a workplace that truly believes, “you sort of start thinking anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.”