.NET developers don’t grow on trees, but they grow at If.” Interview with a former trainee
You might have heard this before: without juniors there won’t be seniors. That is very true. At If, we have one of the biggest Microsoft projects in the Nordics thus we hire lot’s of .NET developers. Like we all know, developers don’t grow on trees, but they do grow, when you give them the time and place to learn. For the past five years, we’ve had a popular .NET trainee program which has given us 60+ .NET developers. We interviewed one of the former trainees, Lazaros Katiniotis about his journey so far.
Hi Lazaros! How did you got interested about the .NET trainee program?
One of the main reasons that had me particularly interested in the .NET trainee program was the tech stack, as I was familiar with C# and wanted to learn more about web development. I had at the time recently graduated from the university and did not have any experience working in IT, so the program was perfect for me. I joined as a trainee in August 2021.
How was your experience in the program? What were the best things about it?
The trainee program surpassed all my expectations. We got a great insight into the different business areas within the company, introductions, and deep dives by our amazing Competence Development Lead’s and a lot of other awesome people into a variety of topics; from programming sessions, introduction to authentication, to workshops on how to prepare for a presentation just to name a few! We also learned about working agile and we incorporated different agile methodologies and ceremonies during the training period. My favorite parts of the program were the group programming sessions we had, where the other trainees and I got to collaborate and solve problems together, and the trip to Norway where we got the opportunity to meet the other trainees in person.
After the program finished, what have you done at If?
After the trainee program I joined the API Squid Squad in the IAM-H-API Tribe. I have worked in the Developer Portal, and I worked with developing an administrator interface application to manage API Platform related tasks, from concept to production. Currently I am working in a backend system that manages the data in the API Platform.
Have you kept in touch with the other trainees after your program?
Yes, I keep in touch with the trainees that I worked with closely over the initial three-month training period. We have an alumni network for all the former .NET trainees in the Nordics.
What are your next ambitions at If? How would you like your career to develop?
I am eager to improve my skills as a developer. I look forward to working more in backend development and to learn more about API architecture and design. I am really interested in the area that our squad is involved in and to keep contributing to our tribe’s mission.
What do you like about working at If?
First and foremost: the people! Everyone is friendly and passionate about the work they do. My co-workers made me feel like I am a part of the team from the moment I joined. A lot of them are senior developers and have been more than happy to share their knowledge on different topics. Getting the opportunity to work with and try out the latest technologies is not something to take for granted either.
This year, we are running the program in Sweden. Know anyone who might be interested? The application period is open until the 26th of February 2023.
Apply from here: .NET Trainee Program 2023 (myworkdayjobs.com)
