Meet Marie-Anne | Android Developer
“How mutual trust and respect can boost confidence and opens up never imagined possibilities”
Making each other laugh, helping each other and having fun, that’s the kind of interaction that Marie-Anne Sinfreu is looking for. Naturally, when she joined diconium in May 2020 as an Android Developer (JOIN US! 📱👩💻), she hoped working with her new colleagues would fulfill these expectations: “It turns out my team trusted and respected me right away and this was the boost of confidence I needed”, she says today. She has been promoted since then and leads a team that includes both Android and iOS developers.
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Hi Marie-Anne, can you introduce yourself and tell us how you happened to join diconium?
Sure, my name is Marie-Anne and I’m an Android Developer. I’m from France but I’ve been living in Berlin for nine years now. I had left a previous company because I was let down by peers and management and didn’t feel like I could evolve there. So, I was looking for a place where I could. The interview I had was very promising and I thought the onboarding process was really cool.
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And how would you assess your start at diconium in retrospect?
The first year at diconium didn’t disappoint. It turns out my team trusted and respected me right away and this was the boost of confidence I needed. I suddenly found myself being very comfortable in meetings, unafraid and assertive. Thanks to this I got promoted to Team Lead less than a year after I joined the company. For me, that is the strength of this company: They care about the people, they see their potential and help them achieve their goals.
“THE FIRST YEAR AT DICONIUM DIDN’T DISAPPOINT. IT TURNS OUT MY TEAM TRUSTED AND RESPECTED ME RIGHT AWAY AND THIS WAS THE BOOST OF CONFIDENCE I NEEDED.”
Is there a particular reason why you moved from France to Germany and what did you study?
I mostly ran away from Paris (laughs). Paris is not my hometown; it is the city that I studied in. I studied Graphic Design, Web Design and Web Development. Paris is a great city to study in, especially Art. But it is not the place where I want to spend my life. I needed more air, more nature, more space and Berlin is really like that.
How does a normal working day look like for you?
Well, the current situation has been going on since my first days at diconium, so my normal working day is a remote working day. But I learned to have a daily routine that helps me keeping healthy and motivated. This includes having a generous breakfast, stay in touch with my team regularly, focus on my current project tasks, do some 1on1s with the team and at the end of the day, go for a long walk or a bike ride.
And, what is the most important skill needed in your job?
Probably patience coupled with diplomacy. Being part of a project team means dealing with everyone’s ego and pride. And for me, being a good team player means acknowledging this and understanding people. I guess you can also call it empathy. In case of a conflict, it is very important to work together and find good solutions. I don’t believe we can really improve ourselves if we stay alone in our corner. We need each other to grow.
As a Team Lead, you’re involved in the recruiting process. How do you find out if someone fits to the team or not?
In general, it depends on the interview. If the person is curious, if we have a good conversation and if there is mutual understanding, then that’s a good sign in my opinion. You should also show that you want to achieve something: motivation basically. If we can feel that you’re motivated to achieve something and to explore.
And how did you find out for yourself what you’re passionate about and where you want your career to go?
It was kind of chosen for me. I had a job opportunity where the project was a mobile application. My boss offered me to learn this programming language and go “full native” for Android. It was really motivating and challenging at the same time. I’m really happy with it now.
“BEING PART OF A PROJECT TEAM MEANS DEALING WITH EVERYONE’S EGO AND PRIDE. AND FOR ME, BEING A GOOD TEAM PLAYER MEANS ACKNOWLEDGING THIS AND UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE.”
Reflecting on your past projects, which one sticks out for you and why?
It is difficult to isolate one, since all projects I worked on trained me in different skills that I am using today. A project that was a speed race taught me to prioritize, while another one that was very slow showed me how to be ok with inactivity and how to use free time for my benefit. Some not so collaborative teams taught me to be autonomous while great mentors pulled me up with them.
The last year turned our working life upside down. What have you learned about your preferred way of working since then?
I learned that being in the office does not equal being productive. I have much less distractions at home, and the breaks are nice. But it took me time to get used to it and I do miss the interaction with the colleagues a lot. That’s why I try to gather everyone once and in a while in online game events, so that we all keep connected in a different way than dailies.
Speaking of distractions, what do you do when you really need to focus on one specific task?
I usually block some focus time in my calendar, try not to be disturbed, then I’ll pick the appropriate soundtrack to the task. If I really need the motivation boost, I play some epic soundtracks produced by “Two steps from hell”, then I can accomplish anything!
“A PROJECT THAT WAS A SPEED RACE TAUGHT ME TO PRIORITIZE, WHILE ANOTHER ONE THAT WAS VERY SLOW SHOWED ME HOW TO BE OK WITH INACTIVITY AND HOW TO USE FREE TIME FOR MY BENEFIT.”
What advice would you give a new starter at diconium?
Be honest about what you know and don’t know, there is no shame in learning, and we are all here to help. Also don’t be afraid to speak up if you know about something the others don’t know about. Or if you disagree with some UX choices, whatever your level of experience is. And if you’re not ready, the team here will help you get there.
One of diconium’s four values is mindfulness: What do you do to unwind after an eventful day?
At the end of the day, I try to get away from the computer and sometimes away from our reality. I love to do Viking reenactment; I sew and weave outfits for it. But that is hard to do since all events are cancelled. So, I had to find new hobbies, like painting boardgame figurines. It’s totally relaxing, it works on me like a coloring book, and I didn’t know I needed that to rest my head.
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