From a fresh graduate to a professional: Starting your career at Visage Technologies

• 29 Sep, 2020
• by Valentina Zezelj

Your first job is always special. Ideally, it lets you put your hard-earned knowledge to practice and grow into the professional you’ve always wanted to be. Here at Visage Technologies, we’re proud of the thriving environment that has attracted many fresh graduates into our ranks and, most importantly, made them stay.

Anamarija Čavka, our Data and Machine Learning Specialist, and Ornela Rodić, our R&D Engineer, joined Visage Technologies after graduating. Just one year after joining us, they organized our very first internship program and mentored some of the participants, helping future graduates gain valuable experience in their field of interest.

So, how do they feel about their first job? Let’s find out!

Making the first steps

Getting started at a new job is always exciting, but it can also be stressful without the right support. A great, supportive team plays a tremendous role in those very first steps. Having each other’s back and constantly sharing knowledge helps create a relaxed yet productive environment, giving each team member a chance to thrive from the very start.

• What was your first week at Visage Technologies like?

Anamarija: The first week was chaotic. It was mostly spent on getting to know people, tasks, processes, tools, etc. I remember that everyone was very open and willing to help, which left a very positive impression on me. I learned to play billiards that week and experienced my first Fika. Also, I solved my first task and everything just clicked into place.

Ornela: It was the season of summer vacations when I started working. The office was half empty and the atmosphere was relaxed because there were no deadlines to worry about during that period. I was greeted by a colleague who helped me set up my computer and explained how the company works.

One of my first work assignments was programming in C#. I’d never learned that programming language until then, so it was great to have the opportunity and enough time to get acquainted with it. From the very beginning I had a great time in the team, especially as people started coming back from vacation. The work atmosphere was always professional, but we still had fun and socialized a lot.

Overall, my first impression was that I’ve come to a very modern company. The first things you see when you enter are a billiards table, couches, fresh fruit and a coffee machine. The fact that people have a place to relax during their work day immediately leaves a positive impression of a company that cares about creating a pleasant working atmosphere.

• What did you like about your onboarding process, and what could’ve been better?

Anamarija: I loved my intro task, my team members, and the mentor who wholeheartedly helped and answered my questions. The only thing that could have been better was the timing since I joined the team in the middle of the migration, which made things a bit chaotic. However, even that was quite fun and dynamic so I learned a lot.

Ornela: I was welcomed into a relaxed atmosphere with great people and interesting tasks right away. The only problem was getting access to some folders and tools because the people who were supposed to approve them were on vacation at that time.

Overcoming challenges

There is only so much you can learn at college. In the real world, it’s the combination of passion, good programming skills and the ability to solve problems by thinking creatively that matters most. In other words, if you know the basics and you’re eager to keep learning, the rest will follow.

• What has been the biggest challenge for you so far and how did you solve it?

Anamarija: The biggest challenge so far has been working for one client and achieving their requirements. Like most challenges, I didn’t solve it on my own. The whole team solved it together with a lot of patience and perseverance.

Ornela: Every few months, we have a whole new challenge to work on. Reading articles, brainstorming with colleagues, and working hard are the very recipe for solving most of the business tasks we as a team have encountered so far.

• What do you usually do when you get stuck?

Anamarija: When I get stuck, I try to debug examples first. Once the root cause is found, the solution usually becomes obvious. If I still need help, I can always turn to my team or colleagues from other teams. Then, we come up with the best solution together.

Ornela: If I get stuck, I first need to take a short break during which I try not to think about the code. After that, I usually come up with a possible solution (or more of them). I think it’s always good to discuss the ideas with teammates, which is the so-called brainstorming phase. After that, everything gets much easier. 🙂

• What are the most useful skills to have at your job?

Anamarija: Being persistent and analytical.

Ornela: Maths. A good mathematical background proved to be very important for solving numerous tasks, reading articles, and even preparing tasks for our interns. Communication skills are also important, both inside the team and in general. Good communication helps people do their job more efficiently and creates a pleasant workspace.

The role of the working environment

We do our best to make our workplace both pleasant and productive. You can count on a flexible working schedule, free weekends, no irrational and unrealistic startup hype, and a relaxed atmosphere in the office. As a part of our team, you get a chance to expand your knowledge through first-class mentorship and education, a company library with a wide selection of books and magazines, relevant conferences around the world and, of course, work on interesting projects.

• How would you describe Visage Technologies as a place to work?

Anamarija: Dynamic and fun with lots of learning opportunities.

Ornela: Visage Technologies is a very pleasant and stimulating place to work at! The company really cares about its employees. This can be seen from the atmosphere, education, benefits… So far, I haven’t come across a single thing I could complain about.

• How would you describe your team?

Anamarija: Black humor and a sweet tooth.

Ornela: A group of people who always want things to be better, faster, stronger, and we really do achieve that! We are all very career-oriented and love what we do. We make an amazing team so the atmosphere is always relaxed and there is never a lack of fun.

Growing together

A single year can make a huge difference in your career. With the right support and stimulating environment, everyone can reach their full potential – both as a professional and a person.

• Describe your first year at Visage Technologies.

Anamarija: I learned a lot, worked even more, met a lot of great people and made a lot of friends, traveled many kilometres, had a great time at the company workshop, made a couple of cakes for Fikas, played a few DnD sessions, switched to remote mode of work, and continued to grow together.

Ornela: Interesting projects, various travels, amazing people, and a lot of knowledge and experience gained.

• Compare yourself and your knowledge now and at the beginning of your career.

Anamarija: Incomparable.

Ornela: At the beginning, I was fresh from college and knew lots of theory. Now I know how to apply my knowledge in practice, and I’ve gained quite a wide range of competences.

• What, in your opinion, has been your biggest achievement so far?

Anamarija: Aforementioned customer requirements we reached recently and successful organization of the student internship with Ornela. I hope to partake in the internship next year as well in some capacity.

Ornela: I can’t really single out anything. We always achieve things as a team and all of our successes are something I am proud of. However, I would like to mention that my teammate Anamarija and I organized the first summer internship for students.

• What are your goals in the upcoming year?

Anamarija: I hope to participate in the new tasks for the next project. I would like to learn even more and get more involved in some internal processes.

Ornela: My goals are currently pretty simple – to progress further as an engineer and keep expanding my knowledge and competences.

• Did Visage Technologies fulfill your expectations?

Anamarija: Yes, because Visage Technologies is a great and productive place to work where knowledge and quality work is valued.

Ornela: Yes. I found a company with a pleasant atmosphere, good working conditions, and interesting projects. I think this is quite rare today so I’m glad to have joined the company.

Start your career at Visage Technologies

Getting your first job is important. It lays the foundation for your future career, teaches you new skills, and (hopefully) lets you become an expert in your field. Working for a company that’s truly a great fit for you is an experience that allows you to grow both as a person and as a professional.

That is why we put a lot of effort into our hiring process. We believe that every person we hire is capable of great things and we’d love to achieve them together. However, getting started can seem scary, especially when it’s your first job, so you can find a few tips here. And here’s a few more:

• What would you say to potential future colleagues considering a job at Visage Technologies? 

Anamarija: Go for it. When I sent my application in just a few weeks after my graduation, never in a million years did I think I would get in. I thought this was far too advanced for me as I had very little practical experience since my university program was very big on theory as opposed to practice. However, grit matters and, with some basic coding skills and technical background, everything else can be learnt in an environment as open to education and learning as Visage Technologies. You will meet great people open to fun and hard-work in equal measure who will help you get the hang of things and support you when needed.

Ornela: If you are thinking about joining Visage Technologies, stop thinking and just apply, you won’t regret it! 

So, if you’d like to solve real-world problems with computer vision together with a great team of young professionals, check out our open positions. We can’t wait to meet you!