Jens, Lead Software Development
Jens started as a Junior PHP Developer at CHECK24 back in 2016. He is now Lead Software Developer and also supervises our IT trainees. In this interview, you can find out what inspired him to structure the apprentice program and how his experiences helped him.
Hello Jens, please introduce yourself briefly.
Jens:
I'm Jens, 30 years old, and I work as a Lead Software Developer at CHECK24 in Cologne. My team and I work on the continuous development of our cell phone rate comparison.
From Junior to Lead - Tell us more about your career at CHECK24.
Jens:
I started as a junior at CHECK24 at the beginning of 2016. I realized quickly that I could still learn a lot here because the challenging tasks combined with the team's support meant that the learning effect was enormous.
In 2018, I became a professional and was offered the opportunity to supervise and restructure our IT trainees' training holistically. A few exciting projects later, I became a Senior and am now Lead Software Developer about two years later.
What do you enjoy most about your position as an instructor?
Jens:
From the first job interview, three exciting years of apprenticeship, to being taken on as a junior developer - accompanying all the phases is cool!
In the meantime, I have already worked with 12 different apprentices, a few of whom are still in training. Others have already been finished for a few years and sometimes aim for the senior level.
Did you always know you were going into the IT industry, or did you have other plans?
Jens:
Since 8th grade, I have regularly used the vacations to complete internships. After I was allowed to gain insight into IT systems and applications at many companies, it became clear to me what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
What is the best thing about your job at CHECK24?
Seeing my former trainees aspire to senior positions is an incredibly lovely feeling!
Jens, Lead Software Development
Why should young people choose an apprenticeship at CHECK24?
Jens:
I myself trained as an IT specialist for application development - so when planning the training program for our trainees, I knew exactly what I enjoyed as a trainee back then, what I was missing and what I would have liked. Here at CHECK24, we have concentrated expertise, super helpful colleagues and a really cool trainee program.
How do you perceive the internal training program at CHECK24?
Jens:
CHECK24 wants to develop its employees continuously. The guys and gals from HR Development do a great job! We offer a lot of internal training, conference visits, and the Excellence Program, which I was also able to participate in.
And finally, tell us, what has been your best experience at CHECK24 so far?
Jens:
One of the most incredible experiences was participating in CHECK.conf - a very special IT conference. This was an internal conference where an incredible amount of internal knowledge was shared.
We even rented a movie theatre to enjoy the super exciting talks in a movie theatre chair with popcorn and nachos.