Melissa, Software Developer
Melissa has been working as a junior software developer at CHECK24 in Hamburg for a year. In this interview, you can find out why Melissa didn't have the courage to enter IT as a woman at the beginning, and how CHECK24 helped her get started.
Hello Melissa! Please introduce yourself to us.
Melissa:
I'm Melissa, 27 years old, and have been a Junior Full Stack Developer at CHECK24 in Hamburg in the Mortality Insurance team since summer 2021. I studied business administration and then started as an IT recruiter in the HR department. I have actually always found programming exciting, but didn't dare to get into IT at first. In recruiting, I had a lot of contact with IT people and at some point I thought to myself: "I can and want to do that too!" So I took fortune into my own hands, quit my job, completed the three-month coding boot camp at "neuefische" and am now here!
What was your start at CHECK24 in Hamburg like?
Melissa:
My start at CHECK24 was really good. My initial fears of not knowing enough and not being able to do enough quickly disappeared, because there was no jumping in at the deep end. When I felt secure, I was given my own tickets: Small tickets at first, then quickly more comprehensive tickets. Of course, I couldn't process every ticket on my own right away, but my team was always there to support me. There were and are no dumb questions and I could consult someone at any time without it being inconvenient for me. This ensured that I quickly felt like a fully-fledged team member.
Describe yourself in 3 words!
Willing to learn, open-minded and also caring: because I always take care of the physical well-being with my huge drawer of sweets.
Melissa, Software Developer
What do you like best about working at CHECK24?
Melissa:
The daily work routine at CHECK24 is very well-structured, varied and instructive. It's very important that we don't just "bluntly" work through our tickets, but that we always have plenty of time for technical discussions.
In addition to the actual work, I also think our employee events are very cool and I'm very glad that there is such a wide range of activities at CHECK24, such as barbecues on the roof terrace, weekly catering and sports activities, because you always meet a lot of new colleagues here.
IT is still considered a male domain. How do you feel about that as a woman in IT?
Melissa:
You definitely still notice in IT that the gender distribution is not balanced. But I see it as an opportunity to trigger people's rethinking and to break down gender roles by telling them about my job in the IT world, for example. I never once came close to feeling like someone didn't trust me with something because of my gender. There may be surprised looks when people see which office I go into, but they are positive and full of respect. People also actively talk about whether I feel disadvantaged in any way - this exchange is particularly important and good!
What advice would you give to young women who want to start their career in IT?
Melissa:
Just do it! I didn't trust myself to do it, whether at school or after graduating from high school when choosing a course of study. Now, in retrospect, I would have liked to have more confidence and courage, because in the end you can make it if you really want to. There are more and more women who are taking this path and I think that's great! Why should we leave such a cool field of activity to men alone?