What did you do before Green Fox and why did you decide to change your career?

I worked in retail as a shop assistant which I didn’t find challenging enough so I quickly got bored. Thanks to my father, I have always been interested in IT, because he also works in this field. So, when the advertisement of Green Fox came across on Facebook it grabbed my attention and I decided to quit my current job. I started a part-time course in February 2021.

‍

Why did you choose the part-time option?

At that time I was still attending a full-time university course, so the part-time option at Green Fox was perfect as they held classes on weekday evenings (twice a week) and Saturdays.

Sometimes this schedule was challenging because it's harder to focus in the evenings. Since I started working again I've been attending my university course part-time. Soon I’ll have a degree in humanities, but I believe my IT skills will be more marketable.

‍

What experience did you have at the course and what did you learn?

The course took 10 months and was entirely online. I was glad that I didn't have to waste my time traveling, and there were people in my group who joined from abroad or from parts of the country further away from Buadpest, so I think everyone benefited from this kind of flexibility. We had a good team and we could help each other a lot. We started with Java-Backend, then in the project phase we switched to Full-Sack and learnt about DevOps. I immediately felt in love with the DevOps area and I knew that I would like to work in it after the course. That’s exactly how it turned out.

‍

How long did it take you to find a job and how was the job search?

I found a job in about a month and a half. I interviewed with four different companies but only one of them was a truly good experience and that became my workplace. Each job opportunity was related to different areas: testing, Back-end, ServiceNow, and DevOps. I guess it's no surprise that I chose DevOps. I got a job at a German IT company that develops and operates webshops for medium-sized companies. It is interesting that a little team of Hungarians works at this company and they all graduated at Green Fox Academy.

‍

What is DevOps and why did you like it?

DevOps is a combination of the words software development (Development) and operation (Operations). It means that the development and operation teams in an organization work in coordination instead of the previous isolated operation. More and more organizations are turning to DevOps because it speeds up and makes the work more efficient. Actually there are many different definitions and each company has a slightly different one. DevOps focuses not only on software development but also on creating the necessary infrastructure and monitoring the running software. What I liked about DevOps is that it is not only about programming but it also has an automation and system administrator part as well.

‍

Who would you recommend DevOps to?

To anyone who would like to work in a field where they need to improve every day. Also to those who are interested in background processes, such as what makes a code work or interested in automation or scripting languages. Logical thinking, problem-solving skills and English proficiency are essential in DevOps. At our company English is the working language, meetings are held in English too, although we do speak Hungarian with our Hungarian colleagues one-on-one.

‍

What does your typical working day look like?

I work remotely with flexible hours, so I manage my own time. I usually start working around 9 a.m. because we have a daily standup, where everyone discusses what they are going to work on that day, and if anyone has any questions, we discuss them. There are relatively few meetings, rather the days are spent completing tasks. Teamwork is also part of it: sometimes we ask each other’s help or coordinate with other teams but some days are quiet. Soft skills are therefore also necessary, but thanks to my previous work experience, I gained routine in it.

‍

Did the training meet your expectations in terms of salary and job placement?

Absolutely. As I’ve improved, my salary has increased since I’ve been working here, however, the position itself was more important to me from the beginning. I used to change positions every few months because I got bored of my job very quickly. In addition, flexibility was not typical in retail, so I had to go to the workplace every day. So there were many positive benefits of my career change but because I moved into a higher salary category, I feel financially more secure.

‍

How future-proof do you think your developer skills are?

I think that developer knowledge is future-proof, but you can't sit back. Continuous self-improvement is essential. Thankfully the company, where I work, supports this but I'm also always looking for opportunities on my own. I still see my future in this field, so I am highly motivated to keep improving and ensure that my skills remain marketable in the long term.

‍

Do you think developers should be worried about the rise of generative AI? What do you think about ChatGPT?

I use ChatGPT in my daily work, and I pay for the pro version. For example I don’t understand several programming languages or certain processes, which may occur at our company, and in such cases I ask for help from ChatGPT. Of course, it can't solve everything instead of us, and it really matters how you phrase a question. In my opinion, these tools help developers to work rather than endangering their profession.