My tegos story: Stefan

Our congenial colleague Stefan is the perfect example of how you can really take off with tegos. In just 18 months with us, he worked his way from an apprentice to a solution developer with superb prospects. His four-legged friend Maya isn’t the only one who would like to congratulate him on his achievement.
You can find out more about Stefan in the interview.

What brought you to tegos and what did you do before?

On obtaining my ‘Abitur’ secondary school diploma, I initially started to study mechanical engineering, but then realised (albeit too late) that I would be more at home in computer science. So I changed study field and university, and moved to Dortmund. I found studying computer science more enjoyable, but the part-time job I took on in order to fund my studies prevented me from dedicating enough time to my studies. This was also reflected by the slow progress I made with my studies, so I decided to pursue a different career path.

I based my choice of training company on the business area, the apprenticeship involving practical training and my being able to envisage staying with the company for a while. I therefore applied for a dual training course at tegos and started the course in August 2019.

Looking back, what was your training as an information technology specialist specialising in applications development at tegos like? What was characteristic about it? What did you enjoy the most?

For a start, my training really flew by. I was able to shorten my training thanks to my prior knowledge from my studies.

Although we trainees were a separate team within tegos, we were by no means ‘just’ the trainee department that was left to work through exercises or was expected to make the coffee. Rather, we took on a variety of tasks fielded out by the other teams and worked through these tasks with the assistance of experienced co-workers who were approachable at all times. These tasks, such as setting up translation software for product development or developing a tool to serve as an interface with the Git version control software, are actively used by all the developers and are an important part of future development work.

After a year together in the trainee squad, we individually rotated around the other development teams at tegos on a quarterly basis, this giving us more of an insight into the various areas of enwis. We were instantly made part of each new team and were therefore able to take on tasks – with some assistance, of course – and further broaden our experience.

For me, placing so much trust in new members of staff and offering them so much support are things which are characteristic of the training offered at tegos. We were given space to develop as people and inexperience was never seen as a deficit. This appreciation and the enjoyment of learning that this led to were what I enjoyed the most.

And is there anything you didn’t like? If so, what?

I honestly can’t think of anything I didn’t like. My expectations regarding training and a training company were surpassed across the board. I have never regretted the decision I made in 2019 and actually ask myself why I didn’t go down this road a lot sooner.

What’s next for you at tegos now that you have completed your apprenticeship?

I have been on the Operations team since I completed my training in mid-January. As I didn’t have the opportunity to familiarise myself with all the development teams as a team member due to my training time being reduced, I will spend the next few months doing just that on a rotational basis, to get a feeling for each team and their specialised areas.  And once I have obtained a better understanding of all the areas, I will get together with the product owners and we will jointly decide which team I will then support as a permanent member.

What project are you currently working on?

I am currently working on an interface between our industry software enwis and some eANV (electronic waste records procedure) software. The electronic waste records procedure (elektronische Abfallnachweisverfahren) is something which is specific to Germany’s recycling industry that means many clients need other software in addition to enwis in order to be able to communicate with the authorities.

What, in your opinion, is special about tegos and the tegosians?

For me, what makes tegos special is how we interact in our day-to-day work. Even though the tegos Group’s structure has grown, the flat hierarchies give you a sense of achieving great things together in a small team. And it doesn’t matter what your role at tegos is – we are ultimately all one team.

Based on your experience, what tips can you offer other trainees and budding apprentices for their careers in IT?

Do something that you really enjoy and that you can get passionate about. Also, don’t be discouraged by setbacks like my abandoned studies – they can always present new opportunities and open new doors.

Choose an employer that you feel comfortable with and who values you and your work. There is no substitute for an exciting environment with co-workers who respect one another.

What do you like to do in your free time? What are your personal interests?

When there isn’t a global pandemic going on, I like to attend concerts and go to festivals. I have, however, made good use of the current forced break and started to learn the electric guitar when the coronavirus restrictions first came in. I unfortunately never learned to play an instrument and I love how I forget the world around me when I am practising and playing.

Apart from that, photography has been a hobby of mine for a long time, and I am interested in both the technical and creative side of it. I like to take photographs of events such as concerts, but our dog and our cat are popular motifs too – even though they don’t always agree …

My curiosity about technology goes hand in hand with my interest in science fiction literature and films. I am especially interested in the ever greater impact of technologisation on our lives and society as well as in the resultant positive and negative consequences. And to be a bit of a cliché, that’s why I also love Star Trek :-).

Stefan, thank you very much for these insights and for your time!