Jure: What are the duties of a Data Engineer?

When and why did you join BE-terna as a Software Developer, what initially drew you to the company?

In 2014 I met a former manager from BE-terna and worked for his company for a few months. In that time, I became familiar with QlikView and I was impressed with its rapid application development possibilities, coding simplicity and data transformation options. I decided to join BE-terna as a Data Engineer in September 2014. I hadn’t known much about BE-terna before but I liked them (the company and the people) immediately.

What is the job of Software Developer like at BE-terna? What is a typical day like for you?

A Data Engineer is a versatile position. As such you do analysis of the client's needs; design, implement and test solution for their requirements; train users to use your BI applications and how to implement their own. I work mostly on huge and challenging implementations. So, after an initial morning email check, I continue writing masterpiece code for new features or for the improvement of old features. Of course, there are always some other support tasks just to take a little break from implementations. From time to time I pay a visit to clients and work at their premises. This helps me, especially if there are complex issues which are best resolved live and in person. Besides that there are meetings, for example once a week I take part in the BI team meeting, where we share knowledge with each other. Once per quarter I have a one-on-one meeting with my team manager where I have to convince him that I am overwhelmed with work and I make profit for the company. The job also includes tasks such as logging past activities and planning future work.

What are the pros and cons of being a Software Developer?

PROS: You get to discover and grasp all phases of agile programming. You develop your analytical abilities. You get to know many clients and with that many industries and their specifics. You work in the most laid-back team.

CONS: n/a

What does it take to be a Software Developer?

You need to have a talent for programming (such as C, C#, Python or similar), an understanding of databases and SQL, analytical thinking, business content knowledge, and patience. Even if you don't have all of these attributes, eagerness to learn and hard work will get you far.

Who would you recommend BE-terna as an employer to?

Someone who likes continual learning, who isn't afraid of technical challenges, who is used to teamwork but can also work individually, who can accept responsibility, who likes to work in a multicultural team (and pick up some foreign languages at the same time) and who also knows how to have fun.

If you could choose 3 adjectives to describe BE-terna's culture, what would they be?

Inquisitive, assiduous, cordial.