Anna shares with us her secrets to successful career transitions as she reflects on her journey from working in procurement at IBM, as a product owner at Vodafone to being a tester and now a business analyst for Adnovum’s clients. «At times transition was a bumpy road. Getting my new role took a lot of nagging, following up with people, asking again and again until I finally got a yes. I’m very polite, but I am also a very polite bulldozer», she muses with a heartful smile.
«I used maternity leave to learn some Python and Java coding»
Joining Adnovum as a software tester was a career pivot for Anna: «I was coming from a product owner role at Vodafone’s service center, where I had to understand the technical side but was mostly leading changes across the organization.» Then at the age of 33 she decided to change direction and to restart as a junior in a new role and new company. «I had been interested in software development for a long time and learned some Python and JavaScript coding during maternity leave. My priority was to get a new job in a new field I'm interested in while managing my life with 2 small kids. A job with flexibility, good people and the opportunity to grow later on. All of these became essential just a few weeks later, when lockdown started.»
Confidence and a practical approach can do the trick
Anna makes it sound so easy. It’s just like watching a basketballer who steps to the side to get a better position to shoot from. «Re-starting as a junior and with 7 years of work experience in a related field I felt confident enough to take on the tester role and learn the rest on the way. For me, this approach has always worked out. Studying is important but so much can be learned on the job.»
To learn fast, she found the support of many helpful teammates as she worked in a large global team on complex projects that Adnovum has been developing for 10 years. «It is great to have senior people who know the history and the client and can explain.»
Sometimes you need a gentle push
And it was also a colleague who supported her in her next career move by motivating her to apply for a business analyst position. «I was familiar with the project and interested to work on solving the problem with the client, so I applied.» Yet, during the application process Anna doubted her skills and called that colleague who just answered: «Yes, of course, you can do it. I will support you and you can learn it.»
And learning she is, most recently promoted from junior to professional business analyst thanks to her drive and curiosity. Humbly she adds: «What is most important for me are the people and the team I am working with. I am so happy about the supportive and open culture we have and to be able to contribute to that spirit.»
Good luck on your journey, Anna, may many exciting learnings and great colleagues await you!
