“Don’t be afraid of failure and always ask questions”
Welcome to the third edition of our ‘Future Leaders Spotlight Blog Series’, where we go behind the scenes and interview talented Amdarians, from interns to mentors. This series aims to uncover their training and development journey, day-to-day experience of working at Amdaris, and the story behind their passion for software development and technology.
This week we spoke to Adrian Marinescu, the Director of Technology in our Romanian office. Adrian has been working at Amdaris for over nine years. He began his career at Amdaris as a junior software developer, but following several promotions he has successfully worked his way up to his current role.
In this blog, Adrian dives into how he got started in software development and discusses his journey of working at Amdaris. He also expands on the importance of not being afraid of failure and his excitement over cloud technology. Over to Adrian!
What started your interest in software development?
My interest started when I was very young. Like many children, I was interested in computers. There’s a big community in Romania of people creating their own hardware and building computers, which I thought was fascinating. So, I started building hardware and that’s what really got me into computers, beyond playing video games!
After building up my general knowledge and experience in IT, software development came naturally to me. My older brother works in software development, so I learnt a lot from him too.
After finishing school, I went to the Technical University to study Informatics and Automatics. I maintained my interest in software development throughout university, so it felt right to venture into this career path.
You’ve been at Amdaris now for over nine years. What are the main reasons you’ve decided to stay at the company?
After university I became a process engineer. It was really interesting, but it wasn’t quite for me. Still being young, I knew I could still switch into software development, which I’d been interested in all along. The change was tough at first, as I was coming into the field with some knowledge but no professional experience.
So, I was really lucky to find Amdaris at this stage in my career. I started as a junior developer and began getting involved with projects to help Amdaris grow.
It was an exciting journey from being a junior developer to working my way up to be the Technical Director, where I am now. I really like the environment here and that’s why I’ve stayed so long. It’s focused on growth, not just production. Amdaris invests in opportunities for improvement.
What is your favourite part about working at Amdaris?
One of the things I really like about Amdaris is the mentorship scheme. From the beginning, Amdaris was focused on sharing knowledge and this has kept us growing for years.
During your time at Amdaris, you’ve achieved several promotions, how has the company supported your growth?
I think the best way to help someone grow is to provide them with opportunities. Amdaris has always done this for me – right from when I was a junior developer.
I’ve always looked up to my mentors and thought ‘I want to be in their shoes’. Having that role model helps you to set targets so you know what to do when opportunities arise.
Thinking back to joining the company in 2013, what advice would you give yourself in the early stages of your career?
It’s particularly important in the early stages to not be afraid of failure. Young people often have that little bit of shyness in them, which doesn’t need to be the case, you have to be proactive and reach for your goals! Don’t be afraid of failing and always ask questions.
When you start out, you’ve got to be on top form and grab opportunities that come your way, and a bit of boldness can help with that.
What do you think makes a good tech leader?
Knowledge is of course important to being a good tech leader, but good communication skills are equally important. You must be able to communicate your knowledge with those less technical in order to successfully express and explain your ideas.
What are the responsibilities of your role?
I have a supportive role for all areas of the business, there’s a lot of different aspects of the business you can impact.
For the operational side of things, it’s a lot of problem-solving. We monitor technical excellence within projects and set up corrective actions if required. For the sales team, it’s always a good idea to consult with them to understand the latest trends, so you can assist with future project-building.
What’s next in your professional development?
I think my main focus short-term is to offer as much value as I can within my current position. Longer term, there will be even more opportunities that arise here at Amdaris and I’ll see how I settle into those. I’m definitely not planning to jump ship!
Are there any future ambitions that Amdaris has regarding technology or innovation that you’re really excited about?
Personally, I’m excited about the cloud. I really think that cloud solutions are the future.
Basically, every new application is going to have the cloud built-in. There’s immense potential for what we can achieve by leveraging the possibilities from cloud providers, it’s mind-blowing!