Sebastian has joined AscentCore after participating in a Robot building contest a few years ago. Now he is a valuable member of the team, always prepared with funny and creative ideas and ready to brighten up our days. We sat down with him virtually to find out more about his passion for coding, his growth within the company as well as his career perspectives. Keep reading to discover Sebastian’s professional journey and his passions outside work.
Tell us a bit about yourself: your background, personality and hobbies.
When I was very little I would spend days playing with blocks of Legos and I was trying to be creative with crafting all sorts of objects. While growing up I started playing real-time strategy video games. When choosing a degree I tried to choose something that I really loved and I always ended up thinking about the games I used to play in which you are required to gather resources, use them to build something, make a plan to win the game and execute it as best as you can. “Well if this doesn’t sound like engineering, I don’t know what it is” was my first thought. So I choose to pursue a career in computer engineering and here we are.
My personality was always hopeful and I am always trying to strive and see the big picture. When developing software this mindset comes in handy many times as it is easy to lose yourself in the details and have tunnel vision.
My hobbies include & are not limited to reading about different cultures whether it be habits, beliefs or arts found in different human societies. Maybe that’s why one of my other hobbies is listening to as much diverse music as I can. My other hobbies are sports, cinematography and even if I don’t consider myself a gamer anymore, sometimes I play video games.
How did your career at AscentCore start & why did you choose to work here?
My career started when I began to be more in touch with the IT industry in Cluj as a part of a robot building contest organized by the university I studied at. Through this contest I met people who believed in me and were glad to work with me, a thing which to this day I hold dear to my heart.
How was working on a small project with a small team vs working within a big team?
On a small project the team dynamic is very different. There are different rules to follow and also different responsibilities. Aside from the obvious, I feel like on a smaller project you get more freedom to choose how to build different features. Whereas on the other hand, a bigger project can prove to be difficult to transition to for a junior software engineer as you need to relearn the team dynamic and get used to work as part of a team, as cogs in clockwork – which to me is a nice metaphor as everyone needs to do their job in order for the whole mechanism to work properly.
What is a typical workday for you?
I need to start every day in my life by drinking something cold, whether it be a soda can, some water or an iced latte. Afterwards I feel refreshed and ready for work. Every 2 to 3 hours I take a small break as I can get tired of sitting and found it is very healthy to do so. During the working hours I try to be focused and when I am taking a break I try to socialize with my colleagues as much as I can.
What is your favorite tech?
My favorite tech is JavaScript as it can be a Swiss Army Knife. It is easy to learn & hard to master. In the beginning of my career I was puzzled by the fact that you can be a successful full stack developer by only knowing JavaScript.
What is your favorite AscentCore value and why?
The main three values of AscentCore are Integrity, Relationships and Results. These values are specifically chosen as core principles because together they form something greater. So my favorite value can’t be just one as in order for a team to be successful, you need all three of them. You can’t have results without the teamwork brought by relationships and yet, you cannot form lasting relationships without integrity.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your role?
I have learned that consistency is key. If you are trying to push yourself to the limits everyday you can quickly enter burnout and afterwards you are less productive. Trying to keep a healthy balance between work and personal life is necessary in order to be consistent.
What’s next in your career journey?
For me, trying to live up to my own expectations was always the objective to be completed. And that’s paradoxical as expectations change with time and circumstances. For me this is an ideal goal and I always have something to strive for and not to yield.
