Interesting and exciting project, good relationships within the team and growth opportunities are some of the reasons that made Luiza choose and stay with AscentCore. We sat down with her virtually to find out how her passion for computer science started, the lessons she’s learned in her role and what’s up next for her career.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’ll start with the beginning. During school the main question was ‘What to do next?’. At that time I was following some classic guitar courses and I really took it as an option to go to a high school on music profile. However, I was good at mathematics and that decided my path. During highschool, after a logic based test, I was one of the few girls that joined the intensive computer science class. Never knew what computer science was, but I surely had a passion for games so I just went on with it. I discovered joy in solving logical problems, just like puzzles, and I ended up loving it. Choosing universities came in a period when I wanted to leave home and make my own path. So I decided to come here, in Cluj-Napoca, where I am now. I’d lie if I’d say that everything worked smoothly and that I don’t regret anything, but one thing is for sure, I never felt any regret about the current moment. I graduated in computer science at Babeș-Bolyai University and now I’m working at Ascent Core as a software engineer and I am also co-founder of a small mobile games company.
My personality has a lot of flow. I’m reckless sometimes and I’m impulsive. I have a lot of trust in some people and sometimes it’s easier to choose the person, not the argument. But, I am also enthusiastic and optimistic, I’m half introverted and half extroverted and I like to help people and appreciate them.
Of course, as a hobby, I like video games, however in time I dedicated less and less time to this activity and started new ones. I’m also a hiking amateur. I like birds and especially parrots. I study a lot about them, and have my own little parrot.
What is your favorite tech?
This is a really hard question to answer, as I can’t say that I have a favorite programming language or anything like that. I’m most used to Python and also Django Framework, but I do pretty well with any new language. Nobody would like a programming language that has no advantages, so I’m looking openly at any of them. Depending on what you need, there are frameworks and languages perfectly suited for that, but it’s not always black and white. I also like databases, as the algorithms behind managing a lot of data are pretty interesting.
What is a typical workday for you?
I’m usually working from home. I feel more productive like that and lose less time on the road. I’m not drinking coffee or anything, so my day starts the minute I open my laptop. I’m usually solving tasks and sometimes chit-chat with my colleagues to keep my morale and motivation up. I like both backend and frontend, so when it comes to choosing the tasks, I’m open to anything.
Why did you choose to work at AscentCore?
It was a recommendation from a friend of mine. I was informed about the project and I really liked the idea. I had some interviews before at other companies, but the first impression really counts, and I think AscentCore was in 1st place.
What is your favorite AscentCore value and why?
Everyone has something that matters for them at the workplace and we are all choosing to go or to stay depending on many factors. What really keeps me bound to a company is nothing more, nothing less than the people, the relationships developed. There are a lot of people in each of our lives, and we cannot really define what a friend is. However, I learned that these days, I spend most time at work with colleagues and they make me laugh, they teach me new things, they help me when I need to and they eventually become more than just a team. This is the most important thing for me.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your role?
That’s a really short answer but good to keep in mind: When I’m not sure between two solutions, it’s better to ask someone than to write the second after writing the first, because the first solution was not that good after all.
What’s next in your career journey?
I think the next step for me is to become a senior. This takes time and effort, but step by step I’ll get to it.
