Oana is a Technical Manager with a great drive to build great teams. We sat down with her virtually to find out more about her passions and the lessons learned throughout her career.
Tell us a bit about yourself: your background, personality and hobbies.
I started my journey as a Python developer 8 years ago during university. Since then, I went through all kinds of projects, ranging from simple API’s to complex, highly performant systems.
Then I became an Engineering Manager at my previous company, and now a Technical Manager at AscentCore. I think this role’s success is difficult to measure, as it deals with individuals’ growth and creating healthy teams. However, once you get there, it is satisfying to look back and enjoy it retroactively.
Besides work, I took on a few hobbies starting with candle making, tracing back as much as possible my family lineage (my grandfather remembers his grandfather!), and building my own living room chairs.
Oh, and I have to mention, I have a dog and a cat, and I love them dearly.
What is your favorite tech?
I’d love to learn Statistics and Probabilities again, last time I explored this topic was during university.
What is a typical workday for you?
There is no typical workday for me. Sometimes I am busy the entire day with all sorts of things, and sometimes I have a full day that I can use to be creative.
Why did you choose to work at AscentCore?
For the people, to be honest. I liked the interview, I liked how friendly people were, and I also liked the project they offered me.
Speaking of which, the client I am working for is great, they are a mature company, and I love that they make their decisions based on experiments and data. It really is a good working environment.
What is your favorite AscentCore value and why?
Relationships would be the one that steals the show for me. Besides the fact that everyone is encouraged to step up and implement their ideas, the company gives back and supports internal workshops and idea-sharing in general.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your role?
Firstly, there is always more than one way to do something.
Secondly, being a great manager does not mean one is a boss or that they must carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, it rather means they are equally important and able as any other team member.
What’s next in your career journey?
For now, I’d like to enjoy where I am. I have time to focus on details, to improve on processes and standards, and to learn how to build healthy teams. I am currently in no rush to reach the next step on the career ladder.
