Stepping out of your comfort zone is often the first step toward real growth. The journey of Helen, our Software Engineer, proves that with curiosity, persistence, and the right support, new opportunities in IT are within reach. We hope her story inspires you to take that leap – and motivates more women to explore a tech career.
What made you decide to try IT? What were you doing before?
Helen: I was working as a manager in a retail store when I started dating my current boyfriend, who is a programmer. When I applied for university, I initially applied for medicine but wasn’t accepted, so I chose IT as my next option. My boyfriend asked me what I had enjoyed in school, and I remembered how, in high school, we did computer programming in Pascal. I earned A’s and was good at it, I even helped a classmate (who was an all-A student) with her assignments. My boyfriend also showed me some programming exercises that I enjoyed, which led me to study economic informatics.
However, I needed weekends off for my external studies, which wasn’t possible in my retail job, so I left and started working in the back office of an Austrian bank. I didn’t enjoy that job because I learned everything I needed to know very quickly and had no room for growth.
How did you end up working as a QA Analyst in our company? What were your first impressions of the position?
Helen: I sent out a lot of CVs. At one company, they offered me a Scrum Master role, but I wasn’t interested in that direction. Then GoHealth called me for an interview. It was a very informal chat, so I wasn’t stressed at all, which helped me think through my answers better. When I got the call offering me the tester position, I was about to join another company, but I reconsidered because their product wasn’t nearly as interesting as ours.
During the final part of the interview with our VP, Kamil Krauspe, we discussed many tools – some of which I didn’t even know – and that felt like a big challenge. When he asked me where I saw myself in five years, I confidently said, “Not as a tester, but as a programmer.” And I did it.
What motivated you to transition to a software engineer role, and how did the change happen?
Helen: At first, I thought I would get bored quickly with the QA role, but that didn’t happen. I kept learning new things, and it was really dynamic. However, once I became a Senior QA Analyst, I realized the natural career progression would likely lead to a leadership role, managing a team of QA testers. While that’s a great path, I’ve always been eager to learn and create new things.
Transitioning to a new team and role was more complicated than I expected. Fortunately, I had spent the past two years helping my colleagues with simpler automated test scripts, which gave me a lot of hands-on experience. When I moved to the new team, I started with automated tests and gradually took on simpler tasks, like fixing bugs on the frontend—such as correcting a misaligned icon, etc.
How did you learn new tech skills? Did testing help, or did you have to start from scratch?
Helen: Testing helped me a lot. I learned many things through it, and automated testing was also a big help later on. I was fortunate to have great colleagues who explained things clearly when I didn’t understand something. Peer programming was incredibly helpful too.
My colleague Ivetka supported me a lot, she took me under her wing, and we had sessions together where we explored different technologies like Redux and React. She even gave me assignments outside of work, which helped me improve significantly.
I stepped out of my comfort zone again soon after. Our Principal SWE encouraged me to switch teams – I was originally on a more frontend-focused team, but I moved to a backend-focused one. I took an Angular course and am now learning Java since most of our backend is built in it.
Was there anything that surprised you during your transition to the SWE role?
Helen: I was surprised by how junior I felt again. As a senior QA Analyst, I always knew where to look, what to do, or who to approach – and most of the time, people came to me for help. Suddenly, I found myself in a position where I had to ask for help again. I started working with tech stacks that were completely new and unfamiliar to me, which made the transition even more challenging.
What does your typical workday look like?
Helen: First thing – I make coffee. That’s the most important step. Then I check pull requests and comments, start working on them, and prepare for the daily stand-up. I wait for builds to pass their tests and if there are any issues, I figure out why.
During the stand-up, we discuss who is working on what and what’s next on the agenda. Then I continue working on my tasks. When I have a more complex task, I consult with my senior colleagues Janči or Maroš. I ask a lot of questions, discuss the task, and then dive in. Reviewing pull requests is also very helpful – I learn a lot and get inspiration for future work.
What do you like or dislike most about your job? Do you have a favorite or least favorite task?
Helen: Right now, I’m in a phase where I’m really enjoying everything. I’m constantly learning new things and finding different ways to approach tasks. I lean more toward front-end development because I can see the results immediately, which is very satisfying.
Where do you search for new information, and how do you ensure its relevance?
I do a lot of research online, especially on Stack Overflow. I’m cautious with ChatGPT, it can be confusing, especially when you’re still a junior learning everything from scratch. While AI can make manual work easier, I avoid using it for actual coding because it can overcomplicate things. As a junior, you can end up wasting too much time figuring out why your final code doesn’t work. A programmer needs to develop a certain way of thinking to solve problems independently, rather than relying on AI.
In addition to Stack Overflow, I take a lot of Udemy courses. I especially like Andrei Neagoia’s courses – his explanations are clear, his courses are always up to date, and his community is great. My first React course was with him, and it helped me a lot.
When I was starting out, Head First Java was a huge help for me because it explained Java through real-life examples. I also like the YouTube channel TechWorld with Nana – she makes complex topics easy to understand. And sometimes, you really just need to read the documentation. 🙂
Did you ever feel like you couldn’t do it? Was there a time when you wanted to quit and try something completely different?
Helen: I faced a lot of struggles, especially during the first few months when I was working on the Spring Boot upgrade. I had no prior experience with it, and it was incredibly complicated. I couldn’t even Google most of it because the issues were so specific to our tools. Fortunately, my colleague Maroš helped me a lot.
At first, I saw it as a big failure because I had unrealistic expectations – I thought things would go smoothly right away. But it’s understandable that if something takes a senior two days, a junior would take twice as much time to do it. What helped me was having someone to talk to and ask for advice. One important lesson I learned: when you need help, ask for it early on.
You mentioned that your boyfriend is also a programmer. How do two programmers live together? 🙂
Helen: It’s nice because if I get stuck and frustration appears, he understands what I’m explaining and knows how challenging it can be. Of course, he can vent to me, too. 🙂 We’re able to support each other, but we don’t solve problems together since we work with different tools. Plus, I prefer to figure things out on my own, and if something doesn’t work, I handle it at work. Still, having that mutual support is great.
What would you say to women who are thinking about IT but are afraid they lack technical education?
Helen: Don’t be afraid to be in a male-dominated environment, and don’t let gender stereotypes hold you back. My niece, for example, decided to study IT in Spain inspired by me and my boyfriend. She saw how much we enjoyed our work and lifestyle.
Don’t sell yourself short if you think you’re not good at math or anything like that. There are plenty of roles in IT where math isn’t necessary (e.g., QA Analyst, Technical Project Manager). I was also scared of math, but if you’re determined, you can learn it.
That said, you need to understand that IT requires constant learning. Technology evolves quickly, new libraries are introduced, and there’s always something new to study. If you don’t keep learning, your value – both in the company and on the job market – declines. It’s crucial to figure out if you truly enjoy it and have the drive to keep pushing forward, not just do it for the money. 🙂
What are your plans for the future? Do you have any dreams, either career or personal, that have not yet come true?
Helen: My short-term goal right now is to become completely independent. 🙂 My role model is my colleague Ivetka, who is relentlessly pushing herself to grow, both personally and technically. She was a huge help to me at the beginning – explaining things and dedicating time to support me. I felt a lot of solidarity from her, especially because we both want to see more women in tech.
I definitely see myself continuing in IT. I want to keep progressing and moving forward. 🙂
Helen’s experience is just one example of how perseverance pays off. If you’re considering a career in tech, don’t be afraid to start! Check out our blog for more stories that might just give you the push you need. 🙂
