In our series, we present individual stories about female employees at Telekom Technik GmbH. Anna Padur’s biggest motivation is to provide her family with a standard of living that she herself could only dream of as a child, passing on her experiences and staying true to her values (respect, honesty, empathy, friendliness, independence).
Anna, how did you end up at Telekom Technik?
Anna: I studied communications engineering and then started at T-Systems, working in a very technical environment. After some time, I realized that I was on the lookout for new challenges, things that I’m really good at and that I find fun. Today, as Pool Lead, I lead a team of 20 employees in the field of architecture & strategy. I have line management responsibility for the central network architects and for professionalization and further development of their skills. I deal with team development, manage conflicts, and provide support in my role as coach. It’s exactly this broad social scope of duties that makes me tick.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Anna: I was born and grew up in Siberia. In 2000, during my studies, I came to Germany – 5000 km away from home. I had no family support and no starting capital. The first big challenge for me was to learn the German language to a business fluent level, and today I sometimes even think in German.
What makes you tick?
Anna: It is the difficult times that made me stronger, more flexible, and more willing to learn. I’m now really good at organizing a wide variety of things and developing creative solutions. Ultimately, that’s how I ended up with a career in project management. Later, I specialized as an Agile Expert, among other things. Continuously setting new goals and achieving them motivates me. Sometimes I ask myself what happened to the shy, young woman I once was. Gaining experience has enabled me to constantly improve. A lot of what I am able to do well today did not come naturally to me – I learned it.
Personal development comes from courage and willpower.
What drives you in your daily work?
Anna: Since I have always found role models to be important, it is natural to find women in technical careers in my culture, and I myself have had very good experiences with mentoring, I am now an active advocate for diversity in the Women@Technik Community, because I am convinced that we, as a company, can benefit a lot more from our diversity. I am one of the founding members of the Women@Technik Community and am passionately involved in it. For me, the greatest praise is when somebody tells me that “without the Women@Technik Community, I wouldn’t have found my job” or when I see the additional added value from it.
What are your career tips?
Anna: Take control of your own life. Be brave and take opportunities when they present themselves. There is no scope for growth in your comfort zone. Search for something that makes you happy and that you can do better than other people. Try out different things to find the right job for you.
Anna Padur’s story is one of many that show the wide variety of career paths our company offers. Do you want to start your career with us? Click here for jobs at Technik. We look forward to meeting you!☺️
