Meet Thea, our Software Engineer at Deutschen Telekom IT, driving innovation with her diverse projects. From leading technical excellence in the Gigabit Hub to fostering collaboration in the DevOps Expert Council, she's a driving force. Beyond her regular responsibilities, she's also deeply involved in organizing hackathon events like #hack4humans, a hackathon initiated by Telekom. Passionate about personal growth, she juggles her workload with finesse, leveraging tools and networks to prioritize development alongside her workload.
How did organization of Hackathons contribute to your personal and professional development?
Thea: I consider myself quite extroverted and enjoy forming close connections with people. Organizing a hackathon presents a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with individuals I haven’t yet crossed paths with, offering insights into their backgrounds through the extensive planning process. Additionally for me, there’s the undeniable satisfaction post-event, knowing I’ve facilitated an experience that benefits many. This, in turn, fosters a broader network for future assistance and insight into ongoing Telekom initiatives. Not only do I become familiar with various product teams, but I also gain exposure to diverse work methodologies.
In what ways have you been able to apply the knowledge gained from participating in events?
Thea: I think for me it is a lot about different tools, that I can also use in the future like Miro, Microsoft Teams and Vote, but also certain ways on how people were pitching their final solutions and in general what different solutions they came up with.
How do you manage to foster your personal development alongside your regular work?
Thea: This can be tricky, but for me, it is mostly about catching as many opportunities as you can. I try to automate my regular work as much as possible, use tools wisely and plan my time senseful. In the morning I use my time before the first meeting starts or in the evening after my last meetings to get things done during some quiet time. And I make sure to connect as much as possible, reaching out to people who can offer help becomes much easier.
