Today marks my 4 years at trivago.
When I started, I expected to learn a lot technically compared to my previous jobs, especially since trivago operates on a much larger scale. But things were different than what I expected.
In my previous job, I was wearing multiple hats. Even though I was a Backend Engineer, I also made basic dashboards for internal customers and occasionally wrote some JS and CSS for the front end. I had to take care of some of our infrastructure as well.
At trivago, I noticed that engineers tend to focus on specific areas. Backend Engineers stick to the backend, and Frontend Engineers to the frontend. Test Engineers have a clear structure, working with multiple product teams. Transitioning from a “jack of many trades” environment to a “master of some trades” environment felt slow at first. My previous job was in a startup environment, and we had to move very fast with the constantly changing market, and learning was intense. I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy a comparatively slower pace at trivago.
In the beginning, I learned the importance of clear communication, staying organized, and utilizing time properly, especially in meetings. However, my technical learning slowed down significantly. Many tasks around Kubernetes and cloud computing were already familiar, so I wasn’t challenged much. This put me in my comfort zone. Because of my background, coming from a very busy culture, I tend to become disorganized naturally. But I realized that when I became more disciplined and organized, I accomplished more in less time, with fewer errors and less stress.
I was working as an embedded SRE in the MARS (Marketing Solutions) team from where I learned those important skills. After 2 years, I moved to the central SRE group, which changed the course of my journey. I began to see a broader view of our organization and tech in general. Started working with various product backend teams. Now I see interesting technical challenges every day with many unknowns. But because of the soft skills I learned earlier, I don’t feel overwhelmed. I know any problems can be solved by researching a bit, and reaching out to the right contacts. Fortunately, the SRE group is full of talented colleagues, so learning anything technical is easy. There’s always a good explanation and solution in the SRE community.
I realized that acquiring soft skills is often more important than technical skills. So I preach this to my friends and acquaintances.
I meet new people through table tennis, events, and parties, or by staying longer in the social space in our office on Fridays, and try to maintain good relationships. By doing this, I made some great friends! Knowing people from outside my team makes it easier when we need to collaborate on work-related topics. Working with people from different teams is now easier than ever.
Looking back, I want to thank all my colleagues for everything I’ve learned. And I look forward to learning more in the years ahead. Insha’Allah!
Originally published on LinkedIn