Developing across borders: from Linz to Barcelona

Joelle Helgert is a software developer and fulfilled her dream of living abroad thanks to Dynatrace

What’s your name, and what do you do at Dynatrace?

Hi, I am Joelle, a Frontend Developer for the Dynatrace design system.

What path brought you to Dynatrace?

I’m originally from Germany and moved to Austria after school to study Communication and Knowledge Media (KWM) in Hagenberg. I chose this program to become a journalist or PR person. However, it became clear quite quickly that I am more interested in coding. After graduating and to broaden my horizon, I started a master’s degree in Interactive Media (Hagenberg), which included more programming topics and insights into immersive technologies.

Even though I am only 25, my career does not only include my time at the university. I also gathered one year of full-time work experience between my bachelor’s and master’s and worked part-time during my master’s degree. I also worked with React and other modern front-end technologies during my full-time job.

I was always attracted to foreign countries and cultures. So, it is no surprise that I have always had the urge to spend some time abroad. I had a few attempts to do so in the past, but they never worked out. That’s why I put it on my agenda after completing my master’s. Dynatrace offered just the perfect opportunity to go abroad. A friend referred me to the company, who then discussed my dream of working abroad with our leads, so it was decided that my next stop should be Barcelona.

What was your start at Dynatrace like?

I started with two months of onboarding with my team in Linz and then moved to Barcelona for nine months. Since my entire team stayed in Linz, I was a bit afraid of how I would feel in the new office. Ultimately, that was the last thing I needed to worry about! The Barcelona office is a wide-open space where everyone interacts with each other independently of their team and role. There are breakfast rounds for everyone in the office and several office events.

Furthermore, the teams around me took me in for lunchtime to also connect on a personal level. I feel super welcomed and happy here even though I miss my team in Linz. But I know this feeling will stick around because I’ll miss my Spanish colleagues when I’m back in Linz.

How do you structure the work in your team?

In my closest team, we’re six developers; one is the Product Owner, and another is Team Captain. We work in typical Scrum routines with 2-week sprints.

Around us is the “bigger Team,” including PM, Designers, and another developer team with whom we also work closely on the components. Finally, the two teams in Barcelona also work on the Design System, focusing on data visualizations.

When I started working at Dynatrace, I wouldn’t have considered them my team, but that changed for several reasons in the last months. First, for me personally, of course, because I meet them daily and get insights on what they’re doing, and second because there have been joint efforts to get more connection points. So, with knowing each other, it got easier to get in contact and be aware of the skills of all teams. This helped us shift efforts and have joint teams to tackle general issues.

What are you currently working on?

I am working on the Design System, more precisely on the UI components.

What do you like about working at Dynatrace?

I like the big community where you can be anywhere and still find a friend. Furthermore, I like that it is not only about getting stuff done but also about doing it well.

What is your favorite technology, and why?

Weird approach to the question, but I think it is Git. It enables many features and allows me to do many things, making my life easier daily. Other than that, it is React because I feel comfortable in that framework.

What was your most significant achievement at Dynatrace?

Since I haven’t been at Dynatrace for a long time, I don’t have a real achievement to show.

However, I would see myself partially responsible for creating a closer bond between the Barcelona and Linz teams. Thanks to having worked in both labs, I developed a different point of view and can keep both teams in mind during casual discussions, etc.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time, I love to go roller skating (the old ones with two and two wheels 😉), hang out with my friends, and cuddle my two cats. I would love to return to my hobbies: yoga and dancing, since they both played a significant role in my life.

Lastly, my techier free time activities: I enjoy playing Sims and playing with my VR Headset.

Developing across borders: from Linz to Barcelona was originally published in Dynatrace Engineering on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.