Enxhi -
Junior Web Developer

Enxhi has been working for LeadDesk for soon one year while finishing her master’s studies at the same time. She appreciates the great professional team at LeadDesk, where she feels she can always get help. Furthermore, Enxhi feels she has been able to grow professionally due to that she has had the possibility to deepen and broaden her expertise within the area of web development and learn a lot about problem-solving together with the team.

Could you give us a quick brief on your background before we start?

I came to Finland from Albania in 2018 to do my master’s degree in Software Engineering. Before I moved to Finland, I had gained about 1 year of experience in both front- and back-end web development.

What made you join LeadDesk?

I spotted the open position online and saw that I fulfilled the requirements. Therefore, I researched the company and got interested in that it was a truly international company with offices in six different countries. To me, it looked like a nice place to be part of. This was also the impression I got during the interviews. The work they offered me seemed suitable and the technology used at LeadDesk was also a bit familiar to me. I saw the job as an opportunity to learn more and get to practice using React and decided to join.

How does your typical workday look like?

Currently, I am still finalizing my master’s degree and therefore work part-time – half the day I am usually at the university and the other half at work. As we have flexible hours in use, it helps a lot with managing both studies and work.

The LeadDesk product we develop has many dimensions and I feel I am still exploring the product. Fortunately, my colleagues are always happy to help. We often discuss together how to solve some issues or make something easier to use. Currently, I am doing mostly back-end development but also front-end.

In the R&D team, we have daily online meetings due to that half of the team is in Helsinki and the other half in Lappeenranta. During the daily meeting, we discuss what we have done and if there is a need to continue the discussion with someone. Once a week we have a Weekly meeting together with the product owner and the team. In Weeklies, we discuss what we have done during the past week, where we are stuck and how to solve possible issues and we do Sprint planning. We work in three-week Sprints. During the Sprint we then work with a certain issue and aim at finishing this during the three weeks. After each Sprint, we then have a review and retrospective, where we reflect on what went well and what we could have done better during the Sprint. I enjoy working in this way, for me, it is motivating and makes me work more efficiently. During the Sprint we usually aim at finishing 1-3 items or issues depending on how difficult they are. I feel this is a great way to keep the team on the same track.

What are the best parts of working at LeadDesk?

I have now been working for LeadDesk for a bit less than a year. What I appreciate the most is the team – everyone is very professional, has a lot of experience and are therefore also good examples to learn from. I feel very comfortable and happy working here and I feel I always have the support from my team.

Looking back at the year or so you have been with us. What have you learned?

During my time at LeadDesk, I feel I have learned to work more efficiently, care more about the way that leads me to a solution and solving things with a longer perspective in mind. Furthermore, I have learned a lot about how to solve a problem – discuss the issue with my colleagues, plan when and how to fix it and test the solution. This process we use is a very efficient way to solve things!

I think I learn something new every day. Therefore, LeadDesk has been a good place to grow professionally. Getting to deal with various kinds of issues also makes you grow professionally and mentally. I have got to develop my programming skills, learn new technologies and deepen my knowledge in web development.

Any greetings for people considering to apply for a job at LeadDesk?

I can strongly recommend working for LeadDesk. At least for me, it has been a great chance to grow professionally, broaden and apply my knowledge. Some of my favorite things here are the care that LeadDesk shows for its people and the encouragement you get for developing your own skills, going to conferences, etc. and applying these learnings to the product development. I also appreciate the team building activities organized at LeadDesk. In the R&D department we are working with PhP and Laravel – so if you wish to work in the R&D then knowing these are needed.

Finally, what are the go-to places for lunch in Lappeenranta?

There are some places near the office, for example several different lunch buffets at the Lappeenranta University campus. The food there is ok and as I am still studying, so I get a discount with my student card. To other places we go by car but fortunately, Lappeenranta is quite small. There is also a lunch restaurant downstairs in the same building. Most of the time we go together for lunch with the team.