We often state that growth is a big part of our culture, so we offer our Centricians the means and methods to improve their skills constantly. Dana started her career path in Centric as a software tester and is now continuing her journey as a Team Leader. Find out how she grew with Centric in the story below.
#GrowWithCentric: From software tester to Team Leader
Team Leader
Dana Antal
How did you start in Centric?
I joined Centric in 2015 as a software tester after being part of another company in Iasi for almost three years.
What is your position today?
Currently, I am a scrum master for two projects in the Public sector division and a team leader of 13 amazing colleagues with whom I collaborate daily.
What was the drive that got you from intern to team lead?
As a tester and the scrum master within the project team, I started playing a little bit with a few of the team leader's responsibilities without realizing it. After a while, I started thinking that I could redirect my path toward this role. I was confident I could have a lot of success stories while wearing the team leader hat.
What motivates you to learn?
That's actually a great question. I am a curious person, and I like dealing with new challenges or opportunities, and these motivate me to learn and search for more context and ways to approach my daily work.
How do you make time for learning?
I am learning from the people I collaborate with daily, first of all. So that's part of my working schedule, and I am proud to share it. Then, I like to read at least a few pages per day or an article related to leadership topics or personal development.
What was your biggest failure, and what did you learn from it?
I don't know if this is indeed a failure. Still, I got my bachelor's degree 2 years later than I was supposed to because I wasn't entirely focused on the faculty schedule and activities since I had started working right after my second year. In the end, this was still a win for me because I did not give up all the effort invested, and I received my diploma. In the meantime, I also gained experience as a software tester and prepared myself for the IT domain.
What is your favorite success story?
The moment I was promoted to the team leader role is my favorite success moment. This proved Centric trusts me and has faith in me and my professional growth. Last but not least, since I have been a team leader for four years now, I understand that people trust me and my expertise in understanding how teams and people work.
What kinds of learning and growth practices do you have?
As mentioned before, I mostly like to learn from the people I collaborate with and the experiences I am dealing with. Plus, I am constantly googling new ways of improving and organizing together with my colleagues.
Who has been the most inspirational person in your career, and why?
There is no "one" person there are many. For example, every team leader I have collaborated with had something that I could use as inspiration or a model.
What would you say to somebody that just started a career in IT?
To be curious and perseverent, no matter the role. As a Software tester, it's important to be persistent and stick to the quality standards. As a Scrum Master, it's important to be curious enough to get to know your team and try to always bring something new into their dynamic. For a team leader, you must be passionate about personal development, and most of all, like people, because they are the most important piece in the puzzle.
