From French Riviera to Rzeszów – career development opportunities in smaller locations in Poland
Apart from branches in larger cities such as Warsaw, Krakow, Gdańsk or Łódź, Sii Poland is opening other locations in smaller business centers. Over the past two years, the company has created new jobs in cities such as Bydgoszcz, Rzeszów and Częstochowa, thus attracting IT experts. Cezary Skrzyński, Software Engineer has been furthering his career in France when he decided to return to Poland. An innovative project and the prospect of returning to his hometown – Rzeszów – convinced him to join a newly created Sii branch.
How did your IT adventure start?
Cezary Skrzyński, Software Engineer at Sii’s Embedded Competence Center: It was quite natural – I have been interested in electronics and computers since my early days. Immediately after graduating from AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow and returning from Erasmus in Spain, I began my career as a programmer. It was a journey filled with many adventures, during which I had the opportunity to work with a variety of clients – from telecommunications industry to aviation sector.
You have been in Sii Rzeszów since its launch. What made you start working in Poland?
C.S: I worked in France for some time. Although hardships of emmigration were somewhat eased down by the hum of the Mediterranean Sea and the soft sand of beaches in Cannes, I realized relatively quickly that I would not live there forever. Returning to the country not only meant further career development (which thanks to Internet access is possible from virtually every corner of the world), but also starting a family.
When I received an offer from Sii, I was already on the finish line of a recruitment process in another company. I was offered a position in an innovative project and the opportunity to build another Sii branch in Poland, so naturally I was tempted and I never regretted my decision.
What projects have you accomplished so far?
C.S: At the beginning of my work at Sii, I came across a very interesting, yet challenging, technological project for a leader of telecommunications industry. We created a “cloud” that enabled application virtualization and network traffic analysis. Thanks to a number of created applications, users could manage data in a dedicated interface. Technologies that we used included, to name a few, Docker, Ansible, Prometheus or Kubernetes. We had a free choice of programming tools within the already defined platform architecture. Owing to that, it was the team’s responsibility to choose technologies and programming languages in which our application was developed. In my case they were mainly C, C++ and Python.
I am currently a member of a team which works for one of the major players providing items of technology and products necessary to support payment transactions. We develop embedded payment terminal software and server applications that support it, again using Python and C++.
Your example shows that one can also conduct development projects for large companies in smaller business centers. What is your view with regards to work in Sii Poland?
C.S: I think Rzeszów holds a tremendous potential. Ever since I remember, the city has been steeadily developing. The infrastructure is improving, both large employers and small entrepreneurs are growing in numbers and scale. Thanks to the opportunities provided by modern technologies, one can develop their career and pursue passions here, just like in larger cities. In Sii, I am a part of a Competence Center, which brings together specialists from a given area from all our branches. This is a great opportunity for focused development, as well as for the exchange of knowledge and experience. This structure also makes it easier to participate in conferences, tech-talks or internal projects.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your daily work?
C.S: As I work in an international team, it’s definitely effective communication – both sides communicate in languages other than their native ones. The second challenge is to combine reliability and stability of solutions with innovation. Payment processing is an area where there is no room for errors. Migration to subsequent C++ standards, newer compilers, dockerization or general modernization of a technological layer is naturally slower here.
What three words would you use to describe Sii Rzeszów?
C.S: Dynamic, professional and diverse. Why? Over 60 specialists are already working here, each of us has different experiences, we work on various technological stacks and we conduct projects for clients from around the world.
Rzeszów branch was opened a year and a half ago. Engineers carry out projects in the field of application testing and development, Business Intelligence as well as mechanical and electrical engineering. Currently, we are looking for the following expert profiles: Java Developers, .NET Developers, C / C++ Developers, Front-End Developers and specialists in the field of testing. We are also looking for people in the field of engineering: Constructors, Technologists, Product Engineers, as well as Automation and Robotics specialists. We work with foreign clients, embracing financial, pharmaceutical, aviation, manufacturing and insurance industries.
Information about current job offers in Sii Rzeszów can be found on the company’s website in career tab .