How to become a Java Developer? Check out the stories of the graduates of Sii Poland’s training

Become a Java Developer is one of the reskilling training courses organized by Sii Poland. Thanks to this course, even those with no experience in IT can gain competencies that’ll allow them to enter the technology industry. In addition, graduates of the course have the opportunity to complete an internship and later find a job with the projects implemented by the company. Learn the stories of Urszula, Andrzej, and Ewa, who became developers at Sii after completing the course.

What had you been doing before you decided to requalify, and where did the decision to make the change come from?

Urszula Romaniuk: I graduated with a degree in Neuroinformatics, where I had a lot to do with programming and data analysis. Later, I became a mother of two wonderful boys, which involved a break from studies and work. I wanted to return to the market and deal with something new, so I decided to learn a programming language ­– Java, which I wasn’t familiar with.

Andrzej Pękala: I previously worked in an industry completely unrelated to IT. I was a machine operator in a textile factory. I decided to make a change, because after several years of working in this profession, I no longer had prospects for further development, and the tasks I was responsible for became repetitive.

Ewa Bartosiewicz: Before I started working in IT, I worked in coordination and project management for many years. After accumulating more than 10 years of professional experience, the lack of development opportunities and new challenges began to bother me. Work that is based mainly on soft skills was no longer satisfying to me. I felt that I’d burned out professionally and that it was the right time for a much more significant change than just moving to a similar position at another company.

Why did you choose the training that prepared you for a career as a developer?

U.R.: I love analytical thinking and programming, so I knew that I would be a developer. I just had to find the best way to achieve this goal.

A.P.: I became interested in the IT industry a few years ago, I read a lot about it and wanted to see if it was the direction for me. From the very beginning, I was most interested in the career path of a software developer and the Java language, which is very clear and additionally highly valued on the market.

E.B.: I’ve always had an easy time navigating the IT world, and I knew I had an aptitude for working in this field. I used to program as a hobby in the past, and I remember enjoying it. I figured that since I was planning a major career change, it was the right time to get into software development seriously. I find the programming profession very interesting and growth-oriented, and these are the things I need to feel good about my work.

Why did you decide to choose the Sii training? How do you remember it?

U.R.: I decided to take the training because of the possibility of an internship after completing it, as this option makes it very easy to start in the industry. I also liked the program itself, which was well thought out. The course gave me a solid foundation, which I use at work all the time. I also have great memories of the trainer, who was very competent and extremely committed.

A.P.: I decided to go with Sii because it isn’t just a training company. It has experience in carrying out projects for international clients and is constantly hiring developers. I was also convinced by the possibility of an internship at the company because practical experience is highly appreciated by employers. During the course, I gained a huge amount of knowledge, and I consolidated my familiarity with Java basics, databases, and web applications.

E.B.: The Sii training course was recommended to me by a person from the industry that I respected. I was recommended this course because of its high-level content and a program tailored to market requirements. During the classes, we gained theoretical knowledge, of course, but the vast majority of the time we spent working with the IDE – each thing discussed was demonstrated by the instructor in practice, creating functional applications, and we were additionally given tasks to do on our own before the next meeting.

What was the internship like? How did it prepare you for work?

U.R.: I enjoyed the internship from the beginning, I learned a lot during it. I came across a great team and an amazing person in charge, who immediately introduced us to how to work as a developer. It looked almost no different from working on projects for clients.

A.P.: Learning during the internship was very intensive, our task was to make an application on our own. We worked in Scrum teams, just like in commercial projects. A big advantage of the internship was the opportunity to learn about methodologies and tools used in the developer’s work, such as Jira or Bitbucket, which you don’t usually have access to.

E.B.: The internship took us through all stages of application development – from idea to development to deployment. We worked in a team of 6 people under the supervision of a mentor, and the work was performed in sprints. The biggest advantage of the internship, in my opinion, was that despite we were creating an application for the sake of learning, the entire internship reflected the model workflow of a developer, which I can confirm now, includes working in commercial projects. The internship leader gave us a great deal of knowledge and was willing to share his experience. He also allowed us to make mistakes, from which we also learned many useful lessons.

What are you currently involved in at Sii? How do you like your new job?

U.R.: I recently finished working on a project for one of Sii’s clients – a large, international company in the telecommunications sector. Now I’m looking forward to starting a new one. I appreciate the fact that at Sii I have the opportunity to test my skills in projects for clients from different industries. This allows me to learn new things and I feel that I’m constantly developing. Also, I like the fact that my new job gives me a lot of flexibility, if I want, I can work 100% remotely. I also have great managers with whom I can always talk.

A.P.: I’m currently working on a project for one of the leaders in the payment services sector. I’m focused on web applications and alternative payment methods integrated into the client’s system. I work in a brand new team. With those people I have great cooperation and I learn a lot from them. I’m very happy that I decided to make this change. I’ve fulfilled my goal and I’m doing what I wanted to do.

E.B.: I’m currently involved in two projects for a large client in the medical industry, in which we develop and maintain software for monitoring adverse reactions caused by drugs. In one project I act as a back-end developer, while in the other I deal with both the back-end and front-end. These are my first commercial projects, so I’m constantly learning and every day brings some interesting tasks, which I enjoy. I can already see that choosing this career path was the best professional decision I’ve made, and I’m happy to continue growing in this area.

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