Meet our team making things happen at CodeControl and our new freelancer platform 9am!
This time we’ve talked to Sara. As a Software Engineer, she makes sure our 9am platform works well and gets better every day.
Hi Sara! What’s your story? Where are you from and where are you living now?
Hi! I’m from Ksar el kebir, Morocco and I’ve been living in Rabat since 2015.
How long have you been at CodeControl, what do you do here and what did you do before you were here?
I’ve been here since May 2021 as a Software Engineer using Node.js and React mainly and I’ve worked with other tech before too. What I like best with this kind of work is that there is a problem to break down and after doing that, you can take logical steps and attack it.
After high school, I went to pre-engineering school with extensive math, chemistry, physics, engineering science and other classes that were theory based and they had a small programming course. At the end of the 2 years, you take an exam and then see if you can get into competitive engineering schools. I saw there that I could put logic into use and solve problems. I really enjoyed this class and knew I’d enjoy doing it for a job, so I went to computer engineering school, which still had a lot of theories. I worked at Deloitte for 6 months as a Consultant in the cyber security department which was an interesting field, but it was not coding related at all and it wasn’t something I wanted to do. I then had to make a decision based on what I wanted, not what my teachers said or what I had studied.
How do you describe working at CodeControl?
The culture is really flexible, which makes you want to give more. We are trusted to do our job and that trust makes me not want to fail them or break the trust. Flexible hours and ability to prioritize my tasks when is best for me. When I first joined, it was great as for the first time in my career, I was being mentored and was learning from more senior people which helped me to improve. I had a lot of feedback so I wasn’t worried and anxious about my performance as I knew what I was putting out there was reviewed.
What do you like best about remote work?
Being able to work anytime, from anywhere. No commute and being somewhere I don’t want to be. A two metre walk to my desk at home feels productive and efficient for me. You get to meet people from all over the world, which you can’t experience in on-site jobs unless you are in a huge city where people come from all over the world. With remote work, everyone has their different routines and cultures. Thanks to the flexibility with remote work, I also got to start music theory classes at the conservatory, which I have wanted to do for years.
What is a day in your life like outside of work?
I go to the gym sometimes and I used to go to dance classes (lindy hop). I paint with acrylics and also I’m learning digital art now so I paint things I find online that I can try to reproduce. I don’t really have a routine as it depends on what I feel like doing at that time. I enjoy TV, especially comedies - The Office (American one) and Modern Family are two that I really like. On weekends, I relax and meet friends. No pets, but I’d like to get a cat - I’m torn between that and planning long term travel.
Book or podcast you like or recommend?
I listen to fictional podcasts like horror ones mostly and also Duolingo Spanish podcast, especially while painting. They talk about stories they’ve experienced in different Spanish speaking countries and I listen to it to learn Spanish but also it gives you an insight into the historical and societal context of where those people are from. They speak slowly so I can understand some of it and they also translate some of it.
A book I like is Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s an easy read with a lot of information and he seamlessly moves from one topic to another. Metamorphosis is a classic fictional book that I like. Reading was always a great escape as a kid and now there are so many distractions with the internet.
Productivity or other app that you like or recommend?
I like Notion - we recently started using it at CodeControl and now I use it for personal use too. You can put everything in it rather than using lots of different apps and organize things the way you like with no set structure.
Places you’ve traveled that you really liked?
The Istanbul team retreat recently was my first trip abroad. I had graduated from University 6 months before the pandemic started. I have travelled in Morocco and I liked Essaouira, Tetouan and also the Mediterranean coast of Tangier, the closest part to Spain.
Where do you want to travel or live for a while that you haven’t been to yet?
I would like to do a Europe tour - Italy, Budapest, Prague, all the classic places. Also NYC for all the culture. Countries in Asia too. Recently I’m interested in LA and would like to live there at some point for a while - I’d like to be where things happen that I’ve seen in shows and movies even though it wouldn’t be just like that in reality.
Do you have a blog, side hustle or anything else you want to share?
No but I might reactivate my old blog to document my journey with my career. I had started it about getting into tech and it’s more of a journal.
Feel free to connect with Sara on LinkedIn or message her to ask about working with CodeControl!
Are you also interested in helping to shape the future of work? Check out opportunities to join our team!