How was your passion for electronics born?
Back in primary school, I was a fan of mobile devices and this interest has stayed with me until today. I remember very well my first mobile phone - Nokia 3100, a leading manufacturer at that time, with 128x128px graphics. In fact, this interest is also present in my work, as I am currently involved in a project related to the production of a mobile application for the UK, IT, USA and FR markets. The technology has changed, but interest remains.
You studied electronics and telecommunications. Who would you recommend this field to?
This field is the best idea for all those who associate their future with programming, but with a focus on electronic devices, especially their mobile forms. In today's world, where there is an average of 2.5 mobile phones per person in our country, I think this is the industry of the future.
Technical education is always in demand. How has graduation from Lodz University of Technology benefited you?
A lot. Had it not been for my studies at Lodz University of Technology, my first employer would not have even invited me for a job interview, which I found out later. So TUL gave me the opportunity to find a job in a reliable and professional company and which has a good reputation on the market. Lodz University of Technology, unlike other universities, actively participates in adjusting the fields of study to the requirements of business. Moreover, TUL carries out projects in cooperation with companies. This form of cooperation results in a great symbiosis between the university and companies from the industry, which produces well-educated graduates with competences required on the labour market.
However, you found yourself on the labour market in a different field than your field of study. You became an engineer-manager. Where did you take your first steps in the industry?
I gained my greatest experience at Transfer Multisort Elektronik Sp. z o.o. I started my career as a product engineer and ended up as a project manager. However, I was able to experience the leap into mobile technologies only at MakoLab S.A. My current job makes me professionally fulfilled and I can enjoy my work and not force myself to do it.
What do you do as a project manager at MakoLab?
Let us perhaps start with what a project manager should do. By the book - manage, coordinate, create documentation, define requirements, manage the project budget, analyse and manage risk. We could list even more important hard skills - but what is important, they must coexist with an entity without which it would be difficult for any project manager to complete a project. It is, of course, the team. There is power in a team and a good project manager can build it in such a way that its members are willing to engage in the project, complement each other's competences and can actively participate in the project. This is how I try to build my teams and this is what I do at MakoLab - as a project manager I help my team to carry out a project.
What does it take, in your opinion, to get a good job? Do you have a motto one should follow while looking for a dream job?
The basis is the identification of the right goal which you have to pursue in spite of various situations that get in the way. If you do not have a goal, then you may have a problem. In my life, I didn’t know for a long time what I wanted to do professionally. I just took different jobs and my interdisciplinarity, flexibility and ability to assimilate made it easier for me to gain experience in different fields. From sales, through IT, to departmental management. In this way, I have gathered experience and now I can say that I have found the right place.
Interviewer: Dr Aleksandra Pawlik
Photos: MakoLab S.A.
MakoLab is a ‘digital project house’ - a team of technology experts accomplishing digital transformation projects for global corporations and industry leaders. We fuse engineering skills and creativity to create intuitive and user-friendly IT tools. Our solutions support customers in over 80 countries around the world, particularly in the automotive, finance, real estate and consumer goods industries.