IT consultant, tech project coordinator
Marek, our technical project manager, started working for us in 2016 as an IT consultant. He spent the first few years working for a long-term client, so we rarely saw Marek in our offices – which was a shame. He’s always in a good mood, which is highly contagious. Our halls would be empty and our company chat boring if it wasn’t for Marek’s sometimes sarcastic but always funny remarks. You can learn about Marek’s journey in IT and at Unique People below.
Marek, when did you decide to get into IT?
It all started when I picked my university, where I decided to study Informatization of processes at the Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnologies at the Technical University of Košice. After finishing school, I spent a few months in the UK, where I first heard about T-Systems, which at the time (2006) was hiring people for their Košice branch. So I applied, came back to Slovakia for the interview and a few days later, I started working in the Application Operations team as an application administrator.
How did you end up at Unique People?
I spent a beautiful ten years at T-Systems. I worked my way up from a team leader, Incident Manager to the position of Lead Operations Manager for a big automotive client. The client decides to go with a different company for the maintenance of their applications. After a successful handover, I found myself in a position, where I needed to decide what was next. I felt like I needed a change after 10 years in a big corporation and that’s when I discovered Unique People.
What’s working in Unique People like for you?
As I said before, after years spent in a big corporation, one of the biggest changes was the family atmosphere, which is here at Unique People. Every colleague is important, everyone is willing to help and together with the support from management we form a great team. We work with modern technologies, the company supports the development of people through various training courses and certifications. And last but not least is the importance the company places on the work-life balance.
What are you working on currently?
Right now, from my position as a project manager I work mostly on web projects and the creation of websites and e-shop portals for our Slovak and German clients. We’re fresh off of a very interesting project. We designed and created a website with an e-shop for one of the biggest retailers of garden equipment in Slovakia. We built a completely new e-shop running on CMS Prestashop. We did everything from the analysis of the clients requirements, graphic design, coding, importing of over 3000 products to launching the website. And I have to say that after handing in the complete project, we’re still in touch and based on our mutual satisfaction we continue to work together. Currently, we are working on starting a blog, implementation new functionalities and we’re planning a new campaign, which we plan to start next year.
Do you have an IT dream? Is there some technology, or a special project you’d like to work with?
It may sound like a cliché but I’m fulfilled by my job and it brings me much joy. But I’d like to deepen my knowledge of the technologies that I’m working with. With websites specifically, I’d like to focus on WordPress or Prestashop.
What do you see in the future of IT?
The pandemic changed our company and our mindset. Many companies and corporations had to change their direction to be more online-focused and try to appeal to a different demographic. Globally I believe that the future of IT lies in healthcare (eHealy, Global Health), science and technology, education, ecology and the climate crisis. And we’ll definitely see more from AI, virtual reality, robotization and automation.
What do you consider the highlight of your career?
The highlight of my career is every satisfied client and every successful project.
Who or what inspires you?
I’m inspired by many things both in my professional and personal life. I’m mostly inspired by my family and friends, colleagues... I’m inspired by people with whom I share values. But I also get inspired by negative experiences. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to cook and I love Asian cuisine. I like to travel, get to know new countries, new flavours. I’d love to visit Japan, South Korea or Malaysia someday. My free time and hobbies are tightly intertwined with my daughter and I dedicate all of my free time to my family.
