Can you tell me what your position at craftworks is and what you have been working on?

I've been working on the Planning Tool, an internal project lifecycle management tool that helps with planning and maintaining projects. My role spans both backend and frontend development, and I've had the opportunity to dive deep into craftwork’s CI/CD setup. This experience has allowed me to learn new frameworks and tools to optimize my development process.

Could you please tell us more about your educational background?

I attended the HTL Villach, which is in Carinthia, for 3,5 years, but after moving to Vienna recently I switched to the HTL Wien West, for which I'm working on my diploma thesis in cooperation with craftworks. So it's only one more year till my graduation. After that, I plan to pursue a degree in IT to gain a deeper understanding of the field and further expand my knowledge.

Could you describe craftworks in 3 words?

Open, Tischkick, expertise.

What energizes you at work?

Playing Tischkick and a little bit of chit-chatting before starting work, as well as good, heavy music.

What difference do you notice compared to your previous internships?

I would say craftworks has a very open feedback culture, which I really appreciate. It was also a great experience working alongside such highly skilled programmers. I benefited a lot from their expertise, which helped me grow and develop further.

And other companies didn’t have a Tischkick table.

What did you like the most about your work/ internship?

What I enjoyed most was that with each task, I became more familiar with the code and frameworks, which made the work increasingly interesting. Really enjoyed working on tasks that people would benefit from, like search functionality for accounting or a new permission system for better maintainability of the code. It was rewarding to know that my work helped improve people's lives, even in small ways.

What did your typical day at craftworks looks like?

My typical day at craftworks varied depending on whether I had a morning meeting. If I did, I would arrive early, but whenever possible, I took my time in the morning. My mornings mostly involved fixing pull requests, as my Tech Leads were early risers, and I would implement their suggestions when I got to the office. It wasn't a bad way to start the day. I would work until lunch, which we often enjoyed together at a large table, usually discussing anything except work-related topics. After lunch, I continued working, with occasional breaks for a game of Tischkick.

What’s one thing you’re learning now, and why is it important to you?

Right now, I’m trying to get a better understanding of Headless CMS, because I want to revamp my personal page which is a bit hacky right now. I also want to get better at system administration and I hope to find time for these personal projects in the near future.

What do you take away from your time at craftworks?

The knowledge exchange culture, where I think any company could benefit from. I also really appreciated how passionate everyone was about continuous learning. There are people here who have completed multiple degrees and are still eager to keep learning and growing. That enthusiasm for knowledge was truly inspiring.

Any famous last thoughts you would like to share with us?

Yes, it’s been great meeting so many new people, and I’d be really happy if our paths cross again in the future. I’ve learned a lot from everyone here and truly appreciate the connections we’ve made.

Only 3 short questions left:

Mac or PC? PC.

Tell me one place you always wanted to travel to? South France.

Mind reading. Last question would’ve been:”If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?”, but you saw it coming. ;)

Thank you, Valentin!

Thank you for reading our interviews!