Interview with Melania Andrisan

Tell us a few things about yourself. Where did you study, where do you work?

I studied at the Politehnica University of Timisoara where I have a master’s degree in Automation Engineering. Since then I worked for various companies in Timisoara. I currently work as a Solution Architect for Haufe Group in their Timisoara office.

What is your typical day at work?

Some days I get to write code all day, other days are filled with meetings, some other times I have to prepare for presentations I do within the company or at various conferences. Documentation also takes a big chunk of my time at work.

What inspired you to be active in the community?

During my years as a student at my university I was given the opportunity to help some friends at the local Microsoft Student Partners with some labs and presentations. This way I found out that I liked a lot to help other people learn so whenever I have the chance I like to present my latest findings to an interested audience at my company or at a conference.

Are there any things you wish you knew at the beginning of your career?

I wish I would have known that it’s better to speak your mind loud and clear when you have problems with other people. It’s better to say some things out loud than waiting for people to catch on to your thoughts.

Could you recommend some books, resources that young IT professionals might find useful?

One recent finding especially for women in tech, but also for men to understand us better is “Lean In” by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. This recommendation might change every few months but this is my favourite at the moment.

What you do to “recharge your batteries”? What are your hobbies? Do you have time for them?

When I have the time to do it I enjoy running. It have been difficult lately for this because I have a very demanding little girl that has come into my life recently and usually in the night when she slips I read from my Kindle a lot.

If you could go back in time and choose a different profession (outside of IT), what would it be?

Maybe an Airline pilot. I always saw their job as really glamorous and allowing them to travel all around the world. Or an Astronaut. This does not mix very well with family life I hear so maybe it’s not such a good idea after all.

What do you think about ITCamp, and what brings you here?

I think it’s a great conference for the Romanian IT community which has grown at a staggering rate in the recent years. Busy developers have a low cost, easy to reach place where they can listen and interact with one of the greatest speakers from more bigger and more famous conferences from Europe and North America.