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Nihal went through a traineeship at Move Agency as an Android Developer. Less than a year later, she has a permanent contract as an iOS Developer. What happened, and what did she learn from it?
During my training I stayed too much on the surface. I really wanted to go in depth!
At school in Egypt, I studied information technology. Because I wanted to become very good at it, I went to study Computer Science at the VU University of Amsterdam. I got my Bachelor there, but still had the feeling that I was staying too much on the surface. And I really wanted to go in depth! So I went looking online for an agency that specializes in mobile, produces distinctive applications, and offers the possibility of an in-depth traineeship. When I saw Move's website, I knew immediately that I had found the right agency.
The personal way of working together made me feel at home from day one.
After I applied through the website, I was able to come in for an assessment right away. One of my first impressions was the high level of ambition at Move, as well as the personal way in which people work together here. Right at the start you are paired with a buddy. This experienced programmer introduces you to the company, is constantly available for advice and gives solicited and unsolicited feedback on your work. The contact with my buddy was very pleasant and informal from the beginning. That helped me to feel at home with my colleagues and the company from day one.
"I was ready to dive into the deep end!"
With an inspiring onboarding project, you'll quickly learn your capabilities.
Especially for trainees and interns, Move developed an onboarding test project. In it you go through all the steps of a real project. This way I got to know my responsibilities and possibilities as a future Android Developer in a very natural and accessible way. During the test project, I was particularly struck by how structured Move approached all common tasks. This helped me enormously to get the best out of myself. And it gave me the assurance that I want to develop further as an Android Development Specialist.
I now find it much easier to organize code properly and write clean code.
During my education, I was aware that I still had a lot to learn about structuring my programming work. At Move, this was clearly very well thought out. The company has developed a very clear and efficient way of working, which all colleagues follow carefully. This includes, for example, always choosing the highest quality solution. That is not always easy, but it is very clear. By consistently following that approach, I now find it much easier to organize code well and write clean code. So you learn very quickly here.
You can often apply colleagues' practical knowledge directly during your own work.
After completing a test project, I was allowed to start on my first real project. Again, my buddy was constantly available to give advice and feedback. Partly because of the informal way of working together, I had already gotten to know him quite well. Therefore it felt very natural to ask his advice. In fact, I never hesitated to call him in if I wanted to know something. There is also a weekly meeting where you share experiences with the other developers. Everyone talks about their challenges and learning moments from that week. Very instructive, especially because you can often apply that practical knowledge directly in your own work.
Because of the confidence you get here, you feel your own confidence growing by the week.
The first project I got to work on as a junior Android Developer was the Budget Home app. Very inspiring! Budget Thuis offers a million Dutch customers mobile telephony, television and internet in addition to energy. This creates different customer groups with ditto information needs, and of course they all need an impeccable user experience. To do this, the numerous data streams must be linked in real time to the right user at every moment. Very complex, partly because some users share an address or services. This is how I got the desired result in my first project: I really went in-depth!
These challenges allowed me to develop strongly in a short period of time. Personally and professionally.
My traineeship went so well that within three months I got a permanent contract as a junior Android Developer. A few months later, Move offered me the opportunity to retrain as an iOS Developer. A big step, which I took confidently thanks to my good development. Now I am working from scratch on my first independent iOS project: a new component for the application of a large private bank. A personal milestone that I never expected to reach within a year. That also says a lot about the confidence and opportunities you get here as an ambitious developer: you can learn and grow very quickly.
Also making a move? Check out our iOS developer vacancy here.