Abdellah joined the Astek adventure late 2019. Curiously, he was, in parallel with his training as a general engineer at ENSAM, trained in the development of IT applications. Today, he talks to us about his project, which was 100% teleworked, and the changes made to his working methods.
Tell us about your background
I have always loved learning new things! Thus, in parallel with my training as a rather generalist engineer at the National School of Arts and Crafts, I was able to train myself on the IT part in order to develop my skills and have more of a developer profile. So it was thanks to this double hat that I was able to join Astek in September 2019. I directly joined the teams in charge of supporting Amadeus, a project that I really liked! With the health crisis, this project came to an end. I was able to take advantage of this period by training myself in various techniques that I knew would allow me to access other projects. So, at the end of December 2020, I started my new project for the MiPih (Midi Picardie Informatique Hospitalière).
Can you tell us more about your current project?
This project is very different from my previous Amadeus experience. I am in a small structure, with less process and more latitude. We work in an agile method but with an operation adapted to the size of our teams. Despite a 100% teleworking project, the atmosphere is very good and my project is going very well. I attach great importance to human contact and exchanges between colleagues. Finally, human contact, although different when you are 100% teleworking, remains quite present: to keep the link, we notably brief the team every morning. This is an opportunity to take stock of the progress of the topics, but also to have less formal discussions. The client trusts me fully, which allows me to be able to organize my day as I wish to finish and make my deliverables on time.
How do you organize your daily life to succeed in this 100% telework project?
I think the key to a successful 100% telecommuting project is organization! Rather than counting my productivity in hours, I count it in the number of tasks to be accomplished in my working day. The flexibility that teleworking has boosted my productivity, in addition to bringing balance to my life. By working from home, I can more easily stay focused without being interrupted.
Having to work remotely forced me to keep a rhythm in my days, especially between work and walks to clear my mind (we take advantage before the curfew!). In order to better experience telework, I force myself not to stay locked up at home, but also to enjoy life outside. In the end, after a few months, I find this working model really enjoyable! However, I will not be against doing a few days on site sometimes, in order to experience a little more relationship.
How do you see the rest of your adventure at Astek?
Astek allows me to touch different types of technologies thanks to the diversity of the Group’s customers. Without this consultant status, I would probably have been doing development all my life. Working within the Group allows me to be able to develop skills in different technologies and to vary my projects. Rather than wanting to specialize in a subject, I am inclined to want to be a real Swiss Army knife. I like being able to be “jack-of-all-trades”, which in my opinion allows for a more comprehensive understanding of clients’ topics. I can, for example, work on a web development project, then, six months later, a mobile development project and a year later, work in the back-end! This allows you to grow quickly, and why not even end up being a full stack developer?