On a regular basis, we talk with our team members about their experience working at Ulam Labs and their career goals, and aspirations.
This week, we welcomed Patryk Kostrzewski, our Python Developer.
Patryk at py.tech meetup in Wrocław
Which one of our company values has a highest priority for you?
The value with the biggest priority for me would be a great collaboration between team members. Developing good products or solutions requires cooperation and people looking in the same direction. It’s just the key to success.our product is as good as your team is.
How long do you work here and what was your career path?
I work in Ulam Labs as a Python Developer, and It’s been a fantastic 1.5 years. I started to learn programming at the University of Technology in Wroclaw with C++ as my first language. That gave me a lot of understanding of how things work under the hood. After an internship, I switched to Python, found a full-time job, and tried web development for the first time. After 3 years of working in two different companies, I finally joined Ulam Labs.
What skills are the most significant for your role?
That’s a great question because if you asked me about that at the beginning of my career, I would probably say: language syntax, fast typing, and the ability to write all sorting algorithms on a piece of paper.
A lot has changed. For now, I would say that the most significant skill is a deep understanding of business logic, processes, and technology your team uses. Let’s not forget about writing clear, reusable, and testable code following all the principles, open mind, and soft skills - on a daily basis, we discuss technical solutions or requirements.
Ulam Labs is a great environment to grow. I also love the culture of knowledge sharing and support from other people. The tasks and projects require responsibility and expertise and are interesting to work on.
Patryk
Python Developer
What is most important to you when working in a team?
I think that every perspective in the team is vital. If there is a less experienced teammember, it’s crucial to encourage that person to share opinions easily without any pressure. The perfect team is a team where you can say anything, ask every question, and always count on others’ help. The best feeling you can experience is that you’re not alone in facing an issue.
What do you enjoy most about working at UL?
When I joined Ulam Labs, I was surprised at how many young and talented people are here. If I could turn back time, I would join much sooner! I envy all the young students who can take their first steps here. That’s what I like the most - Ulam Labs is a great environment to grow. I also love the culture of knowledge sharing and support from other people. The tasks and projects require responsibility and expertise and are interesting to work on. Besides that, we do a lot of activities together.
How do you define “growth” in the career of a Python Developer?
That depends on personal aspirations, interests, and predispositions. If you learn something new or you can do something faster, it means you are making progress. For me, growth as a Python Developer means trying new things and seeking knowledge in every form. For example, a couple of months ago, I had a great opportunity to present some slides about typing in Python at an event co-organized by Ulam Labs. A lot of participants made me a little stressed, but it was a great experience after all.
In growth, it doesn’t matter if you listen to podcasts, participate in an event about domain-driven design, pass a cloud provider certificate, or develop the 87th side project using new, hot technology - progress is progress. The most important thing is to do what you enjoy and not close yourself off to something new.
Py.tech meetup with Ulam Labs
What has been the most interesting project for you so far?
My current one. We work for a cybersecurity company developing a vulnerability assessment platform. We use Django and Vue.js, which is great. When I joined, a lot of code was already written, and a lot of data already existed. Writing a project from scratch is fun, but changing or adjusting existing code and architecture to implement features is, in my opinion, a real challenge. I faced a lot of real data, heavy migrations, technical debt, etc. Also, it gives a great perspective on which solutions/decisions worked fine and which ones were mistakes.
What advice would you give others interested in working at Ulam Labs as a Python Developer?
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