O2 Career: meet Denis, Backend Developer

Denis joined O2 Web as a backend developer three years ago. Since then, he’s had the chance to overcome a number of challenges and become proficient with new technologies. Read more about his experience at the agency.

1. What made you decide to join O2 Web?

Before coming to O2 Web, I spent three years working alone on a big project. After it wrapped up, I wanted to shift to team-based projects that offered stimulating challenges—and that’s exactly what I found at O2 Web.

2. What has your experience been like at O2 Web?

I was assigned to the “Custom” team, which developed external custom products for Magento and Shopify. Since I had a solid understanding of Ruby on Rails, I started working on an app for a company that specializes in scanning and distributing aerial photographs. The project lasted almost two years and forced us to be creative and think out of the box to make sure certain needs were met. For example, we set up a custom system to enable storage and access to thousands of photographs. Projects like this force you to learn on the fly. You’ve got to be curious and willing to learn new technologies. Fortunately, our team was up to the task!

After that, the team became the “Innovation” team, and I switched over to the Maintenance team, where I got to tackle other exciting projects. One that stands out involved setting up an entire student scholarship application system for a well-known institution.

I’ve also added another feather in my cap with Akeneo, a product information management (PIM) and product data intelligence tool used to improve the customer experience. I now handle migrations to the tool, which involves data management. To learn about Akeneo, I took a series of courses and Progressive Web Apps (PWA) training.

3. What do you like most about working at O2 Web?

The best thing about O2 Web is the team spirit. It feels like we’re all family and that’s something I haven’t found anywhere else. Even when I first started, I never felt like I was “the new kid on the block.” I was immediately welcomed into the family! We get a lot of encouragement and if we come up against a problem, there’s always someone willing to help. People genuinely listen, and in the IT field, this is essential. I’m often able to resolve problems simply by talking to the people around me!

4. What’s your best memory to date?

My best memories are from my first six months at O2 Web, with all the firsts, the new discoveries and the initial welcome into an amazing team of passionate, solutions-focused people. We interacted a lot and, fortunately, neither the remote work set-up or pandemic prevented us from forging great working relationships.

5. How would you describe your colleagues and managers?

I’d say that O2 Web is home to some really fun people who share the same goals: ensuring customer satisfaction, delivering quality products, adding new features and fixing bugs. We specialize in customization and it’s exciting to work in an environment where every day is different.

Like Denis, you are interested in being a backend developer at O2 Web? Visit our career page to learn more about our values and benefits.