✨ Ali ✨

Hi Ali! Could you introduce yourself? Your position as backend developer was highly anticipated, especially since your work is often a black box to many of us.

Hellooo there, thanks for having me today :) I’m Ali, originally from the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, now based in Berlin. I’ve worked as a backend developer with HelloBetter for almost two years now. A backend developer is like the wizard behind the curtain in "The Wizard of Oz." You don’t see them, but they’re the ones making all the magic happen. So, while the frontend developers make things look pretty and user-friendly, the backend developers make sure everything actually works – kind of like the difference between having a fancy car and making sure it actually has an engine under the hood. Without backend developers, the internet would be like a beautiful book with no pages inside! Also, most of us have graduated from Hogwarts for real 😂.

How did you join HelloBetter?

I joined HelloBetter in the fall of 2022. Back then, I was still a fresh university graduate, and I was looking for an opportunity to have an impact and to make the world a better place, and that indeed led me to find HelloBetter to use my skills to help a lot of people through the medical sector, and I was really happy and proud that I joined this amazing team 😄

Was there something you didn’t expect when you joined?

Well, I did a lot of research before joining, the only thing I missed was how great our kitchen is: it’s always full of snacks 😅

You relocated for this position. Can you tell us a bit about your experience?

After university, I wanted to gain international experience in a professional environment and to have the opportunity to learn about different people, countries, and cultures. I was thrilled to discover that HelloBetter offers all of these and including the option to relocate to one of their offices in Berlin or Hamburg. However, I was also nervous and stressed because I had no knowledge of the visa and relocation processes, nor what life would be like in another country. It was also my first time leaving my parents' house😅😅. It’s truly remarkable how much experience HelloBetter has in this area. As soon as I signed the contract, I was assigned a relocation expert who has been incredible. She guided me through the entire process, explaining everything from A to Z, collecting and verifying documents, and coordinating with my consulate for appointments and the necessary paperwork until I applied for the visa. Even after I received the visa, she continued to assist me in Germany. She helped me navigate the legal requirements until I obtained my work permit and fully settled in Berlin. Doing all of this on my own would have been incredibly complicated. Additionally, my team at HelloBetter was always ready to help, offering valuable tips to help me settle in Germany more quickly. Thanks to these amazing people, the experience was much easier and more enjoyable. Now, after two years, I am fully settled here without having encountered a single issue along the way. Where I come from, life is vastly different from what it’s like here—from the city and weather to the people and the changing lengths of the days. I've experienced countless culture shocks so far 🤣, but I have to admit, this is exactly what I dreamed of. Living here today feels like living the dream.

Highly anticipated: what does a day as backend wizard look like? Do you code all day?

Ah, the life of a backend wizard! Picture this: I wake up, grab a bite (or three), and, with a wave of my magic wand (okay, it's just my keyboard), I start by checking pending reported issues. Based on urgency I can pick them up and debug them and debugging often involves staring at the screen for a while to identify the root cause of the issue 😅. Usually, bugs are not as critical as the sprint tickets, so I prioritize checking the sprint tickets and continue working on them. These tickets typically involve building new features, optimizing or adjusting existing ones, and handling research tasks planned for the sprint. Each of these tickets require technical planning and discussions with the backend team to ensure efficient implementation. Once I’ve completed the work on these tickets—whether they involve bugs or new initiatives—I submit them for review by the backend team. After approval, the tickets are reviewed by the QA team and then scheduled for release in the next update.

What would you tell someone considering a career in your team?

I highly recommend this opportunity. You'll work professionally with an amazing team, and there’s plenty of room for growth. You'll learn from your daily tasks and your teammates, and ultimately, you'll use your skills to help many people who genuinely need it.

Can you be flexible with your work schedule in your team?

In our team, we follow a 2-week sprint strategy. This means we plan everything for the upcoming two weeks, setting clear goals and objectives. This approach helps us prepare in advance, minimizing unexpected tasks that could disrupt our schedule. It’s a super flexible system, allowing us to maintain balanced and manageable sprints. Personally, I work from 9 AM to 6 PM, and it's rare for incidents to require work beyond those hours. My daily routine involves completing my scheduled sprint tasks, addressing any issues or bugs that arise, and then focusing on backend improvements.

With whom would you like to switch jobs for a day, because it’s wizard stuff to you?

I'd have to say Marius Mainz, our Senior Partnership Manager. His job seems incredibly challenging—he probably talks to a lot of people every day, which is so different from what we do in engineering. It looks really complex to me, so it would be interesting to step into his shoes for a day. But just for ONE day, please! 😂

What’s your favourite aspect of working at HelloBetter?

It’s the people and the working environment, you will always meet lovely people across teams and work with amazing people all the time 😊

Do you have a favourite team ritual?

That’s our Team Red’s spinning wheel. We spin it in every standup to let the gods decide who should start first 😹. Now, it’s turned into a competition within the team to see who can rack up the most wins.

Are you currently winning?

I've been unlucky so far 🤣 I only have one point, while some team members already have two points. I need to get some lucky spells to increase my wins somehow 😹

⚡

If you had a superpower… … I would be The Flash to go through bugs and features, and time travel whenever needed 🙈

HelloBetter in 3 words? Passionate, hard-working, and dedicated

Do you also have a favourite team event?

I’m excited about our after-work Spikeball events in the park, but unfortunately, the winters here aren’t very Spikeball-friendly, so it only takes place in the summer 😿

How do you embrace HelloBetter’s remote-first culture?

Huge fan of the remote-first culture here 🙋 I think that I am always at my maximum peak of productivity when I am working in my pyjamas at home 😂 but I also think that you will miss out a lot by working remotely, so I would try to go to the office bi-weekly to interact with my colleagues and socialise more with the rest of the company, and also for the kitchen of course 😂

And last but not least: who should I interview next?

Maybe Marius Mainz, see if he wants my job for a day :P

Thank you, Ali!

Ali’s perspective on backend work at HelloBetter highlights how it’s more than just coding. It’s about collaboration, enjoying the remote setup, and, of course, sneaking in those office snacks. Thanks for the peek behind the scenes, Ali! 🪄🧙‍♂️

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