Didacte has joined forces with the Multimedia Integration Techniques (TIM) of Cégep de Sainte-Foy for several years to welcome interns. It's a great way to both share our expertise and recruit new talent.
It turns out that two of those interns have decided to join Didacte and are now part of the team!
Why did they choose to launch their careers at Didacte? How is their professional development going?
Guillaume-Olivier Duchesne and Florence Brunelle share their opinion and experience with us concerning their career development!
Guillaume-Olivier Duchesne is a back-end developer at Didacte. He was hired at the end of his internship in 2019 and decided to launch his career in our team.
Florence Brunelle is a front-end developer at Didacte. She finished her internship with us this year and has just joined the team, also starting her career here.
Why did you choose to do your internship at Didacte?
(Guillaume-Olivier) I was looking for an employer with a philosophy that meets mine.
I had just done a research project on Rails for my studies, which I wanted to continue to pursue. Didacte had the best of both worlds and stood out to me.
(Florence) I chose to do my internship at Didacte for different reasons.
First, the possibility to work on a web application and on the promotional website was an opportunity not to be missed. In addition, working with a primarily masculine group was a great way to balance the team’s composition and learn to make my place in a boy’s environment.
Finally, I found that Didacte’s platform product form seemed very promising, and I wanted to be part of its rise. The values of the company and the vibe immediately appealed to me.
What was your biggest challenge in transitioning from school to work, and how did you overcome it?
(Guillaume-Olivier) Before entering Multimedia Integration Techniques, I had already completed a course in IT. So I had a good foundation in programming, and I could help my peers when they encountered unforeseen circumstances in their code.
This dynamic flipped when I moved to the job market, necessarily being the least experienced developer in the company.
It took a bit of perspective and adjustment, but I quickly changed my mind to familiarize myself with Didacte's technologies and take full advantage of the learning involved.
(Florence) One of my biggest challenges was getting to know my team from a distance. Being remote, I was mainly in contact with the other front-end developers.
Apart from meetings at the start and end of the week, social contact with other team members was minimal.
At least, a little before each weekend, a videoconference lunch was often held with different team members. Therefore, by participating in these lunches, I was able to get to know my colleagues little by little.
The most significant boost was returning to the office after my colleagues and I got double vaccinated. It was much easier and more pleasant to assimilate each other's vibe and get to know each other in a shared environment.
How does the learning process work in a small business?
(Guillaume-Olivier) We must show a certain autonomy given the size of the development team.
Even when a piece of code annoys us, we must first try to understand the nature of the problem because our colleagues often have another aspect of the application on their schedule.
You have to respect that a minimum (especially at the beginning, where I could have asked a question every 15 minutes), but they are always available to help when you indicate that you are blocked, which allowed me to learn rapidly.
(Florence) On my side, things are going very well. The team members listen to my needs and questions and always try their best to help me out.
Collaboration is essential at Didacte.
When two people wish to evolve on the same subject or when one person already has good knowledge on the subject, mutual aid is always prioritized. A list of objectives is even available to know what everyone wants to develop.
In a more day-to-day context, by being exposed to new concepts and various questions, I learned to be quickly autonomous to find my answers and choose the right moments to consult my more experienced colleagues if necessary.
What motivated you to join the team at the end of your internship?
(Guillaume-Olivier) About two years ago, when I was offered to stay with Didacte after my internship, I was delighted and immediately accepted!
I had discovered a welcoming and dynamic team, a workplace where I could continue to improve myself as a developer and as an individual.
(Florence) Even though I had my internship remotely, I quickly felt like one of them.
I appreciated every attention the company gave me. They know how to take care of their employees, but also of their trainees.
I felt that I was only at the beginning of my adventure with Didacte and that I still had a lot to learn from the team that is now mine.
How do you think your experience at Didacte contributes to the development of your career?
(Guillaume-Olivier) We are regularly encouraged to train and learn more about subjects that interest us.
Once a production cycle is over, we have a cooldown period which we use, among other things, for training, the development of an aspect of the application that is important to us, time with another member of the team to learn about a library of code that interests us works, etc.
Encouraging these activities by reserving a time slot allows you to learn without the stress of a hard deadline. We also feel valued and proud of our work when an improvement that we made on our initiative is put online.
(Florence) I also like that at Didacte, we have time allocated to self-training.
As a result, being at the beginning of my career, acquiring new concepts is an essential element in my development. Having the opportunity to improve my knowledge during my working hours takes a lot of pressure off my shoulders.
Every day I learn from my peers and store information that I can then reuse, so I am more and more independent on many topics.
Check out the other articles in this series in the Team section of the blog.
