Maria’s curiosity about technology made her do an exciting change in her career. From hospitality & health/fitness to tech – Read about her journey that led her to Stretch Qonnect.
You have really made a career change! How come?
My main reason was development for my own part. When the pandemic struck us, it really gave me a “kick in the butt” to actually go for it! Apply for education to become a Frontend Developer, get accepted and just do it. I haven´t regretted it for a second.
Once I´ve decided, I go into it with 100% commitment, and although the journey was challenging it was also exciting, fun, and not the least bit scary. I really recommend it if you have thoughts of changing careers, trust the process!
It also has to do with attitude, and I was probably more ready for a change than I knew myself. Now it feels so right, and I am so happy that I found a new “home” with Stretch Qonnect.
How do you perceive the IT industry, you who come ”from outside”? What is new and different?
I´ve had some preconceived notions. That it´s square, unnecessarily complicated and I also had an idea of how a programmer was, and I thought I wouldn’t fit in at all. BUT I´ll take it all back, haha! At the same time, I have followed the development in IT / Tech all along as I am massively interested in technology, systems, games, innovation, programming, etc. but still didn´t see myself there.
I have led a couple of projects where I was the customer and thereby got the idea to ”change side”. I found that there was potential to fill, especially to reach out in communication and understand what the customer needs with a simple thing as to ask the right questions.
Now that I have stepped into the industry, I see a completely different side and I am pleasantly surprised—so much knowledge and above all that, the importance of sharing the knowledge without any hesitation. Incredible communities, drive, and very solution-focused with a mindset – nothing is impossible. You work effectively in teams, and you use each other’s strengths in a very good way. Everyone doesn´t need to know everything, so together we help each other to find the best solutions without prestige.
What do you bring from all your previous experiences that can provide value in your new industry?
Except for a humble attitude and a big smile, I will bring all the amazing meetings with people from different industries around the world. I will bring strong communication and critical thinking from several positions from different companies. Insights that are important to keep in mind when making decisions. I will also bring my drive to streamline processes, create added value and last but not least, my crazy and many ideas that sometimes hit the bull’s eye and can become magical results.
What will the world see of Maria at Stretch Qonnect? What are you passionate about working with?
The world will see me create fantastic, good-looking, insightful and effective tools so that companies can make the right decision based on correct data/analysis, and with Qlik Sense I can make just that happen. And as Qlik says, we close the gaps between data, insights, and action with the only cloud platform built for active intelligence that makes your data and analytics real-time, AI-driven, collaborative, and actionable.
I’m passionate about the creative process and being part of the journey where we together find the best solutions. The joy of helping companies achieve results and thereby achieve results for Stretch Qonnect is something I love.
I will continue to chase results, promote the industry and together with the Stretch Qonnect-team, create products of great value for the world to enjoy.
Are you a nerd?
Absolutely! I nerd myself into everything possible. My top nerd-things right now are Marvel movies, hotels, analysis & dashboards and now I’m also a proud Stretch nerd.