People @ Proxiad: Marie Nigohosyan, Test Automation Engineer & PL/SQL Developer
Meet Marie Nigohosyan! She’s been part of our team for more than 10 years, working her way up to a Test Automation Engineer & PL/SQL Developer. Marie speaks four languages and is learning another one as we speak (get it?). She loves photography and has the most surprising educational background ever! But it’s best if you hear it straight from the source. Without further ado, here is Marie’s story:
So, how about we start at the beginning? How did you find out about the company and what did you do here first?
I became a part of Proxiad quite by chance. But the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that this was just the way things were supposed to happen, and not just a mere accident.
More than 10 years ago, I was interning at a university in Geneva. Since Bulgaria is a non-Schengen country, I never got a visa permit to stay there full-time. I had to come back to Bulgaria. At that time, Facebook wasn’t yet so popular and the only free way to get in touch with my friends back home was through Skype. So while I was still in Switzerland, I wrote to a friend of mine called Georgi (N.B. a very popular Bulgarian name).
We started chatting and at some point, I realized this is some other Georgi and not the one I was trying to reach. Still, we continued talking and I told him that I’m looking for a job in Bulgaria. He said he just started at this company that’s looking for French speakers and I could apply there if I wanted to.
This Georgi, whom I’ve never met, actually introduced me to Proxiad and two months later he and I were part of the same team. I found my calling in life quite literally by making a mistake.
Did you have any previous experience in IT services? What was your background before that?
When I started working here at Proxiad, I had no experience in this area. My first Bachelor’s degree is in a completely non-related subject – Viticulture and Winemaking – and I also have an MA in Tourism. I really wanted to travel and practice the foreign languages that I was learning. So during summer break, I would work abroad as an au pair. Instead of babysitting kids, I actually took care of a lady’s dogs and cats while she was away traveling. I spent 4 consequent summers learning French there and I even worked as a receptionist at this private university in Geneva.
Thanks to my high school studies and the time spent abroad, I had a very easy time adjusting to my new responsibilities at Proxiad which were mainly connected to communicating with clients. Not long after joining, I went to my first company teambuilding where I met a French colleague of ours who was working for Boursorama. At the time, the client I was assigned to wanted to move operations to Sofia and our team was being transferred there. I wanted to stay in Plovdiv, so I was in a bit of a conundrum. This colleague I was talking to was really impressed by my French and proposed that I transfer to the Boursorama team as Quality Assurance Specialist. At the time, I had no idea what quality assurance stood for exactly but I agreed because getting this job meant that I’d be able to stay in Plovdiv after all.
I didn’t get my hopes too high and yet, to my surprise, a week later our Human Resources department contacted me about this opportunity and that’s how I became a QA for Boursorama.
So you started as a Quality Assurance Specialist and 10 years later, you’re a software engineer. Tell us more about how your journey brought you where you are.
Yes, that’s right. I started as a QA which proved harder than I expected. My colleagues helped me a lot but I felt that I needed more knowledge that would aid me in understanding the magic of programming. So I signed up for another Master’s! This time I studied Software Technology at Plovdiv University. I spent my week working and my weekends going to classes. A colleague of mine helped me get started with my school projects and gain some confidence in the field. I was so happy that I was learning so many new things and then applying them to my job. What really captured my attention was database programming. I’m very happy to say that, as a result, I’ve been working as a PL/SQL Engineer for more than five years now.
As for the different clients I’ve worked for, I’ve been a part of our Auchan and FM Logistics teams but I’m back to one of my first – Boursorama – for which I’ll also be fulfilling the duties of a Business Analyst.
What do you think makes Proxiad the company it is?
Proxiad is the people that work here. I’ve never seen such a tight-knit and supportive team anywhere else. Every one of us is important – because of who they are and what they do – and our ambitions and wishes matter. There’s always room for growth here at Proxiad.
We’re not just coworkers here, we’re friends. For me, we’re even more than that – I met my son’s godmother here and I’ve made so many lifelong friendships here that I feel I can call Proxiad my second family.
And finally, we know you speak English, French, Italian and some Spanish. Other than learning new languages, do you have any other hobbies or things that help you unwind?
My hobby is photography. It brings me immense pleasure to capture people’s emotions in a photograph. My parents even say that I had an interest in it from a very young age.
During my maternity leave, I had the time to complete two course levels in a photography school here in Plovdiv. I’ve had a few professional bookings but I mostly do it as a hobby.
This article is part of the People @ Proxiad series. If you’d like to learn more about how to join our team, head to our Careers page.
Photo by Nelly Mihaylova.
