Growing beyond the role of a developer

From Cyprus to Luxembourg

Eirini’s journey into software development started in Cyprus, where she studied Computer Science and began her career as a software developer. After a few years, she decided it was time for something new. She moved to the Netherlands to pursue a master’s degree at Utrecht University, while continuing to work as a software developer.

Her next move took her to Luxembourg in 2024. “My husband and I decided to move to Luxembourg, and that’s where I met a business manager from TMC. She gave me the opportunity to have an interview at TMC, everything went well, and here I am.”

Today, Eirini works for a Luxembourg-based client that develops software used by banks and other financial organisations. The software helps banks and financial organisations check new customers and companies and keep track of important information such as contracts and the people involved.

More than one role

Eirini joined the project as a Java Software Developer, but her responsibilities have expanded over time. In addition to developing software, she now also works as a Release Manager. This means she helps prepare the changes made by the development team before a new version of the software is released.

Taking on different roles means she is getting to know the application from different angles: not only how it is built, but also what is needed to prepare it for a new release.

Learning the process and improving it

Taking on the role of Release Manager came with a learning curve. “In the beginning, it was challenging because I wasn’t familiar with the process. I had a good mentor who explained everything to me. I took a lot of notes, applied what I had learned and, of course, made mistakes along the way. Whenever something went wrong, I tried to understand why, so I could avoid making the same mistake in the future.”

Once Eirini fully understood the process, she started looking at how it could be improved. Preparing a software release involved several manual steps. Changes made by different developers had to be brought together before the new version could be released. Repeating these steps manually took time and also left room for human mistakes.

Eirini wrote a script that automates part of that process. Instead of carrying out the same actions manually for every release, the script now takes care of several of them automatically. “It saves me time and makes the whole process faster. And, of course, there is less room for mistakes. The more manual a process is, the more opportunities there are for something to go wrong.”

For Eirini, it is a good example of how learning works in practice: first understanding why something is done in a certain way, and then looking for opportunities to make it better.

Inspired by Scrum

That curiosity also led Eirini to two recent certifications: Scrum Master and Project Management. Her experience as a Release Manager made her interested in how development teams organise their work and how the different parts of a project come together.

“I believe Scrum can help a team become more efficient and reduce some of the chaos. I’ve suggested introducing it within our team. It’s quite a big change, but I’m positive we’ll be able to take that step soon.”

Her Project Management certification takes that broader perspective one step further. “Software development is a whole cycle. Coding is just one part of it. I want to have a broader view and understand the other steps in that cycle as well.”

Both certifications were supported by TMC. For Eirini, that reflects something she appreciates about the company. “I think it is really at the core of TMC: they believe in knowledge and in employees continuing to enrich their knowledge. Whenever I want to follow a course or work towards a certification, I feel supported and encouraged.”

From developer to team lead

The broader knowledge is also preparing Eirini for where she hopes to go next. In the coming two or three years, she would like to grow towards leading a development team, and eventually become a Software Development Manager.

The combination of her current responsibilities is already helping her move in that direction. Development gives her the technical foundation, while release management requires her to look beyond the code and understand the wider development process.

TMC gives her the space to keep exploring that path. And for Eirini, that support goes beyond training budgets and certifications. “My manager at TMC is always supportive. Whatever I have on my mind, I know I can share it with him. I feel that I’m in a supportive environment and that I have people around me whom I can trust.”

Living and working in Luxembourg has broadened her perspective in another way too. Her team consists of people from different countries and cultures. After Cyprus and the Netherlands, Luxembourg has become another international chapter in her career and one she is enjoying. And just like the international environment around her, her work offers plenty of variety too.

For Eirini, taking on different responsibilities makes the work both challenging and interesting.