Last year in the midst of a global Pandemic I started a new job in a foreign country. I had the awesome opportunity to join MS POS as part of the developing team. Now, looking back I can really say that a lot has changed for me during this transition. I would like to share my experience and thoughts on this quite impactful process for me.
I came here after quite a long two-year process with applications and waiting, had to fill out many documents and submit applications until I could finally join the team. I would like to personally thank my Boss Konstantin Gergianakis for the patience and support during this process.

I am a 27-year-old programmer from Tirana, Albania. I have studied ICT (Information Communication Technologies) in University of Tirana, Faculty of Applied Science. I speak fluently English, Italian and some Spanish. And as for more than one year I am also learning Deutsch. Before joining MS POS, I have worked for various Italian companies like LocalWeb or Assist Digital operating in Tirana, in positions like as a webmaster and as a software developer. My hobbies include video games, cooking, and the gym - bit of a weird combination, I know.

With all that behind, last year I was finally ready to face new challenges in a totally foreign country for me. And to make it spicier, fate threw me a global Pandemic to deal with also. 2020 has been quite a year with changes to a global and personal level for all of us.
My first impressions of Germany were quite satisfying. I found a very clean and green country. Very friendly and open-minded people. Overall a very cultural and modern society. What it is to be expected from the number one economy of the EU.
Finding an apartment was easy, luckily. I found an apartment online. Came to see it with a friend and with the help of the company I managed to find a suitable household.

At MS POS I work as junior software developer for the RMH project. But my workday is a bit more diverse than just coding. I also assist my colleagues of the support team on difficult support cases for the product (Second and third level support). My duties also consist of ensuring that the production database of the customers I work with are always updated correctly and ensure the data integrity. Other than then testing and optimising the software’s we work with.
I try to get along the best as possible with my colleagues, offering my assistance whenever is needed and always being as much professional as I can. Sometimes is hard, but I am working on my communication skills keeping in my main mind set. The customer satisfaction is always the main goal at the work we do at MS POS. Very soon I will start working as a developer for Microsoft Dynamics 365 also. I am very excited about this new project.

For the future I would love to learn a bit more on how to manage the clients and projects (or business in general). I believe that we are heading towards a future in which programming will be more and more relevant to a business life cycle. Even currency is becoming digital. In the dawn of this new Era, I want to be able to manage the transition and earn the experience and confidence to lead it. As a passionate for tech in general, I believe that staying ahead of the curve is what makes IT businesses evolve and grow with the market in a global scale.

That is why that as a goal I have given to myself, is to finish my master’s degree. And here at MS POS, the company has offered me the chance to do so soon, while continuing to work. That for itself speak about how much this company values personal growth. I would like to thank the CEO, Konstantin Gergianakis for letting me be part of his vision. I will try my best to follow it and help expand it. I came here in a foreign country looking for a job, but I found so much more. Looking back, a lot has changed for the better for me. And I am only just getting started…

As you can understand, for me personally, changes have been even more radical. Primary, the lifestyle I have here is totally different from the one I had previously in Albania. As a person very attached to his family coming to a new country and living alone for the very first time, was quite hard at the start, pandemic aside. I want to thank my mom for spoiling me, really helped with the whole situation. Even basic tasks seemed like so much time consuming at the start, taking care of an apartment even a small one and without experience really takes time and effort. I cannot count the times I’ve had to throw food this year for going bad in the fridge. I want to apologize… but household has been a struggle for me too. It was clear that I had to work with my organization skills, it has a been a steep learning curve on that department.
And with all this pandemic even knowing new people I would say right now, it is quite hard for me. I still have the language barrier to some extent and normal social interactions are still limited by the pandemic. While video games are a good place to get a start and socialize a little online, ultimately I would like to see more face-to-face contact.
Nonetheless I am still organising a little bit my thoughts. It is a period that I am enjoying staying alone. I am realising that I am still growing. It is time I adapted with the new life I want for myself here.

I also started my German driving license back in early March. The corona pandemic has really made the situation quite dire on every instance of life. During May, I had to take a 12-day quarantine because someone from the driving license got infected with it. The pandemic restrictions have made the process quite long, but in the meantime I have passed all the exams.

It wouldn't be honest if I said everything was perfect. As a person, I am very attached to my family and friends. During this last year that I’ve been away from them, sometimes I would feel homesick. What I really miss is my mother’s cooking, my sister’s smile, my cat’s purring and generally, especially when I first arrived, the feeling of being home. But I am learning to cope with it. The people at work have helped me a lot integrating with the culture and its people. In particularly the marketing department, that during this last year has always tried to find ways to make me feel welcomed. It really speaks for the unity that our company tries to always preserve.
So indeed, the question is, what did I found moving to this new country? To put it in simple words, I found a new lifestyle. In some ways, much different from the one I had in Albania. I found new courage to handle problems on my own. The confidence I needed to better myself. New motivations and energies to achieve my goals. And the goodwill of the people near me to support me on this new path. An experience that is helping me shape into the man I want to be for the rest of my life. And that indeed is quite something.