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"At Finture, I said outright that I’m a beginner and I want to get up to speed,”

In IT, it’s often about building something from scratch. That appealed to me in this job, just as it did in construction. Okay, maybe the projects I’m working on now are less tangible than those I worked on earlier because we’re not talking about bridges, but about some technical solutions. But our client, the largest bank in Poland, gives us a truly large scale, thanks to which you can see how something you’ve spent many days working on is used by thousands of people," says Marcin Horeglad, IT Project Manager at Finture.

It wasn’t easy preparing for this interview because you’re almost invisible on Google — the search phrase "Marcin Horeglad" only returns a few results.

That’s true. You won't also find me on social media, at least not under my real name.

On Google, you appear as a forward for the amateur football team NSK.

You can't hide everything from Google. (laughs)

Do you still play football?

Not much lately, I used to play quite a bit. Even at Finture, we played a bit. Unfortunately, I suffered a back injury, and then—two years ago—my child was born. I had to focus on my family, and football took a backseat. It may take a while before that changes because we’re expecting another child at the end of the year. However, I try to stay active, and sometimes I find time for biking or hiking.

How long have you been working at Finture?

I joined five years ago. Back then, the company wasn’t even called “Finture” yet. But other than that, it was almost the same organization as today, although, of course, the pandemic in 2020 changed a lot.

How did you end up at the company?

For me, it was a career change, a decision to start my journey not only with Finture but also with IT in general. It wasn’t an easy decision, although I had it a bit easier since I was recommended by a Finture employee during a recruitment period. Finture was open to hiring someone without experience. They were looking for someone for a project related to the largest bank in Poland.

Have you had anything to do with banking before?

Almost nothing. I studied economics, but didn’t finish it—however, I had banking-related courses during the first semesters. And as for finance, I had a brief stint with stock trading. That’s about it.

Were you at all related to IT?

Only as a user.

Where did you work before?

In construction. I graduated in environmental engineering from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Not many people realize that it’s a field related to construction. Environmental engineering is closely connected with the construction industry.

What exactly did you do?

I worked in a broad range of construction supervision, in one of the largest construction companies in the Polish market. What was the biggest construction project you worked on? A four-year project to build weirs. Do you know what they are?

What was the biggest construction project you worked on?

A four-year project to build weirs. Do you know what they are?

No.

Hydrotechnical structures, or to simplify, small dams. We built them in Nysa, in the south of Poland.

That seems like a more stressful job than IT, right? If something goes wrong at the computer, you can usually fix it easily, but in construction, it can end much worse…

Yes. In fact, when we were building those dams, we had a significant mishap, probably the biggest I’ve encountered. We were using a method that involved enclosing the river with tight, deeply driven walls. Then we pumped the water out and removed the soil to create the foundations for the structure.

At some point, those walls started bending, and the entire construction site, along with all the equipment, got flooded. It was a disaster. Fortunately, no one was injured. I’m proud, after years of working in construction, that there were no fatal accidents on “my” sites—even though you do hear about such cases every now and then.

Why did you decide to switch careers from construction?

I would name three main reasons. First, at some point, they didn’t offer me anything interesting. I had finished a large, multi-year project, during which I lived far from home. When I came back to Warsaw, the company couldn’t offer me anything exciting.

The second reason was a frequent need to travel. It’s a characteristic of working in construction—being mobile is important. The industry often moves people around the whole country. Of course, I don’t blame anyone for that—it’s just the nature of the job. You might be working in one province today and another tomorrow, especially if, like me, you belong to a large company operating nationally.

It’s not the most convenient.

Maybe some people get used to that work mode, but I’m not one of them. For me, it wasn’t optimal. It made it difficult to maintain contact with friends and family, and I only saw some of my loved ones thanks to weekend trips.

The third reason was simply the opportunity for growth that I got at Finture. I worked in construction for seven years, so changing careers was a tough decision because I was leaving behind years of experience and connections. Additionally, I worked in infrastructure construction, which I consider one of the most interesting areas of the industry. The projects were particularly satisfying. And they still are, even though I worked on them many years ago.

They still are?

Well, you know, when you drive over a bridge you helped build, and you realize that thousands of other people are using it, that gives you a great sense of satisfaction.

So why did you leave?

I had people around me who were complaining about the construction industry and not doing anything to change their situation. I didn’t want to be like them, so I started improving myself—I even completed an online basic JavaScript course.

When the opportunity for change appeared and I saw that they were recruiting people with no experience, I decided to go for it. I figured that if it didn’t work out, I could always return to construction in a year or two. So, I saw it as a great development opportunity with relatively low risk.

By the way, three people in Finture switched from construction to IT. I’m not the only one. (laughs)

You started at Finture as a tester, right?

Yes.

Was that initial period stressful?

Yes, although I didn’t particularly remember the stress. When I joined Finture, I was prepared for certain difficulties. What helped reduce the stress was the fact that I wasn’t pretending to have any extensive experience in testing. I was upfront about being a beginner and wanting to learn. I was expected to figure things out and develop, but nobody expected me to be an expert from day one.

The people who helped me get started were aware of my lack of experience and respected that. They immediately communicated to me that if I didn’t know something, I shouldn’t be ashamed to ask. And that’s what I now tell beginners: they can only get to know the project through curiosity. That’s the only way to really get into it.

That doesn’t mean there were no stressful situations at all, but my approach was that if I decided to take it on, I had to grit my teeth and push through it. And even if I sometimes felt like I was annoying my more experienced colleagues, I stubbornly kept asking: Am I doing this right? Could you explain it? Could you repeat that?

Did the IT language present a barrier?

Yes, a huge one. And this is something that everyone switching careers mentions when talking to me. On top of that, there’s the project language, which is specific to banking. Even the most “technical” employees might struggle with some of the terms.

What solution did you find to this problem as a beginner?

I remember a colleague advised me to note down everything I heard. To create a glossary that might be helpful not just for me but also for future people transitioning to IT.

What were the biggest differences between construction and IT?

The approach to people. For example, I never encountered any discouragement for asking questions. Everyone was very patient, and... that approach was very civil, not like in construction, where you sometimes encounter a director-like attitude, superiority, and orders. I don’t know if that’s a characteristic of the IT industry or the work culture at Finture. I have no comparison.

As an outsider, I see one common denominator in both industries—at Finture, too, you work project-based and build, albeit virtually.

Yes, in IT, too, you often build things from scratch. That’s something that appealed to me about this job, just like it did in construction. Okay, maybe the projects I’m working on now are less tangible than the ones I worked on earlier—because we're not building a bridge, but creating a technical solution. But our client, the largest bank in Poland, gives us a truly large scale, which allows you to see how something you’ve spent many days working on is used by thousands of people.

Have you worked only for this client?

Yes, though of course, there have been various projects. I’ve worked with different teams at Finture. Once, I even worked with a team within the bank’s structure. It wasn’t a large group, maybe five people. But I was the only one who wasn’t a bank employee

How many projects have you completed in the past five years?

That’s a tough question, because the word "project" can be interpreted in different ways. But if I had to give a specific number, I’d say between five and seven.

Which one was the most demanding?

I think it was the first project I worked on after moving beyond testing. When I had to start dealing with analysis, and then management and client communication were added… That was the hardest for me. Not because it was harder in hindsight, but because of the new challenges I had to face. It was something entirely new, which could be stressful.

But looking back, I see it positively. Ultimately, I wanted to go in the direction of system and project management. And this project served as my first experience of managing my own work and was also my introduction to the world of project management.

Currently, you work in management.

Yes, and that brings entirely new challenges. Gradually moving into managerial positions involves more frequent delegation and reliance on others. When I was a tester, I received a task, worked on it, and if I made a mistake, I was responsible for it.

With each promotion, I had to learn to let go of micromanagement — it became clear to me that I couldn’t be responsible for everything, because there wouldn’t be enough hours in the day. Gradually, I had to learn how to delegate tasks, and I think I’m getting better at it.

But at the same time, I still sometimes find time to get involved directly in a project. I occasionally take part in problem analysis or test a problematic issue. There are fewer such situations now, but I’m glad that there’s still space for them. Management is great, but it’s also nice to click something and check if it works.

Who is the end user of the solutions you develop?

These clients can differ greatly from one another. Theoretically—just from my observation—Poles use online banking, cards, BLIK... My parents, who are not particularly technical, are happy to use banking apps and similar solutions.

However, in practice, it’s different, and the scale of the bank that is our client shows this. Because for some users, we need to create solutions that exclude the need to install an app or log into the bank on their smartphone. There are people for whom these solutions are foreign.

What’s most important for a Polish user?

That they can resolve their issue quickly and easily

And security? I ask because this is particularly important in banking, and according to research, the most popular Polish passwords for years have been “qwerty” or “123456”.

Security matters are mostly taken care of by the banks—they think “for the consumers.” There have even been social campaigns organized by the banks themselves to raise awareness among consumers that secure passwords are absolutely necessary.

The projects you work on are sensitive because they lie at the intersection of IT solutions and legal issues, dealing with sensitive data and numerous regulations. Is this difficult for you?

Not long ago, we were working on automating the suspension of a personal loan repayment. As part of this project, we wanted to reach a point where the client could sign the suspension through the app. But not everyone has the app on their device. So, the solution was supposed to involve sending a link via email, followed by an SMS, from which you could log into the document you wanted to sign.

This wasn’t a solution previously used in the bank, which made implementation harder. It took us some time. And when we were close to deployment, we received a message from above that the bank’s legal department didn’t allow sending any links to customers…

Oops.

Well, you know, it’s never pleasant to spend time on something that ultimately can’t be finished. The people working on such a project aren’t financially affected, of course, but I’ve encountered this situation many times, and it’s frustrating for IT people. Job satisfaction decreases: I worked on something for two months, it was tough, and in the end, nothing came of it. That reward we talked about earlier—the satisfaction of building something that eventually reaches users—doesn’t appear. At such times, morale drops.

Sometimes, we also hear: “We can’t approve this yet because the legal department still needs to approve the idea.” And this applies sometimes to simple things, like the content of a customer notification. These “small” things also need to go through the bank’s legal department to avoid potential complaints later. Sometimes, waiting for the lawyers’ opinion can take weeks. But it doesn’t directly affect us.

You mentioned that the most satisfying thing for you was handing over properly working projects—in both IT and construction. What satisfies you as a manager?

From a manager’s point of view, it’s important how the project was delivered—was it painful? Or, on the contrary, was it smooth? If we can finish projects in a way that leaves people satisfied, then I’m happy as well.

Do you think your employees give you honest feedback after a project is completed?

Sometimes, it’s hard to get reliable feedback. After all, the manager asks you what you didn’t like. However, I’m convinced that in our team, the feedback is honest.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar career path to yours—starting from being a tester to becoming a team leader?

I think it’s hard to immediately set yourself on such a specific path. However, with hindsight, I think that in my case, starting with testing was the right step into the IT world. It allowed me to understand everything “from the ground up.” A lot also depends on one’s predispositions. Soft skills also come into play here, not just the technical skills that can be learned.

There’s no one-size-fits-all recipe, and you shouldn’t plan your career path too specifically like mine. The key is being open to new things and eager to develop. We also can’t burn out from stress thinking about potential small failures. They will happen, even frequently at first.

But you also need some level of self-criticism. If those failures aren’t small and keep happening, that’s when it’s time to question whether this is really for you. Whether this is your place, and if you really want it.

If my first six months in IT were full of failures, regardless of how my supervisors or colleagues reacted, I’d probably think it wasn’t going to work out and that I wouldn’t continue in something that stresses me out and doesn’t come easily to me.

What should someone joining your team be interested in?

Banking issues are definitely important. Understanding economic concepts, even just basic ones, would be a plus, though it’s not mandatory—it would just make things easier. Because, after all, you can learn everything from scratch. It will be a bit harder, but that’s all. The same goes for IT language. If you know some words or expressions, it can help when starting out.

You joined the company about two years before the pandemic started, and halfway through your tenure, COVID-19 hit. How did that impact your organizational structure?

The change was huge. Before the pandemic, there was practically no option to work remotely—only a few people did so with very limited permissions. So, we were in the office five days a week. And the team life often didn’t end at 4 or 5 p.m. We went to the mountains, had a climbing section… There were even people who went on vacations together. So, the atmosphere was really familial. In my opinion, it was more than just a typical IT team.

Then came the pandemic, and it turned everything upside down. I remember around the start of the first lockdown, I had a trip planned. It was to Italy, where the pandemic situation was really tough at the time. I spoke to my superiors—they told me to think about whether to go because, on top of the virus, people returning from Italy had to start a two-week quarantine. How could I combine quarantine with the inability to work remotely in pre-pandemic Finture?

I understood their arguments, so I stayed. And a week later, remote work was organized. (laughs) So, we started working from home—it was a big shock for us because we were such a close-knit team. At first, we had virtual beers together, but of course, it wasn’t the same.

And what about the organization? What changed?

I think we managed. In such situations, so much depends on the people. If our work had been about controlling employees and if there had been no mutual trust, it would’ve been much worse.

Ultimately, it turned out that by treating employees fairly, they responded with diligence and reliability. With remote work, we couldn’t fully verify whether someone worked eight hours or five, and if eight, how they distributed the work. But neglecting duties would have shown up right away in the results, and fortunately, that didn’t happen with us.

Do you work remotely now?

A large part of the company does, but we encourage employees to come to the office at least once a week. Most work from home most of the time, but when they do come to the office, they’re happy. It’s like going to a party you don’t want to attend, but when you go, it turns out to be fun. It’s a great feeling—to be able to talk to someone normally, just like before.

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