Tagged by Catalina Peltecu, he simply could not escape the mindit chats series.  ‍

Without further ado, let us introduce you to Silviu Balaci, who will talk about what mindit.io means to him and how he sees the entire team.  

1. What's something that happened to you that can only happen here? What's a unique part about working here?

I have to admit that talking about work is a lot easier than being interviewed. But if I had to think about something unique about working here, that would be the overall team, which is extremely helpful.

If you go to someone and ask for something, you'll definitely receive the help you'll need to fix the issues you are encountering. Whenever someone knows something, they are also happy to share their knowledge, and this way, we're constantly learning something new from one another.  

The relaxed working environment is extremely pleasant. Although we work with deadlines, the pressure you encounter in other places is simply not there. And that's because you are never alone, and there are always three other people alongside you searching for solutions together.  

It's a really cozy and familiar atmosphere, and I'd say that's what's unique about working at mindit.io.  

2. What was the moment you knew you'd made the right decision to work here?

I don't think that I can point to one moment in time. The overall feeling I had since I started working here and getting to know the people from my team.

The more time you spend with people, the more you connect with them and enjoy the work you put in together. You're here for the day-to-day stuff.  

You're here for the work you do, as well as for the people you work with. And if you feel like the project you're working on does not give you joy and satisfaction, you can always start carving out a new role for yourself. That's the beauty of mindit.io. That's when you know you're in the right place!  

3. What was your best day at work?

Every day, something works, and something breaks. It's a job with incredible highs and incredible lows. Still, you feel amazing when you fix something after working on an issue for three days. There's no other feeling like it.

For example, I was working on a project for a brand-new software, and the deadline was loose. It's probably every developer's dream to work on a project they like without having a strict deadline. However, these projects are very rare, and they're usually personal.

The project I was working on finally got launched, and a year later, I looked over the code again. There's even a famous quote going around the IT community that goes a little like this: "The worst code you ever wrote is the one you wrote a year ago. But it works."

And that's precisely how I felt about my code. I realized that I am in a continuous learning process, and we're all getting better together. Those are the really cool days at work.  

4. What are you most proud of?

I'm proud of every mindit.io project because working in BI means that we have a connection with all of them. I don't have one particular project or achievement I am proud of; I'm simply happy with how our team works and the entire flow we have in place.  

5. What is your team like?

Work hard, play hard! That's us! That's our team! I think that's the most suited way to describe my colleagues, and I really enjoy the workflow we have going for us at mindit.io.  

6. Which benefits are your favorite and why?

Regarding benefits, I don't think you'll get a different answer from any other colleague. I consider minditNomad the coolest thing we have. Not only can you work from anywhere in the world, but the fact that you can work from minditNomad homes is awesome.

Comarnic and Constanta are always fun to visit and to work from. Sibiu is really nice, and I haven't managed to get to Iasi and Cluj so far, but they're definitely on my list.

Now, we also have Pluria, so basically, you can work from anywhere around the world for specific periods of time.

There are many benefits offered by mindit.io, but this one is definitely my favorite. Most of my friends want to work here for these exact benefits I am talking about.

7. How have you grown professionally while on our team?

I already had some friends in mindit.io who joined the team a few months before me, and they told me to come here.  

I came to mindit.io on the support side, but the cool part here is that support teams have full backend access, which was a really important factor for me, allowing me to transition to the development part of the operations.

During the interview, I made my intentions clear about wanting to pursue a career in development in the near future and that I was looking for both personal and technical growth. One year later, I joined the development team and am still learning new things every day.  

8. What advice would you give to anyone thinking about joining mindit.io?

Most of the time, you can tell straight from the interview if the team you are considering joining is the one for you. I would recommend that anyone thinking about joining mindit.io come for a live, face-to-face interview, so they can get a better look and feel of our offices and meet the people who form this wonderful community.

I think they're going to like it. It's not always easy, but just like in any other environment tailored for professional growth, you'll get to work hard and party harder.

And you'll have all the necessary support along the way. You'll get to grow both technically and mentally. If this seems like something you'd be interested in, feel free to take a sneak peek at our open positions right here.

9. What games, movies, books, or TV shows would you recommend? How do you relax and unwind?  

I enjoy playing World of Warcraft every time a new expansion is out. I also like playing all the other popular games when I'm done with WoW expansions.

One of the books I enjoy reading a lot is Quo Vadis, and every time I read it, I look at it with different eyes, from a different perspective. Another classic is Orwell's 1984, which I also enjoy very much.  

When it comes to movies, I've seen Gladiator countless times. I would also recommend 12 Angry Men, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and The Man From Earth, which is sort of a modern take on 12 Angry Men.  

The TV Shows I follow are Westworld, Black Mirror, and 13 Monkeys. I have a lot of fun watching police shows and miniseries such as Mind Hunter and Unabomber.

10. Who would you tag next to be interviewed by us?

I would like to tag Simona Hasan because she is one of the key people that made it possible for me to join the development team, and it's about time I paid her back with this interview!