Tell us about your role at NaviParking.
Wojciech Korczyński: I work as the Engineering Team Lead. I lead a team that creates, maintains and develops NaviParking Enterprise solutions designed for corporate parking. I am responsible for the members of the team, their self-development, personal growth and the environment they work in. Moreover, my responsibilities focus on the product itself – I actively contribute to it not only by developing the code and fixing the issues but also by managing team workload and work pace. Since I represent the team, I am also a kind of “bridge” between developers and managers or stakeholders.
As you can see, quite a notable bunch of responsibilities But you know what? I totally love it – the more things are going on, the better! Boredom, stagnation and lack of challenges are extremely fearsome symptoms of regression. Dynamic environment with lots of activities – this is where I feel the most comfortable. And believe me, everything is much easier with such a great team that I have…
What does smart mobility mean to you? Why is it important?
WK: Our world seems to be developing every day more and more – it becomes more dynamic, faster and, therefore, more demanding and tougher to keep up with. That is why we need smart solutions in almost every aspect of our life, and mobility is certainly not an exception. We require the help of technology in order to comprehend what surrounds us and not to get lost in the constantly increasing stream of data and information. Moreover, last year extremely sorely showed us how essential smart and touchless solutions become. Let’s be honest – our world has changed irreversibly. Touchless solutions have great value for human beings, and their significance is still increasing. I am glad to be a part of a team that co-creates the touchless world.
I love this dynamic environment that sometimes might look a bit chaotic, but that never bores you. I am also delighted to create something totally new, aligned with the current trends. And last but not least, a startup gives you the possibility to have a real, perceptible influence on the direction the products go.
What drew you to working in the tech industry?
WK: Well, it was quite natural for me… In school, I was always keen on science, math, physics and, of course, IT. I always felt comfortable in the world of computers, equations, numbers… Then, I decided to study Computer Science. So, one can say that working in the tech industry is a quite logical continuation of my life path. But the most important is the fact that I feel that I am in the most suitable place that makes me happy!
How do you like working at a startup?
WK: I adore it! Frankly speaking, this is the first startup I have worked at. Before, I was always employed by big corporations, but I was always curious about what life at a startup is like. When NaviParking gave me an opportunity, I was excited from the very first day. I love this dynamic environment that sometimes might look a bit chaotic, but that never bores you. I am also delighted to create something totally new, aligned with the current trends. And last but not least, a startup gives you the possibility to have a real, perceptible influence on the direction the products go.
What does sustainability mean to you? In what ways are you sustainable at your job and outside of it?
WK: As I have already mentioned, our world develops and expands at an extreme speed. I don’t imagine that it is even possible to understand all the directions humanity leans towards and the consequences of our decisions. That is why we need to care about sustainability. Being biased towards a specified direction is always harmful, no matter if we discuss world scale or our life scale. I believe that by being sustainable, you become a better person. Personally, I avoid defining myself as a “programmer” since it is biased towards coding only. An engineer’s work concerns coding, designing, discussing, planning, and so on. Both hard and soft skills are essential. E.g., you may be excellent in programming, but mediocre as an employee due to poor communication skills. That is why sustainability is a must!
What is it about NaviParking that makes you proud to work here?
WK: Hopefully, I don’t need to mention one thing only… 🙂 Open-minded people, an international environment, dynamically developing company, amazing projects created in modern technologies, the possibility to have a real influence on the products and for setting their direction, the opportunity to create something new for users from different countries… But, most of all, it is my team that makes me proud to work in NaviParking. I have a great team of extremely skilled and motivated people who make everything easier and from whom I can learn a lot.
Let’s be honest – our world has changed irreversibly. Touchless solutions have great value for human beings, and their significance is still increasing. I am glad to be a part of a team that co-creates the touchless world.
Describe the best part of your job.
WK: There are lots of things that I enjoy doing at work. However, I assume it is obvious that an engineer’s heart will always beat faster while having fun at his playground and creating art out of nothing… Yes, you guessed it – since I am a software engineer, coding will always be something special for me…
Tell us about your favourite thing that you’ve worked on.
WK: I need to tell you about the whole NaviParking Enterprise project. My team started working on it when the new, refurbished NaviParking Enterprise was about to be started. Just imagine a brand new project, the most up-to-date technologies, different layers (mobile application, web application, service) to work on and the infrastructure built on the most trending cloud platform… Can you ask for anything more? Moreover, we were able to follow a good methodology of work and establish some good architecture and coding standards that are now introduced across other teams – that is something I am really proud of!
What motivates you?
WK: This feeling and excitement when, after hard work, our team releases the product that will be used by real people living in different countries… Every time I think about it, there is only one conclusion that comes to my mind: Wow…
Personally, I avoid defining myself as a “programmer” since it is biased towards coding only. An engineer’s work concerns coding, designing, discussing, planning, and so on. Both hard and soft skills are essential.
What’s remote work like for you?
WK: To be honest, it was quite tough at the very beginning. You are used to some daily routine, contact with people, etc., and suddenly you become locked at home. But I got accustomed to it, and now I find it very pleasant. The way to my office is not very long, as I only need to move to another room 🙂 I am totally aware of the drawbacks of remote work and the difficulties you need to face while working from home, but I expect it to be more common in the post-pandemic times as we learned how to work remotely, and we know the benefits it brings.
What are you most excited to do post-pandemic?
WK: Travel abroad. No matter how far, no matter for how long. I just can’t wait to be permitted again to visit other countries. I am thirsty for travelling!
What do you do when you’re not at work? Do you have any hobbies?
WK: Of course, I do! Most of all, for 20 years I have been a huge fan of Real Madrid Football Club. I am registered as the club’s official supporter, I was at several matches in Madrid (and not only), including some very big ones. Because of this passion, I have even learned Spanish, which allowed me to bond with the club more. I am totally addicted to this feeling when your favourite team scores a goal in an important and thrilling match…
Moreover, I have the soul of a traveller. I love travels, getting to know new cultures, tasting different meals, taking pictures and adoring how diverse and beautiful the World is… I have visited all the continents (except for Antarctica), and each of them impressed me in a memorable manner. Unfortunately, the pandemic stopped me from experiencing new adventures, but I am certain that soon I will be able to travel again!
And the last thing I would like to mention is the music, which resides in a very special place in my heart. I collect vinyl records – a big black disk turning on the gramophone is something that makes me really happy. Of course, appropriate music is also requisite – rock, blues and everything related is a must! My neighbours can quite often listen to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and other great artists… I hope they appreciate how lucky they are! 😉
Tell us something people would be surprised to learn about you.
WK: My wife states that I am a good cook. I am not sure if she says so because she is blindly in love with me, but I have to admit that last time when I prepared tagliatelle with prawns, it was quite good… OK, in fact, it turned out really, really well 😉
