Turns his hobby into a profession and vice versa

Digitization is not a simple matter. After all, it’s not just a matter of transferring forms from the analog world to the digital world. In his story, Tobias Weigel explains why this still often happens today and what the most important aspects of digitalization are. Because he has succeeded in doing what so many people dream of: turning his hobby into a career.

How did you end up at virtual7?

During my studies, I had to complete an internship semester. That was in 2013. I wanted to try out the field of consulting and applied to a few companies. I found virtual7 through a job advertisement at the university itself. I was actually already convinced during the interview. It was very relaxed and open, not as stiff as I was used to in job interviews.

Within a few days, I had an acceptance letter, which I was very happy to accept. During my internship semester, I worked with Oracle ADF. I was then offered a position as a working student. I was able to work on various internal projects and ultimately wrote my thesis at virtual7. Shortly after I started writing it, I was offered the opportunity to stay at virtual7 afterwards. I already had a project lined up at the time. Everything happened very quickly and always flowed smoothly.

And today? What are your tasks at virtual7 now?

Essentially, it’s still what I did when I started out. I mainly work on projects for clients in the financial sector. I now not only develop, but also support topics such as architecture and project management. At virtual7, I am active in the roles of Project Communicator and Recruiting Support. On the one hand, I communicate between customers and virtual7, and on the other, I take part in interviews with potential candidates for my cluster.

There are also various other tasks throughout the year, such as training courses, presentations and conferences. If my tasks are not enough for me or I get bored, I can influence my area of responsibility at any time through other roles.

After all this time, haven’t you thought about trying something else?

When I started my first project for the Federal Employment Agency, everything happened quite quickly. Throughout my time at virtual7, I was always offered something new. I was always faced with new tasks and areas that challenged me, that allowed me to grow or learn something new. The available freedom allowed me to try out new technologies or new possibilities in the project. This allowed me to share the experience I had gained with others in training sessions. All the opportunities to shape the work have always challenged me and allowed me to grow over the years. I therefore had no incentive to change companies. If the thought did creep in, it didn’t take long for something to change at virtual7 or in the project and bring new excitement to the job.

What can you achieve with your daily work?

The added value that my work as a virtual7 team member can bring to a project is very diverse. As virtual7, we are represented at all levels in customer projects and can therefore be involved everywhere. In addition to technical modernization and consulting, we also try to optimize processes and workflows for everyone involved throughout the development cycle. I myself am responsible for technical modernization in projects. This can, for example, save costs for application maintenance or improve security. They become more robust and less prone to errors. Another key component is improving the user experience and accessibility of the application Everyone involved in the development process and the users benefit from our work.

What is the most important aspect of digitalization for you personally?

Everything that is done in relation to digitalization should be done wisely. If you want to transfer the analog world into the digital world, numerous opportunities usually open up. In digital form, the basic requirements for processes and working methods change. It is not enough to digitally map an analogue document and label it as “digitized”. Although it is now accessible online, this may only exhaust a small part of the possibilities. The question of possible improvements should always be asked. How can I make it easier, faster, better?

What makes your job unique?

The high degree of personal responsibility makes my job unique. Before Responsiveness, we were organized more classically as a company, as you would expect from other medium-sized companies. The difference with us is that I don’t just do things that are defined in my job description. I can decide which roles and responsibilities I take on and can therefore organize the work I do very flexibly. It’s quite rare for companies to offer you so many options in terms of work and task design. On the one hand, I am a consultant for the customer, while at the same time I can take part in internal Circles.

What motivates you in your work?

I am passionate about working on technology. I really enjoy my work, so I don’t need any extra motivation. There are things that can demotivate you and slow you down in your daily work. But basically I’m very happy with my work. As I also work on smaller projects in my private life, it often makes no difference to me whether I’m actually working or pursuing my hobby. I look forward to going to work every day and making progress on my projects.

What do you want from virtual7 for the future?

At the moment, I would like everything to stay mainly as it is. By that I mean responsiveness as a platform. We have created a solid basis that will enable us to respond and adapt better to all future situations. If we maintain this readiness, then I will be satisfied.

About the artist

Lisa Speicher

I found my way back to drawing during my master’s degree in business administration. Looking for a balance to the rather dry subjects, I remembered that I could always switch off while drawing. I also wanted to learn how to draw the stories I used to tell my niece. So a little drawing became a daily activity.

Interested?