Today, we’re excited to dive into Zuzanna’s journey inside the CryptPad team. In her quest for a role that truly sparked her passion and aligned with her interests, she found her way to us. Zuzanna sees her XWiki experience as “commendable” and offers unique insights into it.
Zuzanna is the Developer in charge of Quality Assurance in the CryptPad team. She wrote our end-to-end test suite from scratch and maintains it so that as many bugs as possible are caught before the release. On top of this vital work, she also contributes to CryptPad with improvements and bug fixes, for example to Forms or mobile usage. On a day where CryptPad is working as intended with no issues, don't forget that you have Zuzanna to thank for it! - David, CryptPad's Team Lead
Out of respect for Zuzanna’s choice to keep her photos off the Internet for privacy reasons, we won’t be sharing any pictures of her in this article.
- Favorite artist: René Magritte
- Best book ever read: "Pale Fire" by Vladimir Nabokov
- Dream destination: Havana, Cuba
- Quote you live by: None comes to mind!
- At the office or remote? Remote
Tell us about yourself
My name is Zuzanna, I'm in my 20s, and I'm from Poland. I joined XWiki as part of the CryptPad team in 2023, initially focusing on Quality Assurance and branching out into other areas. I'm currently working part-time as I finish an MSc degree from King's College London.
🌄 The journey to XWiki
What were you doing before XWiki? Did you change careers when joining our team?
Before joining XWiki, I graduated with a BSc Honors degree in Neuroscience from King's College London. I had several different jobs, including working for mental health and migrant support charities. I decided to re-train as a Software Engineer and worked as a junior Developer for a company providing educational resources for teachers. However, I wanted to do something more challenging and relevant to my interests, which is when I discovered a job opening in XWiki's CryptPad team.
What is it like to be working in the CryptPad team at XWiki?
Working in the CryptPad development team is very rewarding because despite our different skill sets and backgrounds, we all have similar ethos and interests, and are all invested in the quality of our product. As a junior Developer, I've had invaluable support, feedback and guidance from my teammates.
🔎 Open-source impressions
Was open source something you had an interest in prior to XWiki?
Yes, although I had not worked on open-source projects before.
What's the open-source value you identify with most?
I appreciate both the accessibility of open source and its transparency/accountability. Especially with software which provides encryption services for storing sensitive data, like CryptPad, it's important to be able to verify the mechanisms behind it, rather than blindly trusting the quality and integrity of proprietary products.
⌛ Being an XWikier
How was the integration process at XWiki for you?
Very smooth, and I have felt very welcome and valued every step of the way.
What were the biggest ways in which XWiki changed during the time you've been around?
Difficult to say - I've only been around for 1.5 years and my work on CryptPad is somewhat separate from the rest of the company. However, in the time I've been here, the CryptPad team has expanded quite a bit, and it was very encouraging seeing more women joining our team - something quite rare in other tech environments, and which I appreciate immensely.
What would you say is the most valuable lesson you learned during your time at XWiki?
Can't pick just one!
What has kept you at XWiki so far?
Being able to have a hand in developing a product I care about, overall alignment with my values, and great, flexible working conditions.
If you could describe your XWiki experience in one word, what would it be?
Commendable
Favorite memory up until now at XWiki?
I've had a lovely time catching up with and getting to know my colleagues at the 2023 Seminar.
