Darinka Velikova is one of our senior software developers and has been part of the company for more than six months. She is mainly focused in the field of data warehousing and is now one of our most knowledgeable team members in it. Prior to joining Cosmos Thrace, she worked for 12 years in one of the biggest European telecommunication companies. So, she went from a big company to a startup but does it worth it?
If we had asked her a year ago whether she would change her previous job and join a startup, her answer would have definitely been “No”. However, let’s find out what made her trade off 12 years in a well-established international company for a startup that is now making a big statement to the world!
The journey to becoming part of Cosmos Thrace
“Viktor Elevterov (our CEO) and I knew each other because in the past we have worked together on some projects. So, he gave me a call and offered me the opportunity to join Cosmos Thrace. At that point, I had already worked in my former company for more than ten years and the offer to join a startup was at the same time interesting but also very different from what I was used to.”
She says that at that exact moment she was not particularly looking for a new job. However, Viktor being so persistent convinced Darinka and she saw an opportunity to develop her professional career based on the innovative and interesting projects the company works on.
The current working environment in Cosmos Thrace
“I have been in the company for around six months now. What I like the most so far is the team and people I work with. I like the fact that we help each other constantly and whenever you have a problem or question everyone is open to assisting you or giving you an answer.”
For Darinka, being able to choose where to work from is a very important factor as well. What she enjoys a lot is the freedom that each team member has in choosing his or her workplace.
“In my opinion we should all have the right to choose where we work from. At Cosmos Thrace we have both an office where we can go whenever we want and we can also work from home.
Darinka feels she is in the right place in Cosmos Thrace because there are constantly new and interesting things happening.
“For example, in our team there are many juniors and when I joined, the project we worked on was starting to lean away from the proper data warehouse structure. So, I had to assist them to put everything in place. This was very interesting for me and I really enjoy such challenges.”
Life outside Cosmos Thrace
Besides being a well-established professional in her field, Darinka greatly enjoys her free time. Her main passion is folk dancing, which she has been doing for many years, and until recently, was even performing on stage.
“At the moment, I am practicing just for the joy of it. It makes me forget all the worries in life and while I am dancing, I’m always smiling. It is a feeling you cannot describe but is definitely something that relaxes my mind and re-charges my batteries.“
Are you also considering transitioning from a big company to a startup? Give us a call or check out our open positions!
