innFactory is characterized above all by a strong team and long-term collaboration. That’s why we want to introduce our team in short employee interviews.

Name:

Antonia Erben

Education:

Bachelor’s student in Business Informatics

Master of Arts, Business Administration

Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration

Area of activity at innFactory:

Marketing and Frontend Development

You’ve been working at innFactory for about a month. How did you become aware of innFactory?

I’ve known Tobi (one of the founders of innFactory) since my first bachelor’s degree in Business Administration – around 2012/13. However, I thought he earned his money as a DJ since I only encountered him in that role at such occasions and I hired him several times for our student parties. Only later did he tell me that he was studying Computer Science at what was then still FH Rosenheim. When he then founded innFactory GmbH together with Maxi and Toni, I found that really impressive, but I never thought I would become part of it myself.

In November last year at the X-Conference, an event for digital innovation at TH Rosenheim, innFactory was there with its own contribution. Here I met Tobi again in the networking area and told him that I was now studying Business Informatics. Actually, he wanted to recommend me to another company at that time, but then decided otherwise, who knows why ;)?

Due to the current situation with COVID-19, we arranged a meeting in the new year. This then took place virtually in May together with Maxi and Toni.

Why did you choose innFactory as your employer?

Honestly, when I received the invitation to the mentioned meeting, I thought it was just about getting to know each other, but after half an hour I had an offer for an internship on the table. Well, and honestly, at that point, no other company had a chance anymore. Not because of the pay, but because of the variety of tasks and challenges. Simply put, jackpot!

What have you been able to learn in the first month and what do you particularly enjoy?

As for the challenge, I really wasn’t disappointed. The area of web development is not covered at all in our Business Informatics degree program, and so I was really struggling at first. The React framework with TypeScript, JavaScript, CSS, HTML tags, and Material UI were really complex at the beginning and things just didn’t work out, but when you’ve written usable code and everything runs as it should, it’s an unbeatable feeling. In addition to my work in frontend development, I’ve been given responsibility for marketing. Planning, managing, and developing content for innFactory is a great task where I can bring in my creative talents. It definitely stays exciting and I’m already looking forward to the upcoming tasks.

What event was the absolute highlight at innFactory for you? Which implemented project are you particularly proud of?

Currently, I’m working on the Laura CMS, which is pretty cool.

The nicest events so far are the employee events. I love the monthly retrospective where we give each other feedback and work out optimization possibilities together. But the employee barbecue in June was also great.

Which three employee benefits do you particularly appreciate at innFactory?

– The possibility to switch to home office at any time.

– Flexible working hours

– Opportunity to try things out on a greenfield

What do you like to do in your free time when you’re not programming?

I love sports. Whether hiking, running, deep work, or Zumba, I like to push myself to really exhaust myself. Even more, I like to spend my time with my daughter. Wildlife park, swimming, or cycling, here too we’re more likely to be outside. Now I also officially no longer need a reason to sneak into any Pixar/Disney movies. I think the next point is no surprise – I like to develop myself and further my education, mainly in areas that I’m not so familiar with.

Why are you studying a technical degree program after successfully completing a master’s degree?

The topic of programming has fascinated me since I was 16. Back then, I made my own witch school on the internet using plain HTML. I also still have an old dusty JavaScript book from my brother for my 16th birthday lying around somewhere. At that time, I unfortunately wasn’t aware that you could perhaps make more of it, and to be honest, I didn’t dare. It was only through my master’s thesis that I came back to the topic of computer science. My topic at that time was the optimization of event organization at TH Rosenheim. In doing so, by analyzing the current process and gathering feedback from process participants, I created a new concept. When I presented this to my examiners and the process participants, everyone was satisfied, only I wasn’t. The plan was ready, but others with more IT know-how were tasked with the implementation. That ultimately gave me the push toward Business Informatics.