It’s not possible to reconcile family & career in IT? Nonsense!

Our Sales & Marketing Operation Manager, Svenja Carstensen, explains how she has found a balance between family and career at valantic. Do you think that won’t work? Nonsense!

How was your start at valantic and how did valantic 2.0 come about?

My start at valantic in Zurich, let’s call it valantic 1.0, was unexpected, easy, and quick – in other words, quite successful.

After completing my dual studies at an internationally active IT company in southern Germany, the company offered me a position in Zurich in  summer 2015, an offer I definitely didn’t want to reject. So I gained some experience in analytics software sales and set down roots in beautiful Switzerland. In summer 2018, I gave birth to a daughter and decided to take parental leave for the time being. However, a return to the (IT) professional world was already a certainty for me at the time. In summer 2020, it became clear to me that I had to find a part-time position that would allow me to be a working mom. However, the search was complicated in the time of Covid-19, so I pinned my hopes for recommendations on my old network within the IT industry. After initial discussions in November 2020, I signed a new employment contract for a 60% position at valantic Business Analytics in Zurich just a little while later and I was back in IT sales in January 2021. A great team and exciting tasks were waiting for me, but after a few months I realized that it was difficult for me to reconcile a part-time sales position with my family obligations. In order to completely rethink my career goals as a mother, I decided to leave valantic again in early summer 2021 with a heavy heart. I used summer 2021 to explore interesting further training opportunities in marketing and to examine what kind of job I could find in the future to achieve an optimal balance between career and family. In fall 2021, my new start at valantic was unexpected, easy, and quick – my personal valantic 2.0. Returning to Sales & Marketing Operation at valantic was the best decision for me and I would like to thank the entire team for their understanding, maximum flexibility, and openness.

What do you especially like about valantic?

Clearly, open communication and the mutual appreciation on the team. valantic’s management always understood my concerns and decisions. In addition, the flexibility and openness are enormous, because I do not think that most employers respond so individually to the employee’s needs in terms of role design and work model.

If the current Covid-19 measures allow it, the office in the heart of Zurich definitely invites you to work on-site and the generally flat hierarchies always leave enough room for fun on the team.

Where do you see yourself in 3 years?

Definitely at valantic! The year 2021 with this great team has shown me that even as a working mom in the dynamic IT world, I can advance my professional career and bring it wonderfully into line with family life. For the year 2022, I am therefore highly motivated to do my best with and for the company. I’m sure that with the constantly expanding team and diverse tasks in marketing and business development, it will never be boring, and I can continue to develop at my own pace.

Thank you, Svenja, for the great conversation!