Aziz Bouhejba made his debut at Uzinakod as a Full-Stack Developer in August 2016. Since his arrival, the company has transformed, experiencing impressive growth. At the time of writing, the team has nearly 50 members. It all started with Aziz, our very first employee.
We spoke with him to reminisce and find out what it was like for him to experience all these changes.
What motivated you to join a young company with only its two co-founders in 2016?
In 2016?! (laughs) I was motivated by the project they were proposing, by the technologies they were using, but also by the fact that I was joining a young company and could grow with them. The work conditions were appealing, too.
If I remember correctly, I applied on Indeed. I was in Tunisia at the time, I recall that very well. I had another job just before, for a month or two. It wasn’t that cool, it wasn’t what I was looking for. So I quit and went back to Tunisia to look around and apply.
Then, at some point, Sébastien (a co-founder) emailed me to set up a call with me and Dominic (the other co-founder). We talked for 15-20 minutes. It was a very positive first call. I also liked that they were upfront, honest, and direct with their questions. If I didn’t know the answers, I wasn’t embarrassed to say so. They were okay with that, they knew it was a real first experience for me. So it went well. I came back to Montreal, and about two weeks later I made my debut at Uzinakod.
When you joined the company, did you think you would be with Uzinakod for five years?
No, not at all! It has gone really well, my conditions continually improved and there were always positive reasons for me to stay. The business has grown a lot, and a lot of benefits have been added over the course of time. That’s why I’m still here!
These days, it’s rare for a developer to stay with the same company for five years! What motivated you to stay with Uzinakod?
We aren’t always working on the same projects. There are always new challenges, so I like that. Benefits, salary, and all the rest are always getting better. I have nothing to complain about. It’s all good, I’m staying! (laughs)
Today there are nearly 50 of us. Does that affect your day-to-day routine? Do you sometimes feel nostalgic for the small team?
(laughs) No, I’m not really nostalgic. I think it’s better that we’re 50. A lot of people with very diverse skillsets have joined since the beginning. This lets us learn from others and work with people of different profiles.
I’m not saying it wasn’t good in the beginning! It’s always great to see how a small business grows. There have been new opportunities at every turn. It was a good start, but it’s better now!
Do you feel like you’ve grown with the company? If so, in what ways?
I’ve been at it five years already! I have learned a lot at Uzinakod from the start. When I finished school, I only had a DEC and a bachelor’s degree that I earned in Tunisia. I didn’t have much experience. I had done a few internships, but nothing resembling real ongoing work experience.
It’s clear that I have been involved with a lot of very different projects. I have taken on many challenges, and it’s been highly motivating to change projects. Yes, I’ve definitely grown with the company.
What has changed the most at Uzinakod since you started?
Good question. For one thing, we didn’t have an office! (laughs)
Apart from that, I would say what’s changed the most is the size of the company and the benefits they offer. There is always something new, every year and even during the year. Always cool new reasons to stay at Uzinakod.
Which skills have you developed most in these past five years?
I would say I’ve improved my problem-solving abilities, I’m more organized and I manage my workload and priorities better. I’ve also learned numerous technologies and obtained certifications.
What advice would you give to Aziz from five years ago?
(laughs) I’m not sure. When things are going well, I don’t think there’s much advice to give. If I had to do it all over, I would do basically the same things.
Would you recommend joining Uzinakod? If so, why?
Yes, for the same reasons I’ve been here for five years. You always have an opportunity to learn, to take on more responsibilities, to touch many exciting technologies, to meet a lot of challenges in your projects and to have a structure at Uzinakod that allows you to continually improve.
Also, for all the other benefits such as work-personal life balance. A very major selling point for me is that I had the opportunity to work from Tunisia. The distance was not a problem. I think it’s really cool that everybody can take advantage of this, even if they haven’t been with the company for very long. For someone who lives abroad, like me, being able to go back to my home country to work means a lot.
Would you like to work with people like Aziz who care about the company? We are always looking for new talent. Visit our Careers Page to see current job openings.
