After being introduced to WiseTech at a young age by his father, Bogdan Shchekin decided to pursue a career in technology, and in 2015 he joined the company as a junior software developer while undertaking his studies.
Eight years later, and Bogdan is now a product specialist, and says that the opportunity to constantly work on projects that interest him is what keeps him engaged and excited in his career.
We sat down with Bogdan to find out why he chose to start his career at WiseTech and how he’s been able to shape his career from a development to a product management role.
Can you share a bit about your journey at WiseTech?
I grew up in Ukraine, and my dad worked for WiseTech over there for many years, so I’ve known about the company since I was young. When an opportunity for him to transfer to WiseTech’s Sydney office came up, we jumped at the chance and relocated to Australia.
We moved to Sydney when I was 15, so I finished high school here then went on to study a Bachelor of Information Systems at Western Sydney University. Halfway through my degree, I decided that WiseTech would be a great place to start my career and eight years later, I’m still here.
How has your career evolved since being at WiseTech?
I initially joined as a junior software developer before progressing to a software developer after a few years. At a certain stage, I decided I wanted to do something different, and I’d become more interested in the product side of things, so I approached one of my managers about a product specialist role and that’s where I am now.
Changing roles and teams was actually very easy. Because of our mantra, ‘anyone can talk to anyone at any time’, it was really just a matter of saying to my manager, “hey, can I try this?” and that was it. It probably took about a week to get it all sorted out so it was a very quick process, which is great.
I think the most surprising part of me transitioning into the product role was the amount of support everyone gave me. It still amazes me to this day how supportive everyone at WiseTech is and how much everyone really wants you to succeed.
You started your career at WiseTech and are still here almost 8 years later, why have you stayed?
I think the ability to constantly do work that interests me has kept me really engaged all of these years. If I ever find myself getting bored of something or something no longer interests me, I can always approach my manager and say, “I'm a bit bored of this, is there anything else I can do?” Or I’ll have different ideas that I think we can incorporate and the company is always open to hearing them, which is great. There's always room for growth, personally, or within the company itself.
One of the biggest ways WiseTech has supported me, particularly when I was transitioning to the product team, was by allowing me to work a four day week. This really helped me because at the time I was studying my MBA, so it took the pressure off me trying to cram my work into five days as well as my study. The ability to be flexible with my time was really helpful in me finding the right balance.
The hybrid model has also been a huge factor in allowing me that flexibility too. I live about an hour away from the office, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but I now have an extra two hours a day where I’m not commuting and I can be so much more productive with my time. I now I come into the office about once a month to see my teammates in person to collaborate and socialize which I really enjoy. And the days that I work from home, I have that flexibility to work or study a bit earlier or later, so it’s a great balance.
Most importantly, the main selling point at WiseTech is the people. Everyone is open and welcoming, and you really can talk to anyone at any time for any reason, and it’s just a really inclusive and enjoyable environment to be in.