Meet the Cast: Olena Babenko, Staff Engineer and Tech Expert

Olena Babenko, a newly promoted Staff Engineer at Aiven, shares her journey to the company and offers insights into life as an engineer. Originally from Ukraine, she has traveled extensively and worked in various countries before settling in Finland. Her career began with early experience in Ukraine and Moscow, followed by a stint at Zalando SE in Germany. Olena's determination led her to learn Linux and cloud systems through online platforms like Cloud Guru and Udemy, eventually joining Aiven as a mid-level Software Engineer. She was promoted to Staff Engineer recently, working on the "Helpful Husky" team focused on building better data streaming services. Olena emphasizes the importance of courage, code, and community in her work at Aiven, highlighting the company's support for remote work and asynchronous communication that fosters innovation. She also shares advice for a career in engineering, including participating in meetups, finding mentors, and seeking opportunities to contribute to open source projects.