On February 1, 2002, I started my journey at Zühlke as a junior software engineer. Twenty years later, I am still here. In this post, I want to share what those 20 years looked like, what kept me going, and why I plan to stay for at least another 20.
The Early Years: Starting as a Junior (2002-2004)#
After a very hard interview, I got hired at Zühlke and joined the Windows and Embedded Solutions unit, led by Philipp Sutter (who is now chairman of the board at Zühlke). Back then, Zühlke had 219 people with locations in Zürich, Frankfurt, and London.
My first project was in the industrial sector, where we built a large C++ application for designing power plants and calculating their efficiency. Right from the start, I received training in .NET, the Rational Unified Process, and design patterns. One of the greatest experiences was the five-day camp, where the whole unit went to a remote location, and we coded and explored new technologies together.
Just as I started, the dot-com crisis hit. I was one of the last people hired for the next two years. The highlight was seeing how the Zühlke management handled this crisis with transparency and care.
During these years, I also proposed new social events at Zühlke: a Snow Event where the whole unit went skiing in the mountains, and a Game Event where we came together to play computer games. Both became a big success.
By 2004, the crisis was over. I got promoted to Advanced Software Engineer and started migrating the power plant software from C++ to C#/.NET.
Growing into New Roles (2005-2009)#
In 2005, I changed industries and moved into the insurance sector, developing WinForms applications in .NET. Unsure whether to pursue a purely technical career or move into management, I started an Executive MBA.
In 2007, I became an Expert Software Engineer. My new project was at the airport, using the newest technology at the time: Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). I also introduced the WPF Architecture Blueprint, which is still used in legacy projects today.
2008 began with a three-month sabbatical through Australia and New Zealand with my wife. Then the financial crisis hit. Once again, Zühlke’s management handled the situation impressively.
In 2009, I was promoted to Lead Software Architect. Together with a colleague, I created the .NET Architectural Circle, one of the first communities of practice at Zühlke. It became the blueprint for all communities of practice that exist today. This was also the year Bitcoin was invented and the first DevOpsDays took place in Ghent, sparking the DevOps movement worldwide.
From Architect to Partner (2010-2016)#
In 2010, together with colleagues, I founded the Client Technology Days, a two-day mini-conference in Switzerland focused on user experience, UI design, and user interface technology. This event became so successful that we ran it multiple times over the following years, and it eventually inspired Zühlke to create the Software Engineering Days, a global conference for all software engineers.
In 2013, I was promoted to Principal Consultant and moved into the banking industry. In 2014, I became a team lead in the newly founded Client Technology Unit.
The biggest milestone came in 2016 when I was honored to become a Partner of the Zühlke Group. Zühlke had grown to 834 people by then. I also went on my second sabbatical, six months through the US, Canada, Easter Island, and Bora Bora.
The DevOps Era (2017-2022)#
After returning from sabbatical, I stayed in the banking industry but increasingly focused on DevOps. I went through leadership training at Ashridge in England and helped establish several internal events: the DevOpsDays at Zühlke and the Architecture Days at Zühlke.
In 2020, I was promoted to Distinguished Consultant and focused on agile transformations and DevOps transformations. Despite the COVID crisis, Zühlke grew to 1,234 people and moved into a beautiful new office (which we could not visit due to COVID).
2021 was an extraordinary year. Together with colleagues, we established Lean Portfolio Management, Participatory Budgeting, and founded the DevOps Practice at Zühlke. The company grew to 1,620 people and opened new locations in Porto and Ho Chi Minh City.
20 Years by the Numbers#
Looking back at 20 years, here are some numbers:
- 4,943 days or about 42,000 hours at Zühlke
- 160 trainings with roughly CHF 100,000 invested in my education
- 34 certificates earned
- 19 camps (would have been 20 without COVID)
- 100+ social events with teams
- 25 projects with 15 customers across 8 industries
- 3 sabbaticals
What Makes It Worth Staying#
Zühlke invests heavily in the education of their people. The camps are amazing: time to socialize and explore new technologies together. Beyond camps, there are countless social events and a culture that encourages you to drive new initiatives. Whether it was the Snow Event, the Game Event, the Client Technology Days, Lean Portfolio Management, or Participatory Budgeting, I always had the freedom to propose and create new things.
When I first started at Zühlke, I met people who had been with the company for 5, 10, even 20 years. I was surprised so many stayed that long. Now I am one of those people. And I am pretty sure I will stay for 20 more.