In celebration of International Women’s Day 2022, we sat down with six female employees who work in different roles across our European office locations at Relax Gaming. Learn more about each individual work path and the journey that led them to where they are today.
2D Artist, Sweden
1. What inspired you to take the role that you are currently in and what journey led you there?
I grew up in a typical Asian family where my future path was laid out by my parents. I spent my teenage years studying and preparing for a future based on their plans, leaving me with a sense of helplessness as I had no say.
However, through drawing I discovered my voice which allowed me to express myself like I’ve never experienced before. My school books were filled with doodles. Whether it was a Godzilla attacking calculus questions during math class, or an Epic Gundam fight during physics, I kept doodling for as long as I can remember. My passion for art eventually armed me with a voice and confidence to speak to my parents about my true passion. Long story short, through bravery and sticking to my own personal path, I now find myself lucky enough to draw for a living.
2. If you could sum up a day in your professional shoes in a simple phrase or a couple of words, what would it be?
Ambitious. Creative. Adaptable
3. Looking back on your experience to date, what's one piece of advice that you would give someone who aspires to a similar career path?
Don’t take feedback or criticism too personally and never beat yourself up over it. We learn from our mistakes. Focus on what you can do to improve from it. When things get hard, that only means that you have the opportunity to learn something new - personally I believe we should never stop learning.
Senior Game Tester, Serbia
1. What inspired you to take the role that you are currently in and what journey led you there?
When I was a child, I grew up watching my dad and uncle play hours and hours of video games. Through the guidance of my uncle, and due to my keen interest in video games from such a young age, I found myself stepping into the gaming world.
Gaming offered me the perfect backdrop that occupied my childhood and today, my passion and love for playing games is stronger than ever. After high school, I started paying attention to my future and how I could intertwine gaming into a working path. Following both my sisters who became developers, I went down the same career path and in time joined the iGaming industry, starting off by anaylsing certain rules on the games I enjoyed playing. Testing out different routes on video games opened up a whole new perspective which I realised I was incredibly interested in.
2. If you could sum up a day in your professional shoes in a simple phrase or a couple of words, what would it be?
Break.That.Thing
3. Looking back on your experience to date, what’s one piece of advice that you would give someone who aspires to a similar career path?
Never give up. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes you will have days with 0 discovered bugs, but it doesn't mean you are doing less of a good job. Set your goal, and start chasing it, never give up. Dreams do come true!
Senior Ruby Developer, Estonia
1. What inspired you to take the role that you are currently in and what journey led you there?
My journey as a developer can all point back to me being somewhat lazy, but not in the sense that you might be thinking. When I was enrolling in University, I set out to study Economics, however it just so happens that the university that focused on Economics was a little too far from my home which made me pursue the lazy decision of enrolling into the closest one. Through this simple choice, I stumbled upon a Computer Science degree which seemed like an appropriate switch from Economics - not so much of a sin perhaps. That is how it all started. I had no idea what the road would bring, but I’m happy and feel lucky to have followed the path of my lazy self.
I have been working in this field ever since I graduated back in Russia. When Relax Gaming appeared on my LinkedIn feed, like some serendipity miracle, I knew that this was a challenge I didn’t want to pass up. I started packing my bags the moment I was offered the role. Five years on, I am still here and grateful for how much I have grown and learnt.
2. If you could sum up a day in your professional shoes in a simple phrase or a couple of words, what would it be?
I would have to go with the following two phrases, “Why you-no work” and “Beautifully done Varvara”.These represent both the good and the bad, the Yin and Yang so to speak.
3. Looking back on your experience to date, what’s one piece of advice that you would give someone who aspires to a similar career path?
Don’t lie to yourself, coding is not for everyone despite what the general consensus says nowadays. Do you feel happy coding? Is it something you look forward to doing? Do you keep yourself awake trying to solve that little pesky mother of a bugger-bug that you don’t seem to be able to find and at the same time can’t bring yourself to shut off before doing so? If you do, I would say that you are right for the “picking”, otherwise don’t force yourself to do something you don’t enjoy you will just end up burning yourself up. Also, if you are a junior, you need to have a good balance between “ask your senior '' and “fight the problem myself”.
Head of Product Compliance, Malta
1. What inspired you to take the role that you are currently in and what journey led you there?
As a brown Latin American woman, my professional journey was surely marked by more than a few prejudicial experiences. These have shaped my beliefs and motivated me to work harder and smarter in order to build enough knowledge and to be able to challenge women's history of leadership; where to this day, a struggle with gender bias exists, however, women constantly prove enough competence to be able to take leadership roles.
When invited to take my current role at Relax by another woman, I felt empowered and recognised purely by my skills. This is refreshing and inspiring, and I can't wait to empower many other women out there who are deserving of great opportunities but have been going through the same as I did (and still do).
2. If you could sum up a day in your professional shoes in a simple phrase or a couple of words, what would it be?
Create your own opportunities!
3. Looking back on your experience to date, what's one piece of advice that you would give someone who aspires to a similar career path?
Look ahead, your journey is YOUR OWN! Dare to believe in yourself and celebrate diversity through both the highs and the lows.
Associate Legal Counsel, Finland
1.What inspired you to take the role that you are currently in and what journey led you there?
On a personal level, I would have to say the journey began as far back as my upbringing in England and Switzerland. In my second year of my law degree at Warwick University, I was craving deeper legal knowledge, and so chose to do a masters degree right away; which I am so glad I did. Not only did I meet some truly wonderful people, I gained a much better understanding of the subject. The additional year also gave me the opportunity to devise my 5-10 year plan, where I was able to determine exactly what it was I wanted to do and how to get there. After having spent some time with an in-house legal team and then a short period with a law firm, I knew I wanted to pursue the in-house route. And so after my masters, with a heightened understanding of the legal field and my international background in tow, I took the plunge and moved to Finland.
A good friend and now colleague of mine always spoke highly of Relax Gaming, and so I was more than eager to apply when the opportunity arose! As a young legal professional, and having moved to a country whose language I do not (yet) speak, I was also looking for a company that would take a ‘gamble’ on me, and Relax did exactly that. A year later, now fully immersed in the online gaming industry, as well as forming part of a fantastic and supportive legal in-house team, I realise that this is exactly what I was looking for: An innovative company with strong ties to technology, a player on a global scale and a part of the international environment, and perhaps most importantly, one that would always keep me on my toes, to push and inspire me to learn more.
2. If you could sum up a day in your professional shoes in a simple phrase or a couple of words, what would it be?
Challenging. Dynamic. Entertaining
3. Looking back on your experience to date, what’s one piece of advice that you would give someone who aspires to a similar career path?
For those that want to pursue a career in law, whether it be at a law firm, as a barrister, or part of an in-house team, the first piece of advice I would give is to not compare yourself to those who may be taking a different path. My path has certainly not been traditional, and while having been faced with quite a few challenges, I wouldn’t have it any other way! Secondly, where possible, take the time to figure out what exactly it is you want to achieve. Once you have a clearer understanding of this, then it’s time to start that battle plan, and come up with your next moves. Finally, perseverance. Perseverance will get you through anything.
Partnership Program Manager, Gibraltar
1. What inspired you to take the role that you are currently in and what journey led you there?
I started my IT career as a Junior Project Manager more than ten years ago. I was fortunate enough to quickly progress to a Project Manager position, then further into a more senior role. I found myself managing project, delivery, and software development teams in various different companies and industries.
I was encouraged by others to apply for this particular role at Relax as it seemed to be a perfect opportunity for me, when compared to my past experience. After hearing more about the role and Relax itself, It sounded like a really exciting opportunity and something that I believed I would be good at. I definitely wanted to be part of the team and I haven’t been disappointed since joining in May last year.
2. If you could sum up a day in your professional shoes in a simple phrase or a couple of words, what would it be?
Busy. Challenging. Rewarding
3. Looking back on your experience to date, what's one piece of advice that you would give someone who aspires to a similar career path?
Do not be afraid to make mistakes or let fear of failure hold you back, mistakes are how we learn. The important part is how you deal with the situation, adapt and ensure that it does not repeat time and time again.
Authentic company culture unifies teams and bridges global offices. At Relax, we are passionate, driven, and humble. We enjoy a team-oriented environment and understand our value to the overall company. Most importantly, we love what we do!
Relax is always on the lookout for exceptional talent! With diverse roles and offices across Europe, we believe we have something here for everyone. Check out our open vacancies here: https://relax-gaming.com/careers/
