5 Reasons Why You Should Consider An IT Career

If you have been following the news in the past year(s), you know that not only Austria, but the entire Western World is looking for talent, especially in the IT sector. Even at Runtastic, a truly great place to work, we are struggling to find talented people who embody our company values.

_{The Runtastic founders at the Hagenberg Campus, where it all started}

Computer software, mobile apps and intelligent machines have (and will continue to) become part of our daily life and we will need people in the background to invent, develop and market them. We are convinced that the sector is a great career opportunity for anybody with ambition, curiosity and the willingness to collaborate, and we know that with the right education you can make it to almost anywhere.

Are you still in doubt? Let us take care of it.

1. You CAN learn how to code
Stephan Brunner, a business school graduate and now our Head of Android, barely had a clue about what he was getting into when he applied for the Mobile Computing program. As he was in class with a lot of talent (such as our founders), the pace was high and he invested a lot of time in tackling his university projects.

“Working as a team and learning from each other has been a crucial factor for my career.”
_{Stephan Brunner, Head of Android}

Collaboration is key, not just at Runtastic, but in any business with an open company culture. Working together on projects during school will not only help you to rely on others but also how crucial it is to support each other – be it when reviewing a code or a final presentation.

2. Soft skills are just as important
Niklas, one of our Backend Developers, who is currently finishing his Master’s degree at the FH Upper Austria, not only takes care of our platforms, but also handles our internal team page, which helps everybody get to know each other even better.

“I am proud of my projects and I love to present them in the end.”
_{Niklas, Backend Developer and FH Hagenberg student}

Even though he is a passionate coder, he knows that it is just as important to never lose the bigger picture and and be able to talk about your ideas.

“Even if things didn’t turn out as planned, you learn how to stand up and try it again.”
_{Rene Giretzlehner, Co-Founder and Head of Data Engineering}

It is the mix of hard technical and soft skills that cleared Rene’s career path, and he is still glad that he picked a university which taught him both.

3. Software development is not just about coding
Writing a clean and maintainable code is key for being a good software developer. However, if coding is not what you are striving for, it doesn’t mean you cannot succeed in the industry.

“I never was a good developer.”
_{Florian Gschwandtner, CEO and Co-Founder}

Florian admits that coding was never really his passion. But, understanding how software engineering works was crucial throughout all Runtastic stages – from founding to the adidas deal. As we all know, he did just fine.

4. You will learn how to adapt in any field
Benedict, who has a Master’s degree in Digital Arts as well as Information Engineering & Management, is one of our Product Managers. Even though his job’s mission centers around software development, his tasks are rather managerial.

“Hard work and following your passion really pays off.”
_{Benedict, Product Manager}

Kathrin, who studied Media Technology & Design, can certainly agree to that, even though her career turned out to be the other way round. She was always strongly interested in design, but is now Runtastic’s Head of Web Development. Even though Kathrin recommends to study Mobile Computing for anybody strongly interested in coding, her general education in Informatics, Communications and Media helped her to learn about numerous different fields.

_{Kathrin is not only our Head of Web, but also one of our employer brand models.}

5. You will be at the cutting edge of technology

Andrzej, one of our Media Designers and MTD graduate, whose videos can be found on our social media channels, is working with programs such as Adobe After Effects on a daily basis. Especially when producing videos for Runtastic Results, his technical background was crucial for his collaboration with the software developers.

“We worked with GPS long before it became a standard feature of every smartphone.”
_{Christian Kaar, CTO and Co-Founder}

GPS tracking still is the very core of Runtastic. Had Christian and his founding team not decided to track sailboats as a students’ project, Runtastic would not be a make the life of millions healthier by promoting an active lifestyle.

Runtastic’s success is based on various talents and numerous different choices, and therefore make sure that you too make the right career decision!

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