Meet Marek — he grew up in Kraków and two years ago moved just outside the city to a peaceful, green area where he and his wife can fully enjoy their shared love for fresh air and outdoor sports. 🌿 🏃🏽 In winter, he swaps his bike rides for snowboarding in the Tatra Mountains. 🏂 His new home also gives him plenty of space to do what he loves most: spending time with family and friends. 🩵

Marek is a curious person interested in history and paleontology, and he loves exposing himself to new cultures and learning about different ways of living around the world during his travel adventures. 🌏 He also recently rediscovered the meditative joy of building LEGO sets. 

There are so many more things that make Marek who he is, but let’s hear from him himself. 

Marek, if you could instantly become an expert in anything, what would it be?

When I was young, I didn’t know how to swim, and I actually had an experience where I almost drowned. So for many years, swimming was a fear of mine. Four years ago I decided it’s enough, I need to know how to swim. It took me 30 years, but now I can swim. 🏊🏻

So if I could instantly become an expert in anything, I would choose swimming, because for me it’s connected to overcoming my fear and breaking through that barrier.

What advice would you give to someone starting in your role?

I’ve been a software engineer almost all my life and my number one motto has always been: never stop learning. I strongly believe that if you want to achieve something or become really good at your work, you need to keep learning throughout your entire life; you’re never going to be “done” with learning. 

AI is the best example of how fast our work can drastically change. It’s important to stay flexible, adapt to new challenges, learn from them, and keep developing. 💡⏭️ 

Do you have a hobby or passion outside of work that energizes you?

That is snowboarding for sure. We live quite close to the Tatra Mountains, so whenever the weather allows, I head down there. It’s one of my absolute favorite ways to spend the winter. 

And travelling! I love the planning, the excitement before the trip, and then getting to live a totally different life for a short period of time. I love exploring, immersing myself in a completely new environment where nothing is familiar, trying new food, experiencing different cultures, and meeting new people. Travelling gives me so much energy and creates memories I carry with me for a long time. 🌏

I don’t have any “crazy” hobbies — although I am currently restoring my old LEGO collection, maybe that counts. I loved it as a kid, and now I’ve rediscovered how relaxing and almost meditative it can be to build something from scratch. 

I also love reading about history and paleontology. I strongly believe that if you understand history, you understand life today. I think if I wasn’t a software engineer, I would be an archaeologist. 🦕 

What is your favorite song of all time?

I’m a hard rock and metal fan, so Master of Puppets by Metallica is my absolute favorite. 🤘🏼 

I also love other songs from Metallica, and Guns N’ Roses and Scorpions — Wind of Change is of course also one of favorite tracks. It’s not only beautiful but also meaningful because of how it reflects the political changes in Europe after the Cold War.

Name the top 3 best things with Younium.

The first thing that comes to my mind is the openness to new technological innovations. At Younium, this isn’t just a slogan but the reality. Here, we really understand that innovation is the way forward, and that’s not something you can take for granted. In some companies, innovation is more of a value on paper than something actually lived. At Younium, I strongly believe it’s an integral part of the company. 🚀

The second aspect I thought of is the work-life balance. I really appreciate that I can arrange my work in a way that aligns with my private life. What matters is delivering results, not when or where I do the work. That’s something I value a lot. ⚖️

The third thing is the trust Younium has in its employees. I really feel trusted to try new ways of working and to be innovative myself, and if that means failing sometimes and learning from it, that’s part of our development as a company. This trust also comes with a real sense of responsibility and impact, which is something I find really motivating.