Alexandra Stambolova

Melon is the place where I do what I love with people I like and respect.

What do you like about being a developer? 

As developers, we have the opportunity and skills to take an idea and transform it into a software solution. We build products thаt bring value and joy to the end users.

People enjoy products that are beautiful, user-friendly and meet their needs. I have always been attracted to the UI and UX part of the software development, that’s why I have chosen to be a front-end-developer.

Most colleagues that I know are passionate about what they do and find ways to share know-how, or cool new features they use or have read about. And this makes me feel as a part of something bigger, a community.

My first day at Melon

When I joined Melon, the office was in an apartment building in a small quarter in Sofia. There was a big kitchen with a coffee machine. I have always been a coffee junky, so the moment I entered and smelled the coffee I told myself: “I’m home”. 

When I got in the room, where my team was, I saw calm and easy-going people. They seemed to be where they wanted to be.

Back then, I was welcomed by the CTO, who introduced me to a teammate, who on her turn showed me around and led me into the work processes, showed me some good lunch locations and most importantly thought me how to use the coffee machine. 

My initial impression of Melon as an employer, workplace and values is still valid 10 years later. 

How did you change in the past 10 years?

I definitely grew up. 

Professionally, I became much more experienced and confident. In my personal life, I got married and became a proud mother of two. Аlso, I have become more patient and now I have more faith in people. 

Тhe most challenging period was when I came back from my first maternity.  When you have been away for a year and a half in the software development business, it is like starting all over again. This means to get along with the workload again, catch up with new technologies, work with new colleagues and a new team lead in a new and bigger office space. Dynamics had changed – more people had joined, bigger projects had piled-up and everybody and everything I knew had grown.  

What brought you back in the game?

I have amazing teammates and a supportive community.

As a parent, I have a whole lot more responsibilities, always mindful of the little one. Nonetheless, at Melon, once again, everything came into place quite quickly. Again, I felt at home. I started with a less intensive software development project and had an amazing time working on it.  Melon helped me learn how to balance my professional and private life.

What does Melon mean to you? 

For me, Melon is the place where I do what I love with people I like and respect. People are the most important at Melon. 

As time goes by (and while working with the fellow developers from the offices in Sofia, Skopje and Veliko Tarnovo), I realized that Melon’s spirit – the friendly attitude and our values “Be Smart, Be nice, Make things happen” – is truly the thin red line that defines the company.

Teammates are devoted and responsible. I feel like people come here to give their best and they enjoy it.

What are you proud of at Melon?

Being part of a handful of projects, most of them still alive and kicking. I am proud that those clients have become our long-term partners.

Most importantly, I am proud that I have worked with most of Melon`s teams – I have had the opportunity to meet all these software developers, UX and UI designers, QA and DevOps engineers, and a few marketers. I am happy because I really do like all of them. 

To me, it’s not the haste, nor the quantity, but rather the quality. It’s all about growing a team and a fruitful partnership with the client, both based on mutual trust. 

Today, when someone asks me “how is your company doing during the pandemic”, I can honestly say that Melon is actually doing pretty well. The business is growing, we do to take care of ourselves and our families and uphold Melon's spirit and culture.