“At last, I can do my dream job.”

Front-end developer Fawad has now been part of the arndtteunissen team for half a year. With his work, the Afghan-born developer has turned a passion into a profession. In the interview, he tells us why the road there was anything but easy for him.

Where exactly are you from, Fawad?
I grew up in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Since June 2015, however, I have been living in Dormagen.

And what brought you there?
In 2013, the International Security Assistance Force “ISAF” announced its withdrawal from Afghanistan. From then on, the situation in the country got worse day by day. In Kabul there were several explosions a week. During my last 20 days there, a full 12 attacks. Two of them less than 100 metres away from me. We still left the house every morning, but we always had to be afraid of being hit by the next bomb.

How did your journey to Germany go?
It was quite exhausting and took about two months. Most of the time I walked over mountains, along railway tracks or through forests. Mentally, I used that time to prepare myself for the difficult challenges I expected in Germany.

Did your expectations prove right?
No, the friendliness of the Germans completely exceeded my expectations. About a month after my arrival, two very kind volunteers came to see us. We drank tea together and talked about the situation. Then they told me about Café Grenzenlos. An initiative where refugees could make contacts with other volunteers, chat and learn German at the same time. I went there regularly and, through the hours of conversation, always felt more secure and hopeful.

What does your life in Germany look like today?
A lot has changed for me since I arrived here. In March this year, for example, I obtained my German C1 certificate and then looked around for interesting jobs. Today I am in permanent employment and can finally put the knowledge I acquired during my computer science degree into practice.

Did you always know you wanted to work in this industry?
On the advice of my parents and some friends, I initially attended lectures on management. But I quickly realised it wasn’t for me. Since I’d always been very enthusiastic about computers and software, I went to a few programming courses. And I decided straight away on a computer science degree. I still believe today that it was exactly the right decision.

What do you enjoy about programming?
For me, it is a job of the future. Digitalisation is an industry that changes every day. And with it, our world changes too. By programming, I am part of this movement and can contribute to making people’s living conditions easier through technical means. That fact makes me content and gives me self-confidence.

What did you particularly value when looking for a job?
That I can keep developing through the work itself and possible further training. Besides a stress-free environment, I also think it’s important that my work is recognised. Ideally, the projects are also varied. Whether website, web or mobile app, at the agency I work on a wide range of front-end technologies. That is not only fun but also brings many exciting new experiences.