Brikl Beacons: Meryem

Meryem Ouedghiri, the Marketing Team’s talented Frontend Developer, grew up in a small, ever-changing city called Berkane in northeastern Morocco. Her innate curiosity as a child, where she would take things apart (even occasionally destroy things. Happily, her parents had a sense of humor about that!) led to an interest in mechanic technology in high school. “I choose to specialize in it, but I was the only girl in the classroom,” Meryem comments. “It was a new discipline and we were the first group, so there was a misconception that mechanics just fix cars or something. In reality, it was about doing lots of maths, designing things, then releasing real machines.”

Meryem went on to specialize in mechanical technology, where she designed mechatronic systems using 3D design programs, such as Solidworks and Catia. But she was disappointed to find that after completing her studies, the only job on offer for someone with her degree was working as a car designer. These car companies were often located in big cities located around 600km from Berkane.

“That's why I decided to change my specialty, reskill in web development, and start learning to program. I still remember how happy I was writing "Hello world!" for the first time. It was symbolic of a whole new world opening up for me where I could immediately see the results of my work,” Meryem reflects. It was a happy outcome for us too! Read on to find out what motivated Meryem on her journey towards creating better with Brikl.

From mechatronics to web development! What was this new adventure like?

Once I found out that there was a school where I could study Web Development, I didn't hesitate. I remember always being among the first in my class because I loved what I was doing. I studied Algorithms, SQL, ASP, UML, and HTML CSS basics, but I really started to learn when I started my first job.

I did everything: coding design conception using UML and Merise, then the design using Adobe XD, then coding from scratch using HTML BOOTSTRAP AND Angular and ASp.NET. What I love most about programming is finding solutions, especially if there is a difficult exception, and challenging my abilities every time I learn something new.

Why did you choose Brikl?

I moved to Belgium a year ago, choosing between finishing school or getting a job. I remember when I read the job description, there were a lot of positive employee comments on LinkedIn, and these comments made me feel this company could be a second home to me. I felt there were kind and talented people at Brikl, where I continue to do what I love with a lot of patience - my interviews confirmed this feeling. What also made me choose Brikl was knowing that this would not be an ordinary job and a simple position, but that I would contribute to building something significant. I'm in Brikl today because I consider it a second family. Its unique and important technology has a huge future ahead of it.

How does it feel like working in Brikl as a Front-end Developer?

When I start work here, I don't feel the time because working in the Marketing Team is very fun! Team members care about you and your condition and are ready to help. They are also keen to ensure you aren't stressed; I have never felt pressured or anxious. My only worry was to do good work, not because someone forced me but because I like to be responsible, prove to myself that I deserve this position, and boost my team.

Would you like to read more internal spotlights like these? Check back next week for more stories from our talented Briklers.