Meet the Cast: Olena Babenko, Staff Engineer and Tech Expert

Olena Babenko, a Staff Engineer at Aiven, shares her journey in tech, highlighting her sideways exploration from Ukraine to various countries including Finland, where she currently resides. She emphasizes the importance of family support and mentorship in her career growth. Olena's experience with Apache Kafka® and Flink at Zalando proved valuable when joining Aiven as a mid-level Software Engineer. Her recent promotion to Staff Engineer allows her to make an even greater impact on both staff and customers. She appreciates the flexibility, openness to new ideas, and remote work culture at Aiven. Olena's advice for a career in engineering includes participating in meetups, finding the right mentor, and seeking continuous learning opportunities.