Meet Asier Gomez | DevOps Engineer

Meet the PRISMAtes and get to know our team! In this series, our employees tell us a little about themselves and their journey to PRISMA. Let's start and meet Asier.

"Maybe I should have stayed a bit longer," Asier laughs, while looking out of the window of the PRISMA office. It's an unusually cold Spring day in Leipzig. And Asier has just returned from his home in northern Spain, where Summer is already peeking through the door. "I was there for two weeks. I do this very often. I can open my laptop, do work and then meet my friends and family in the evening. It's wonderful," Asier says.  

Becoming an Expat 

Asier is a DevOps Engineer at PRISMA. His team has to ensure that the platform is always up and running. And at the slightest sight of trouble, Asier and the other engineers must act with lightning speed. Troubleshooting is an important part of their job, but they also design, develop and implement innovative and scalable software solutions in response to new business challenges. 

Since PRISMA is structured to facilitate hybrid and remote work, collaboration has never been a problem even at a distance. Asier belongs to a self-managed team, which enables them to discuss what to do and how to focus on each task with greater flexibility and agility. For him, this versatility is precisely what sets PRISMA apart from other companies. Yet, it wasn't the only reason for which Asier decided to take the job and move to Leipzig. 

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From Spain to Germany for PRISMA 

"Back in Spain, I worked for six years at a research company in the data analytics and artificial Intelligence team. Then the pandemic came. And I felt like I needed to try something new, to take a different path.” Asier leans back in his chair, one hand gesticulating the meaning of his words. “Going to another country was an option, but I didn’t yet know which one. And then the call came." 

On behalf of PRISMA, a recruiting firm had been searching for a DevOps Engineer. Asier was the perfect candidate, so they gave him a call. After an initial chat with Mariana Fernandez, PRISMA’s People & Culture Specialist, it was clear to him that this was the opportunity he was looking for. 

"It was easy for me," Asier recalls with a smile. "PRISMA gave me a relocation bonus to cover the moving costs and the first few days at a hotel. Then, I quickly found a flat, where I still live now. It's right in Südvorstadt, near the pub and café mile." 

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Leipzig - the right-size City 

In Spain, Asier lived in a town with about 17,000 inhabitants. Leipzig, in contrast, has over 600,000 and growing. "It's the right size for me. I especially like the way the city is built, almost like a big village. You have everything a big city should offer, but you're not overwhelmed. And the distances are short. It takes me five minutes to bike to work – back home, it was a 30-minute drive every day. I really don't want to do that again." 

The city made it easy for Asier to feel welcome – not least because he quickly found new friends. "I was surprised to see how big the Spanish community in Leipzig is. I've met about 30 to 40 Spaniards here!" 

Likewise, Asier soon felt right at home at PRISMA. "This was due in part to the comprehensive onboarding," he recalls. “They promptly gave me the equipment, training and expertise to do my job and thrive. In no time, I became an expert on the gas market. It clear from the very beginning: if I need and want to further my education, PRISMA will support me in that."  

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PRISMAtes - from Colleagues to Friends 

Of course, it’s not only about work. It is also about people. When you move to a different country and start a new job, you’re always afraid you might not fit in. Yet, Asier got along famously with his new colleagues. At PRISMA, he found many opportunities to make new friends: onboarding sessions, 1:1 chats, team building events, going for lunch downtown – or, why not, a BBQ on the balcony at the office when the weather permits. "That's how you get to talking, not just about work topics. I'm glad that I now see many of my colleagues as friends." 

Asier has been with PRISMA since 2020. Initially, he had not intended to stay in one place and work for the same company for very long. Yet, he has since changed his mind. "I won't be leaving anytime soon." Well, except when it comes to travelling. 

"In May, I want to visit my brother for the whole month. He lives in Hong Kong. It will probably be a mix of remote work and real vacation again. I'm really looking forward to it. But, after that, the good news is I am always happy to come back."