From Chemistry to Code:
Alexander’s Journey into IT
“It’s never too late to start. The beginning can be challenging, but at some point everything clicks into place, and from then on, you keep progressing one step at a time.”
From an Unconventional Start to Continuous Growth
His story is a great example of a career change that was not driven by chance, but by curiosity, perseverance, and the willingness to explore new paths. Discover how Alexander made the leap into IT and why unconventional career journeys often lead to remarkable success in this employee story.
Alexander Gaugusch: A Developer in Vienna with a Big-Picture Mindset
Alexander works as a software developer at SOCITAS in Vienna. In his day-to-day work, he combines technical precision with a focus on practical solutionsthat deliver real value in customer projects. Colleagues who work with him know him as someone who enjoys diving into new challenges independently and has a genuine desire to understand topics in depth
Vienna as a Home Base, Projects as a Playing Field
As a software developer in Vienna, Alexander is firmly embedded in the team where implementation, collaboration, and quality assurance come together. His focus is on developing solutions that are closely aligned with customer requirements, well documented, and reliable in day-to-day operations. In many ways, his role reflects what software development can look like in a project-driven environment: understanding business needs, translating them into practical solutions, and ensuring that the final result delivers lasting value.
Customer Solutions built for Real-World Use
A key part of his work involves customer-specific customizations. Alexander develops extensions and enhancements that integrate seamlessly into existing processes and help make users’ day-to-day work easier. He places great importance on ensuring that solutions are not only technically sound, but also maintainable in the long term.
Quality Is Never Left to Chance
Internal Tools That Make Work Easier
More recently, Alexander has also become involved in the development of internal software solutions. These projects focus on tools and features designed to support fellow developers, streamline workflows, and make recurring tasks more efficient. By helping to improve internal processes , he contributes not only to technical solutions but also to the way teams collaborate and work together.
Job Training as a starting point: from first contact to new opportunities
Alexander's path to SOCITAS began through the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS). While exploring training opportunities and ways to start a new career at a career information center, he made an important connection. A career advisor who personally knew Gerhard Hnat, Managing Director of SOCITAS Austria, recommended Alexander and forwarded his résumé to him. Shortly afterwards, he was invited to an interview.
At that time, Alexander had no previous experience with Business Central. ERP systems, business processes, and the typical workflows found in companies were largely unfamiliar to him. Instead of letting this become a barrier to entry, both sides discussed a solution during the interview that would allow him to develop the necessary skills: a job training program.
Taking on responsibility in a growing company
The job training program was not a traditional training course with fixed schedules, classroom sessions, or weekly lesson plans. Instead, it was largely built around self-directed learning. To support him, Gerhard recommended a learning platformfeaturing video-based courses and practical exercises. Alongside these resources, Alexander worked on practice projects that allowed him to apply what he had learned and steadily build a solid foundation for his future role.
There was still plenty of support available—just without a rigid structure. Whenever questions came up, Alexander could turn to his colleagues for guidance and discuss topics in more detail. This combination of self-directed learning and direct support when needed suited his learning style perfectly.
The steepest learning curve often lies beyond the code
Alexander quickly found his footing on the technical side. Programming was not entirely new to him, even though software development in this environment differs significantly from game development. The real challenge lay elsewhere. Business Central and ERP projects require an understanding of the business processes behind the system’s functionality.
Alexander immersed himself in key areas such as sales orders, posting logic, and the relationships between logistics and production. It was precisely this perspective that was new to him and challenged him far more than the technical development itself. Even today, there are topics that remain demanding. But that is exactly what makes the work at SOCITAS so interesting. Processes and system logic are closely interconnected , and technical expertise only reaches its full potential when combined with a solid understanding of the underlying business requirements.
Entwicklung, die bleibt: Ankommen in einem neuen IT Umfeld
Trotz der neuen fachlichen Welt fand Alexander schnell in seine Rolle hinein. Die Unterschiede zur bisherigen Arbeit waren spürbar, aber nicht abschreckend. Vieles ließ sich über Praxis, Wiederholung und konsequentes Anwenden festigen. Was dabei besonders hilft, ist seine Arbeitsweise. Er nimmt neue Inhalte nicht nur auf, sondern setzt sie zügig in Lösungen um, die im Projektkontext funktionieren.
So entstand aus dem Jobtraining nicht nur ein Einstieg in Business Central, sondern eine gute Ausgangslage für eine langfristige IT Karriere in Wien. Mit jeder Aufgabe wuchs das Verständnis für Prozesse und Projekte, und mit jedem Schritt wurde klarer, dass sein Weg zwar unkonventionell ist, aber fachlich trägt.
Ein Weg, der nicht geplant war und genau deshalb überzeugt
Alexanders Geschichte zeigt, dass eine Karriere in der IT nicht immer mit einem klassischen Lebenslauf beginnt. Aus einem abgebrochenen Chemiestudium, einem selbst erlernten Einstieg ins Programmieren und viel Eigeninitiative ist bei der SOCITAS eine Rolle entstanden, in der technisches Können, Verantwortung und Weiterentwicklung zusammenkommen.
Entscheidend war dabei nicht, dass von Anfang an alles perfekt passte, sondern dass Potenzial erkannt, Raum geschaffen und Alexander individuell gefördert wurde. Durch das Jobtraining, die Unterstützung im Team und den Freiraum, eigene Themen einzubringen, konnte Alexander Schritt für Schritt in ein neues Fachgebiet hineinwachsen.
Wer selbst über einen Einstieg in die IT nachdenkt, muss also nicht den geradlinigsten Weg mitbringen. Wichtiger sind Neugier und die Bereitschaft, sich wirklich in neue Themen einzuarbeiten. Wenn du genau das mitbringst, lohnt sich ein Blick auf unsere offenen Stellen und Einstiegsmöglichkeiten bei der SOCITAS. Denn bei uns sind Quereinsteiger willkommen!
