In the third episode of Soaring with Sabre, we chat with Urszula Kałuska. Ula told about her journey in Sabre Polska and shared her advice for team members who want to change their role internally. 

1. In your journey with Sabre for over 5 years you have changed roles, which is very inspiring. Tell us how was the experience?

I think my journey to change roles started in the one company before Sabre. We had there a Product Owner, developers, testers and of course a manager. It was the Quality Assurance Engineer responsibility to make sure the application is well designed and usable. Product Owner trusted us in that matter. When I joined Sabre as a QA I already had that conviction I’m responsible for the product as a whole, not just for checking the acceptance criteria written in the User Story. I wanted to have real influence on how this product looks and works. If you add to that equation curiosity about the business needs, ability to work with people and, how they say, natural leadership skills, the position of Technical Product Manager seemed like an obvious next step in my career.

2. What motivates you to look at different roles as you progressed in your career?

I think this is my nature. I do not like to be bored; I need new challenges (but not too much at once). I remember a thought from the past: first I will try how it is like to work in all positions in the development team and then I will become a conscious, supportive manager for such a team. We’ll see if I predicted my future.

3. How would you advice people who want to consider internal moves like you have done?

Talk to your manager! Tell her/him how you feel in your current role, what do you like and dislike; tell in which field you want to grow. If they care about you, they will bend over backward to make it possible for you (just like my manager did for me). If they don’t… well, you’re on your own, but don’t give up! If you’re already motivated to change your position, go ahead, and apply for them. Otherwise, find somebody who could motivate you. Small hint: our communities’ members do really great job in it!

4. What’s the best part of Sabre that you like?

There are multiple things and it’s hard to pick just one. First, I like the product I work on. I like that I can constantly learn, and I see the opportunities for me to grow here. Besides that, I love there is a space to help others and build relationships. I’m one of the leaders of the Women in Technology community and a member of the Technical Product Managers Community. I actively engage in Give Together charity campaigns we organize each year. I am grateful for all my managers who supported that and saw value in these.