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The best way to know where you belong in tech? Experience it firsthand!

At Booking.com, Junior Software Engineers rotate through two business units over 12 months of the Graduate Software Engineering Programme. They gain not only hands-on experience and knowledge from mentors, they also discover exactly what they enjoy most, from front-end to back-end development, before embarking on the next stage of their career journey.

In this article, three former graduates – Lucia, Ian, and Doga – share how the programme prepared them for their next roles as Software Engineers at Booking.com.

During her time in the Accommodations business unit, Lucia played a key role in a large data migration project. Her focus was on migrating workflows, ensuring that essential data workflows were successfully transitioned before critical deadlines.

“Leading weekly meetings to track migration progress, investigating upstream and downstream dependencies and aligning with product managers and data engineers gave me the chance to work with so many people outside my team. That was the best part of the project!”

Lucia’s work had a significant impact: “Since this was a company priority, completing it before the deadline was crucial. I’m proud to have contributed to something so important.”

Currently, Lucia is participating in a reservation modernisation project, where she’s identifying endpoints for migration to AWS and collaborating closely with her team to streamline workflows.

“My team makes me feel truly valued. My coworkers ask for my opinion first, and my manager gives me tasks that push me to share my thoughts. When there’s feedback, it’s always constructive. I’m incredibly happy to have found a team where I can keep learning and growing.”

Lucia’s journey is especially inspiring because she joined Booking.com without a background in computer science.

“When I joined, I worried I wasn’t good enough. I even stayed late in the first few months to catch up. But I asked questions and gradually realised I was capable. I was amazed to discover many colleagues had the same fears as me. The encouragement I received helped me persevere. I knew I was on the right path because I came home happy every day, proud of what I’d accomplished.”

“The opportunities to learn here are endless,” Lucia reflects. “Joining the programme gave me the chance to explore different teams, make lifelong friends, and discover what I truly enjoy working on. People are always willing to help – the growth never stops.”

During his rotation in FinTech, Ian joined the Customer Collection Frontend (CCFE) team, which focuses on delivering a smooth and intuitive payment experience for users. The team works primarily with JavaScript, React and testing frameworks to build payment components that can be integrated across different Booking.com products, such as flights and accommodations.

“Our goal was to make payment processes simple and efficient while integrating new payment methods with various providers,” Ian explains. “I worked on enhancing internal tools by adding new features and fixing bugs to ensure a seamless user experience.”

“One project that stood out for Ian involved adding a new button for internal users to copy-test credit card information. “It sounds simple, but I had to ensure the styling was consistent and that the button was intuitive for users. I proposed my design, explained why it would work, and after a few discussions, the feature went live. That moment made me feel like I was really making an impact.”

Mentorship played a crucial role in Ian’s development: “I had a mentor who guided me throughout my time on the team. Without their support, I wouldn’t have learned as much or progressed as quickly. Their encouragement inspired me to push myself further and take on more challenging tasks. I really felt like I belonged on the team – everyone was so supportive.”

Ian also highlights Booking.com’s inclusive culture: “As a Taiwanese expat in the Netherlands, I’ve never felt like an outsider here. The company is incredibly diverse, with employees from all around the world. It’s been great to experience different cultures – like attending the Diwali celebration, which was a highlight for me. The open-minded, growth-oriented mindset here makes working at Booking.com so fulfilling.”

Doga, now a Software Engineer in the Central Tech business unit, worked on developing services that improve employee experiences across Booking.com. Her team focuses on enhancing the utilisation of meeting rooms globally – an essential part of making the workspace efficient and collaborative.

“As a graduate, I was warmly welcomed to the team and had just as much input in the project as everyone else,” Doga shares. “It was great to feel that my contributions mattered from the start.”

One of her key projects was the Easy VC Service – which allows seamless video conferencing from meeting rooms within company offices – where she took full ownership of expanding the tool across the organisation. “I was the main point of contact for all technical aspects of the expansion. It came with a lot of responsibility – especially collaborating with teams in different timezones and without prior connections. But navigating those challenges was a fantastic learning experience. I’m proud of the part I played in this project.”

Doga believes that the supportive culture at Booking.com has played a big role in her success to date. “I love that I can ask questions – no matter how silly they may seem – and know I’ll get helpful answers. That’s how you learn. I also really value that in our team retrospectives, we have a ‘thank you’ section. It’s a moment to acknowledge each other’s contributions, and it always feels great to be recognised by your peers.”

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