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An exercise in gratitude

This Thanksgiving, I wanted to put pen to paper about my feelings of gratitude for my job. 

Among other things, it is something I am profoundly grateful for and I often find myself thinking about how lucky I am to work for the company that I do. 

But, honestly, it’s pretty hard to put it into words. I only hope that this post can do my gratitude some justice.

13 Reasons Why I Love Working for My Company

1) I can say for certain that my colleagues and bosses care more about me as a person than what I can do for their pockets or their agendas.

2) I’m free to work from anywhere. (Yes, in the world… well, in a close time zone, that is.) Without having to take a vacation, I’ve already been to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Argentina… and the list goes on. My next new destination is Brazil! 

3) Uruguay is a tiny miracle of a place. Prosperous and liberal, it has low corruption by regional standards and its politics are temperate. Uruguayans enjoy the highest quality of life on the continent. It’s a country whose human warmth is unparalleled and whose barbecue, better known as asado, reigns supreme. 

4) Our “People Care” team has real systems in place to support both personal and professional growth for every team member.

5) Our leaders don’t believe in quitting or failure. Their resilience and confidence inspire me every day. 

6) It’s extremely rare for someone inside Abstracta to be let go. We try really hard to find a place for someone in our company once they’re in it, even if that implies shifting their role to something we think they may be better suited for. We try to help people find their path to success.

7) I am granted a lot of autonomy. 

8) I am given mentorship and support whenever I ask for it. 

9) The opportunities for our business are endless! Every software needs quality assurance or what we like to call “quality engineering” and no, it can’t all be automated.

10) Unlike the unicorns, my company was built off bootstrapping and prioritizes sustainability. It took over ten years to reach +100 employees. I’m excited to see where we will be in five more years. 

11) Abstracta creates innovative, win-win strategies that enable it to grow while also giving back to the community. For example, Abstracta gets involved with programs that train various groups of people in testing who would not have had the opportunity to break into tech and improve their lives otherwise. These programs, in turn, also help us to recruit and hire more desperately needed talent in our industry.

12) I have learned a better way to work with my team this year, thanks to the help of my colleagues, which has really helped to boost my confidence, keep us all aligned, and enabled me to be more proud of our achievements. 

13) Last but not least, Uruguayan company celebrations > other country company celebrations. 

via GIPHY

Those are just some of the reasons why I am so proud to be a member of Abstracta.

It’s more than a job, it’s a community and a lifestyle, and I want to say thank you!