With a degree in Applied Computer Science from the AGH University of Kraków (Poland), Karolina Placek (26) was working full-time at a SAAS company. After a successful internship and a year of part-time work, she took a three-month break. The full-time position she accepted was great, but Karolina’s wanderlust remained prominent. A year and a half ago, she decided to follow her passion and headed to the Netherlands, a country she had already visited. “I knew the Netherlands from travels I’d taken; I’d been to Eindhoven, Amsterdam, and The Hague. The Netherlands turned out to be an ideal country for me; I immediately felt at home,” Karolina explains.
“When I emigrated here a year and a half ago, I found a work-from-home job at a startup. That work ended, but a good friend tipped me off: Salacia Solutions was looking for professionals. I applied in February of this year and made it through the first rounds. Unfortunately, it turned out that Salacia was taking a hiatus from hiring. They were going to keep me on board, so in April, they contacted me to see if I was still interested. Of course, I still wanted to work at Salacia!”
A beautiful fusion of professionalism and sustainability
Karolina says she’s always had a passion for sustainable living, but didn’t factor that into her study choice. She’s thrilled that everything is now merging: “Salacia’s work is wonderful and meaningful. It was meant to be that Salacia crossed my path. The great thing about the Netherlands is that everything is more sustainable here. In my opinion, Salacia beautifully bridges the gap between sustainability legislation and business. We offer tools that help companies create a better world. Salacia Solutions is literally at the heart of more sustainable working.”
Her current home is The Hague, a city Karolina thoroughly enjoys. “So you end up working in Rotterdam, at a truly Rotterdam company,” she says with a laugh. “My Rotterdam roots are definitely not hidden here. It’s very Rotterdam here.” Would she like to move to Rotterdam? Karolina: “Not yet. I think The Hague is a great place to live and spend my free time. The commute from The Hague to Rotterdam is manageable, especially considering I have a great job and enjoy fantastic teammates.”
And in five years?
Karolina definitely has a dream for the future: she hopes to be an entrepreneur herself in five years. The sector she’s pursuing surprises us: “I want to write a program that serves as a culinary recipe manager, both as a web application and for mobile use.”
