Career growth and maternity can coexist

Tech women between professional and personal plans 

In tech, growth and performance dominate the conversation. We talk far less about pauses or the moments when professional ambitions overlap with personal life. 

For many women, building a career while also building a family can feel like a difficult balance. Laura Cristurean’s story shows that these fears are real, but they do not have to define the outcome. Career growth and maternity can coexist

 

Laura’s story: from an internship to Tech Lead at Yonder 

Laura celebrates 20 years as a Yonderist next April. She joined the company through a C++ internship and quickly became part of the team. 

After completing the internship programme, she continued as a .NET software developer on one of our insurance projects. Over time, she contributed to several initiatives and gradually took on more responsibilities, combining development work with Scrum Master and Technical Lead responsibilities. 

Over the years, both the company and Laura’s role have evolved. She witnessed major moments in Yonder’s journey, from organizational changes to the rebranding from Nethrom to Yonder. 

 

 

Laura’s growth was not always linear  

After six years at Yonder, Laura welcomed her daughter and stepped into a new chapter of life, dedicating time to her family during the first stage of motherhood. She returned after a year and a half to the same .NET software developer role, this time joining a new project. 

“When you are on maternity leave and the time to return is approaching, you begin asking yourself: What will happen to me? Where will I return? Will I be as good as I was before? What did I miss? How much has changed? 

All of these questions are completely normal. It’s a period of uncertainty. Yonder helped me through it. The first month was easier than I expected, but I must admit it felt like being an intern again.” 

Five years later, after the birth of her son, Laura took a second maternity leave and returned two years later. This time, having the previous experience, the transition felt more predictable, even though the landscape had changed even more. 

When she came back, the office was different, the teams had evolved, and new technologies and projects had appeared. As she discussed her next steps, she had two options: continue on her previous project or take on a new challenge in OutSystems. Ready to embrace something new, Laura joined one of our largest OutSystems projects. 

“I had been away for two years, and already so many things had changed. The project was still in its early stages, and the technology was something I had never worked with before. Yonder was an early adopter of OutSystems in the local market. 

I panicked at first because I knew absolutely nothing about it. My first step was to start researching and learning.” 

For many women in tech, these emotions are normal. Returning after maternity leave often comes with uncertainty, especially in an industry that changes so quickly. But Laura’s story shows that maternity leave does not have to be a setback. It can be another chapter in a longer journey, one that still leaves room for growth, reinvention, and new opportunities.

 

 

Changing the technology after maternity leave  

At first, when a colleague introduced her to the bootstrap concept, she initially wondered whether this type of development would suit her. Only after completing the training did the bigger picture start to make sense. 

“Working with OutSystems means being a full-stack developer, handling frontend, backend, business logic, and database layers. Compared to what I used to do, where I focused mainly on front-end development, this meant approaching software development in a completely different way. One that enabling rapid development.”  

“It pushed me to think differently about architecture and visual design. Expanding beyond a single technology helped me grow. It was a journey paved by the right mindset.” 

She deepened her knowledge of JavaScript and databases and learned to work with a broader product perspective, combining technical understanding with business logic and close client collaboration, seeing the full product lifecycle. 

As time passed by, the project became a true partnership with the client, built around shared requirements, joint problem-solving, and continuous improvement. 

Laura showed adaptability, ambition, and trust throughout this transition. After two maternity breaks and a shift in technology, she reinvented herself through effort, curiosity, and persistence.  

Her role evolved from development to a combination of development and Scrum responsibilities, eventually transitioning fully into Scrum Master and Requirements Specialist roles. Today, she leads two teams on the very project she joined years ago. 

“I’ve been on this project for seven years now. We have strong client relationships and excellent communication. That helps us navigate pressure, deadlines, and European regulations successfully. Our collaborations are international, with colleagues from Poland, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Romania.” 

Laura’s journey highlights something important. Growth during life transitions is not only the responsibility of the individual. It is a shared effort between the person and the organization. At Yonder, this means creating an environment where people feel included, supported, and safe to pursue both personal and professional goals. When there is openness, planning, and honest communication before a leave, personal priorities and professional growth no longer compete. They can grow together.

 

 

Lesson learned after Laura’s career path in Yonder 

Today, Laura continues to work on the same project she joined years ago. 

Looking back, Laura says she would not change anything about her journey. Every team she worked with brought new lessons, from business logic and requirements to technical and soft skills. 

Her story reminds us that professional growth is rarely a straight line. It often includes pauses, uncertainty, and reinvention. But with the right support, career and personal life do not have to compete. They can grow together. Career growth and maternity can coexist.