ÖBB-Konzern
Natascha Muehl, Back End Developerin bei ÖBB
Description
Natascha Muehl von der ÖBB redet im Interview über ihren Start in die IT, was ihre Arbeit im Back End Development beinhaltet und gibt Tipps für Beginner.
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Video Summary
In "Natascha Muehl, Back End Developerin bei ÖBB," Natascha Muehl traces her path from an early passion for tech and HTL training (C, Assembler, C++) through building a complex real-time system in security technology to developing web applications at the ÖBB Group focused on capturing and evaluating environmental aspects and implementing protection measures. She works end-to-end—from requirements analysis, design, development, test documentation, and technical acceptance to deployment—closely collaborates with customers, supports onboarding, and enjoys thoughtful design and bug-fixing as detective work; the project continually adapts to legal and internal guidelines, highlighting ÖBB’s environmental commitment. Her advice: learn by doing with online resources, don’t be overwhelmed by tool sprawl, consider formal education for depth, and seek mentoring to grow.
From HTL to Rail Environmental Platforms: Natascha Muehl’s Back-End Journey at ÖBB
Insights from “Natascha Muehl, Back End Developerin bei ÖBB” (ÖBB-Konzern)
Watching “Natascha Muehl, Back End Developerin bei ÖBB” with speaker Natascha Muehl (ÖBB-Konzern), one theme stood out: a deeply technical career powered by human curiosity. Her story moves from childhood fascination with how things work to shipping software that makes a real-world impact—from card readers and access doors to web applications that support environmental protection across rail operations.
Three motifs frame her journey and resonate with engineers at any level: strong fundamentals, hands-on building, and taking ownership across the full lifecycle—from requirements analysis to deployment. In between, teamwork, mentoring, and the quiet satisfaction of pinning down a stubborn bug like a detective.
Curiosity at the origin: over-the-shoulder learning and hands-on tinkering
Muehl’s interest in technology started early. Every time her father brought home a new device, she would look over his shoulder and help set it up or program it.
“Ich habe schon von klein auf mich immer für Technik interessiert … und habe dann meinem Vater eigentlich jedes Mal, wenn er irgendein neues Gerät mit nach Hause gebracht hat, immer über die Schulter durchgeschaut und dann mitgeholfen, wenn er das in Betrieb genommen hat oder programmiert hat.”
What might be a casual childhood memory for some became her ignition point: an urge to understand how things work. That spirit—observe, understand, and do—remains the throughline in how she later approaches complex systems.
Choosing the technical path: HTL nach Pinkerfeld, EDV und Organisation
After lower secondary school, Muehl chose a technical track at the HTL nach Pinkerfeld in the “EDV und Organisation” department. A “Kennenlern-Tag für Mädchen” (intro day for girls) proved pivotal: seeing other girls choosing the same route made the path feel both visible and achievable.
“Da war ich zuvor auf einem Kennenlern-Tag für Mädchen … das hat mich sehr ermutigt.”
At the HTL she learned programming in earnest—starting with C, moving on to assembler, and then C++. The fundamentals grabbed her attention, particularly number systems and the basics of computing. Those foundations later made new problem domains and stacks less daunting.
- Early languages and content: C, assembler, C++
- Strong pull toward fundamentals: number systems and EDV basics
- Social proof matters: seeing many girls choose the same track
First job: straight from graduation into greenfield development
Right after graduation (Matura), Muehl joined a security technology company near her home. It was a startup, a brand-new development effort “in every area,” and a direct plunge into a complex real-time system. The challenges were considerable, but the learning was immediate. What had been theory in school turned into practical application.
“… habe dann eigentlich gemerkt, dass die Grundlagen, die wir da in der Schule beigebracht haben, recht gut anzuwenden sind …”
The magic moment arrived when code crossed over into the physical world. Abstract commands in an IDE suddenly controlled card readers, access doors, and fire alarm control panels.
“… nachdem ich diese abstrakten Befehle in meine IDE eingebe, haben da plötzlich Kartenleser, Zutrittstüren, Brandmeldezentralen gesteuert … und das hat natürlich extrem viel Spaß gemacht.”
For many engineers, that coupling of software and hardware is when systems thinking becomes visceral. For Muehl, it marked a formative stage—and a crash course in pragmatic reasoning under real-time constraints.
Pivot to web application development
Driven by a desire to “develop further in all areas,” Muehl moved into web application development and joined ÖBB BCC in Vienna, where she still works today. The shift is more than just technology—it changes how you think about architecture, releases, interfaces, and the rhythms of user collaboration. It’s also a turn toward being closer to processes and the people who rely on them.
Still, the fundamentals stayed the same: clear design, sharp requirements, testable units, and traceable flows.
Impact in rail: building web applications for environmental protection
Today, her focus at the ÖBB-Konzern is web applications for environmental protection. Her project captures environmental aspects, evaluates them, and drives corresponding measures. The ÖBB’s emphasis on environmental stewardship becomes concrete: safe transport of hazardous goods and systematic environmental assessments around large construction projects.
“Mein Projekt beschäftigt sich eben damit, dass wir die ganzen Umweltaspekte erfassen, bewerten und dann die entsprechenden Umweltschutzmaßnahmen treffen … dass auch Gefahrgüter sicher transportiert werden … vor allem bei Großbauprojekten werden wirklich die einzelnen Umweltaspekte … immer erfasst und beurteilt und dann eben die Umweltschutzmaßnahmen getroffen.”
This is living software—constantly adapting to new legal requirements and evolving organizational guidelines.
“… es gibt immer wieder gesetzliche Änderungen oder Umweltschutzvorgaben und die ÖBB immer wieder am Ball bleibt und ÖBB eigene Vorgaben trifft.”
For day-to-day work, that means change is the norm. Requirements must be clarified, translated, prioritized, and implemented iteratively.
End-to-end responsibility: from change request to deployment
Muehl’s role spans the entire lifecycle—analysis, implementation, testing, acceptance, and deployment.
“… alltäglich ist dann für mich quasi die Analyse der Kundenanforderungen, die Changes zu implementieren, Design, Entwicklung, Testdokumentation, technische Abnahme bis zum Deployment … bin ich für alles zuständig …”
She collaborates closely with customers and is often responsible for onboarding new team members—technically and sometimes administratively—multiplying knowledge and practices across the team.
- Analyzing customer requirements and change requests
- Software design and implementation
- Test documentation and technical acceptance
- Deployment ownership
- Close customer collaboration
- Technical (and partial administrative) onboarding for new hires
This end-to-end involvement is a continuous learning loop—and it cultivates a rare sense of impact. When you shepherd work from requirement to go-live, your decisions become more deliberate and your communication more intentional.
What she values in software development: variety, creativity, and teamwork
Asked what she enjoys most about software development, Muehl highlights variety, the absence of routine, cross-domain exposure, and creative freedom. A standout priority for her is taking time for design—an upfront investment that averts future headaches.
“… kein Tag wie der andere … sehr viel Abwechslung, es gibt wenig Routinearbeiten … ich nehme immer sehr gerne sehr viel Zeit fürs Design, weil ein ordentliches Design erspart einem nachher sehr viele Kopfschmerzen.”
Teamwork is equally central. Everyone adds their “little shovel” to the effort, and the culmination—the moment a project comes together—belongs to the whole team.
“… die Zusammenarbeit im Team … am Ende kommt dann das große Ganze heraus und das Projekt ist fertig und alle sind begeistert und freuen sich.”
Her cross-industry track—security tech, medical tech, and now rail—shows how fundamentals and process skills transfer across domains. It’s a reminder to treat knowledge as a toolkit that travels well.
Bug fixing as detective work
One line captures a mindset we see in many effective engineers: Muehl likes fixing bugs. Not as a chore but as a methodical pursuit.
“… ich tue gern Backfixen. Das ist für mich ein bisschen wie Detektivarbeit, wenn ich dann dem Fehler auf der Spur bin und mir da wirklich Step für Step durchhandle und ich dann endlich erwischt habe, das ist sehr befriedigend.”
Structured debugging—forming hypotheses, narrowing the search, reproducing issues, and closing them out—turns quality into craft. It also aligns with her end-to-end posture: quality embeds best where causes are understood, not simply masked.
Getting started: taste first, then deepen
On how to break into software development, Muehl emphasizes two lanes: low-barrier exploration and solid education. First, “taste” the field. Today’s online ecosystem—videos, tutorials, downloadable resources—makes learning by doing accessible. Don’t be intimidated by the flood of tools; pick one that feels approachable and try it.
“Einfach mal ausprobieren, schauen, wie tut das, gefällt mir das … nicht abschrecken lassen für diese Flut an verschiedenen Tools. Einfach irgendwas, was einem sympathisch ist … herauspicken und einmal selbst probieren.”
Then, if you want depth, formal education—HTL, apprenticeship, or university—can be a force multiplier. The advantage is access to experienced teachers and lecturers who pass on best practices and lessons from both successes and failures. Mentoring, she notes, is crucial for growth.
“Eine solide Ausbildung … ist natürlich immer zuträglich … Der Vorteil dabei ist, das sind halt erfahrene Lehrer, Dozenten … Mit best practices … Ich finde vor allem Mentoring ist ganz wichtig … um sich selbst weiter zu entwickeln, um Ideen auszutauschen, um Vorbilder für sich selbst zu haben und zu wachsen.”
Takeaways engineers can apply
From “Natascha Muehl, Back End Developerin bei ÖBB,” several practical themes emerge—anchored directly in her milestones and reflections:
- Cultivate curiosity: Keep asking how things work. Observe, participate, and experiment—at home and on the job.
- Respect the fundamentals: EDV basics, number systems, and early languages like C/assembler/C++ underpin agility in new stacks.
- Seek tangible impact: Choose projects where code visibly moves the world—whether hardware control or environmental data and measures.
- Own the lifecycle: From requirements to deployment, end-to-end involvement builds judgment, quality, and trust.
- Design before haste: Time invested in design prevents downstream pain.
- Build together: Individual “shovels” add up; great projects are collective achievements.
- Treat bug fixing as a craft: Hypothesize, isolate, reproduce, resolve—then reflect. The satisfaction is lasting.
- Start accessibly: Use online resources to try things, form preferences, and gain momentum.
- Pair practice with guidance: Deepen through formal education and mentoring; learn from those with broad experience.
Environmental context as purpose multiplier
The environmental focus of Muehl’s current work matters. It’s where technology and responsibility meet. Capturing and evaluating environmental aspects, driving measures, and staying current with regulatory changes turns software into a lever for real-world outcomes—safe hazardous goods transport, and robust environmental assessment around large construction projects.
Because change is baked in, engineering discipline matters: sound analysis, traceable versions, clear documentation, and strong testing. Muehl’s emphasis on design and end-to-end ownership operates here as a stabilizing force.
Customer proximity as a quality driver
Muehl highlights close collaboration with customers. For web applications, that proximity is a quality multiplier: requirements stay grounded, feedback cycles tighten, and context stays intact. Her role in onboarding—technical and partly administrative—helps spread knowledge across the team, making projects more resilient and sustainable.
Continuous development as a habit
From early C and assembler to real-time systems in security tech, onward to web development, and into environmental processes in rail: Muehl’s path is sustained by curiosity, fundamentals, and hands-on pragmatism. Rather than hopping islands, she builds a connected line of experience—each step informed by the last.
Her stance toward the new is notable: not dogmatic, but willingly exploratory. New field? Try it. New toolset? Pick one and go. Seeking depth? Education plus mentoring. That posture turns growth into routine—driven by intrinsic motivation.
Conclusion: A developer’s journey with real-world effect
“Natascha Muehl, Back End Developerin bei ÖBB” (ÖBB-Konzern) shows the strength that comes from combining fundamentals, practical execution, and team culture. Muehl’s story illustrates how satisfying software becomes when it addresses concrete problems—when lines in an IDE control real systems, when requirements transform into measures, and when coordinated contributions yield a working whole.
It’s a call to experiment early, value formal learning, and make mentoring part of one’s growth. It also underscores that design is not a luxury; it’s a preventative act of quality. And bug fixing need not be drudgery—it can be a structured pursuit of understanding.
For developers charting their path, her experience offers clear direction: stay curious, design with intent, own the lifecycle—and enjoy the collective moment when many small “shovels” add up to something that works brilliantly.
