Oscar, System Engineer Backup & Storage at Österreichische Lotterien: From a first home PC to PowerShell-driven monitoring

Introduction: What Oscar’s journey reveals about building a career in infrastructure

In “Oscar, System Engineer Backup & Storage bei Österreichische Lotterien,” Oscar traces a path many engineers will recognize—yet it carries a distinct signature: early curiosity, hands-on learning, bold applications, and a work style that turns autonomy into ownership. From the DevJobs.at editorial vantage point, we focused on the details that convert a personal account into actionable insights for engineers. This is a story about tinkering, about fundamentals, and about delivering real impact in infrastructure through scripting, monitoring, and cross-team collaboration.

Early curiosity: Play, tinker, understand

Oscar’s interest in tech didn’t start in a classroom; it began at home. Before getting his own computer at 13, he experimented under supervision on the family machines, playing games, writing, and drawing. What is mere usage for many became a gateway to understanding for him.

Once he had his own “Media-Markt” desktop, the focus shifted from usage to mechanics. Why does a game behave like this, and not like that? As simple as it sounds, this gamer’s question marks the launch of a mindset: don’t just use—question, measure, and rework.

Schooling with intent: Informatics focus and a peer-made learning culture

Oscar attended an AHS with an informatics focus. More than the curriculum, the learning culture with friends stood out: during free periods, they would sit in on other informatics classes to pick up new tools. One vivid memory: Photoshop sessions pasting their faces onto Arnold Schwarzenegger images—playful, but effective.

To us, that is more than an anecdote. It shows a habit of learning by doing: see an open door, walk through, experiment. The same habit resurfaces later in Oscar’s work—prototyping on a test system, iterating, and finding the next hint that unlocks progress.

Civil service and university: Business Informatics at WU, fundamentals, and Java

After completing civil service, Oscar started studying Business Informatics at WU Vienna. Early semesters are more computer-science heavy, later ones more business oriented. Crucially, he revisits the fundamentals—including Java programming and the mindset of composing systems from modules that later become building blocks in complex environments.

This emphasis on fundamentals is a through-line in his story. For infrastructure work, surface-level tool knowledge won’t cut it; you need to understand how things work under the hood. Oscar closes by recommending exactly that: grasp the foundations of what is established and proven.

First contact: A career day, emotion recognition—and a company on the radar

Oscar discovered Österreichische Lotterien at a WU career day. The booth stood out with a facial recognition demo that gauged whether you were happy or sad. The conversations did more than entertain: they revealed the variety of roles and how IT powers different organizations. From then on, he kept the company on his radar, watching for openings.

The lesson is simple and valuable: some employers only come into focus after you meet them in person—and once you do, it pays to stay watchful.

Boldness before perfection: The “cheeky” Data Engineer application

Still a student and short on experience, Oscar applied for a Data Engineer role anyway—“einfach frech.” The result? A polite no: the position required someone experienced. He understood—and kept moving.

From our perspective, this is pivotal. An application can be a probe: it gives you feedback and visibility without closing doors. A rejection, handled well, becomes orientation, not a dead end.

The infrastructure doorway: Right timing, quick interviews—start on January 2, 2023

Four to five months later, while on vacation in the US, Oscar spotted an infrastructure opening at Österreichische Lotterien. He applied after returning home, interviews followed swiftly, and he started on January 2, 2023. As he puts it, he’s been there “almost a year.”

Timing matters, but recognition of fit matters more. The infrastructure position sounded “wahnsinnig interessant,” and where the Data Engineer role required more experience, this opening welcomed a motivated learner with strong fundamentals.

Team and scope: Servers, storage, backups—and a lot of monitoring

Oscar works in the department responsible for servers, storage, and backups. His focus: modernizing monitoring scripts, making utilization visible, detecting irregularities—and ensuring it all keeps working as environments change. Operating system and software updates had left older scripts out of step; his job is to update and standardize them, using PowerShell to bring the stack up to date.

The picture is clear: infrastructure isn’t just hardware and backup policies; it is data-driven observability. Utilization, states, anomalies—monitoring translates them into actionable signals. As systems evolve with updates, monitoring must evolve with them.

Programming in infrastructure: uncommon, but high leverage

In Oscar’s department, he—alongside his team lead—is among the few who code. That shifts the role profile: he not only builds scripts for monitoring but also delivers data to other departments.

This is the essence of infrastructure as a bridge: know where data comes from, where it is needed, and how it should be shaped to be useful. For many graduates, this is the pivot point where theory meets practice.

Leadership and work style: autonomy, test systems—and a timely nudge

Oscar’s description of working with his manager is crisp and modern. Tasks are clear; the path is his to chart. There’s a test system, time to explore, and—when needed—a succinct nudge that unlocks the next step.

We see a learning loop that many teams strive for: autonomy, room to explore, and lightweight feedback. For Oscar, this loop pays off: once the “aha” lands, delivery follows quickly.

Studying while working: 20 hours, flexible schedules—and output over hours

Oscar works 20 hours a week alongside his studies. The arrangement is flexible.

This isn’t just convenient; it nurtures ownership. Flexibility forces you to package work sensibly—especially in infrastructure, where tests, deployments, and updates need careful timing and iteration.

Practical takeaways for engineers

Oscar’s account yields clear, actionable takeaways—without overextending the story. Here’s what stood out:

• Curiosity as engine: early tinkering matters. It sets the foundation for later choices and resilience.
• Seek learning moments: sit in on classes, use free periods, try tools. Practice compounds.
• Fundamentals first: Java, modular thinking, system understanding—these basics pay off in scripting, monitoring, and collaboration.
• Apply before you’re “perfect”: a bold application provides feedback and visibility. A rejection often just means “not yet.”
• Keep watching: new openings may be a better fit; persistence matters.
• Embrace autonomy: think, test, discard. The manager’s nudge accelerates learning but doesn’t replace it.
• Think in interfaces: sourcing data, shaping it, delivering it in the right format is a universal engineering skill.
• Treat monitoring as a product: scripts aren’t side quests. They prevent flying blind—especially when OS and software updates shift the ground.

PowerShell and monitoring: what defines Oscar’s impact

Even without diving into specific tools beyond what he mentions, the technical profile is clear: PowerShell underpins the modernization of monitoring scripts aimed at robust utilization tracking and anomaly detection. The challenge isn’t just data volume, it’s change: operating systems and software move on; scripts must follow. The best chance of keeping pace lies in modular thinking, clear documentation, and testing—where university fundamentals meet practical infrastructure work.

Cross-functional collaboration: deliver data where it matters

Another cornerstone is working across departments. Oscar talks about making data available to other teams, including figuring out data sources and delivery formats. This interface skill often determines whether infrastructure is merely functional or meaningfully integrated.

In practice, that means:

• Clarify needs: who needs what—and why?
• Understand sources: which data is reliable and current?
• Align formats: choose formats appropriate to each use case.
• Plan for robustness: what happens when systems change—and how do we keep delivery stable?

Mental models: openness to new tech, respect for the proven

Oscar closes with an attitude worth repeating: stay open to new technologies and breakthroughs, while also understanding what already works and why. Both sides matter.

To us, that is the essence of sustainable growth in tech. Chasing trends alone is fragile; clinging only to the familiar misses opportunities. Balance both—and let your work show it.

Action steps: put Oscar’s insights to work

• Use everyday projects as learning arenas: build a monitoring script, a small data transformation, and iterate on a test system.
• Practice the application loop: read roles closely, articulate motivation, name your gaps. Let rejections inform your next move.
• Document your learning: capture hypotheses, tests, and aha moments. It sharpens your thinking and helps your team.
• Train interface skills: practice eliciting requirements and returning results in the format consumers need.
• Stay close to fundamentals: data structures, OS basics, and networking concepts pay dividends in every tech role.

What we’re taking from “Oscar, System Engineer Backup & Storage bei Österreichische Lotterien”

This devstory isn’t a parade of exotic tools—and that’s its strength. It shows how far you can get with curiosity, fundamentals, autonomy, and persistence. Oscar’s path leads from a first home PC through playful Photoshop sessions and Java fundamentals to owning monitoring scripts that make server and storage landscapes observable and dependable. He applied “cheekily,” accepted a rejection, found the right role—and grew into a function that connects technology with collaboration.

Three closing lines capture the core:

• Applications are part of learning—and “no” often just means “not yet.”
• Monitoring is applied system understanding: measure to understand, understand to act.
• Good leadership grants freedom and gives timely nudges; good work uses both.

Oscar’s story reminds us why infrastructure roles are so compelling: they reward curiosity, need people who take ownership, and offer room to grow—if you step into it.

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