From HTL Internship to Technical Lead: The DevStory of Markus Hiesmair (solvistas GmbH)

A beginning without a master plan—and an early love for programming

In our DevJobs.at devstory “Markus Hiesmair, Software Engineer bei solvistas” (solvistas GmbH), we meet a developer journey that feels familiar to many engineers: you enter the field without fully knowing what to expect, and along the way you discover a genuine passion for it.

Markus puts his start plainly:

That simple, honest beginning frames a pattern we see throughout his path: curiosity, trying things, sticking with it. He doesn’t pit school against practice, but he draws a clear line between them. After graduating from school (Matura), he chose to study—and he knew practical experience would matter just as much.

The first bridge to practice: an internship with substance

The bridge into professional life came early. Markus “landed” at solvistas via an internship during his HTL years. The assignment was specific: one month evaluating GWT.

There’s a lot inside that short passage for aspiring developers:

• An internship can be more than “helping out”—it can have a clearly scoped technical goal.
• To evaluate means to form hypotheses, test, compare, and conclude—this thinking later powers projects.
• A month of focused tech deep dive can open doors—if you deliver results and make your learning visible.

That internship wasn’t a one-off. It became the foundation for his later entry—without rigid application rituals.

The “informal” entry, military service, and the study–work double act

Following his military service (Bundesheer), Markus chose a direct route:

It’s a blend of pragmatism and consistency: knock on the door informally, get to work, start studying, keep working part-time, and later switch to full-time. He draws a crystal-clear comparison between theory and practice:

For early-career engineers, that’s a valuable reality check. University and work don’t cancel each other out—they reinforce each other. Theory gives you concepts and vocabulary; practice provides context, trade-offs, and feedback. Combine both, and you’ll grow faster—technically and personally.

Product focus: ticketing for sports clubs and event organizers

At solvistas, Markus works in a clearly defined domain:

This product focus shows how real-world use cases shape technical choices. Ticketing is a domain where reliability, performance, and operations matter deeply—think sales peaks or last-minute changes. Markus states the responsibility without drama, but with precision: it’s about the product, about operations, and about continued development.

Role and responsibility: Technical Lead with an eye on operations and evolution

Markus describes his role in the project this way:

That maps to a set of tasks that clearly go beyond writing code:

• Define and communicate technical direction.
• Make decisions and justify them.
• Think in terms of operational reliability—and deliver it.
• Align product requirements with the development roadmap.
• Coach and enable the team.

It’s a demanding blend—and emblematic of many Technical Lead roles in product-driven environments.

Full-stack with Spring and Angular—running in the cloud

On the tech foundation, Markus is succinct and specific:

Spring and Angular anchor the backend and frontend; “runs in the cloud” frames deployment and operations. Then there’s the team dimension:

The takeaway: stack, operations, and teamwork are inseparable. Full-stack in the cloud means living at the intersection of architecture, code, infrastructure, and user experience. It demands both technical depth and communicative breadth.

Learning in all directions: technology, collaboration, continuous growth

Markus frames his project learning journey as open and multi-directional:

That captures the essence of modern software work: change is the default. Relevance comes from absorbing the new quickly—and translating it into team and product processes. “In many directions” is the keyword: this isn’t just about frameworks; it’s about collaboration, operations, responsibility, and quality.

Where to start with programming? Interest, exploration, experimentation

Asked where to begin, Markus keeps it straightforward:

His view of the HTL starting phase is refreshingly honest:

The message: a solid, simple start isn’t a flaw—it’s the foundation. Stay curious and keep experimenting. Experience emerges by doing, in projects, and through feedback from real usage.

Formal education and project experience: not an either–or

Markus sums up the role of school and university clearly:

That balance is key:

• Formal education gives you concepts, methods, and vocabulary.
• Projects give you context, constraints, trade-offs, and priorities.
• Strong engineers learn to connect both—and grow through feedback.

Collaboration, coaching, and justified decisions: what technical leadership needs

What does a Technical Lead need most? Markus emphasizes togetherness:

From that we draw several principles:

• Communicate targets and architecture clearly.
• Clarify expectations—not just what, but why.
• Treat coaching as a core responsibility—multiply knowledge.
• Justify decisions transparently—to create alignment.
• Use experience to frame complexity—without being overbearing.

Practical takeaways for early-career and experienced developers alike

Our conversation with Markus yields concrete, applicable guidance—without requiring anyone to copy his path verbatim.

1) Follow curiosity—and build practical bridges early

• Use every chance to try things: small projects, exercises, internships.
• Define “mini problems” to solve on your own—even console apps can teach plenty.
• Treat internships as testbeds: evaluate, document, conclude.

2) Pair theory and practice on purpose

• Anchor learning in projects: what does a concept mean in real operations?
• Accept that university and work teach different things—both are valuable.
• If possible, gain professional exposure early—part-time roles can build bridges.

3) Grow in multiple directions

• Build technical depth in your stack (e.g., Spring and Angular).
• Think product and operations: “runs in the cloud” implies responsibility for deployment and stability.
• Train teamwork: exchange feedback, align expectations, establish shared standards.

4) Own responsibility and practice justifying decisions

• As a Technical Lead: state goals clearly, communicate architecture, surface trade-offs.
• Document and justify decisions—that builds trust and orientation.
• Treat coaching as part of the job’s core, not an add-on.

5) Learn from usage—not only from code

• Product work (like ticketing) shows immediate impact on end users.
• Operations experience builds a mindset for stability and safety.
• “There’s always something new” is normal—set learning windows and reflect on progress.

A realistic career path: straight because it’s consistent

Markus’s trajectory doesn’t look flashy—it looks consistent. From HTL to an internship, to a part-time role alongside university, to full-time and technical responsibility on a product. Not a big-bang “career fireworks,” but reliable growth fueled by curiosity, practice, and teamwork.

What stands out to us at DevJobs.at is the calm clarity with which Markus names the building blocks: interest as the start point, practice as the accelerator, collaboration as the enabler. He shows that technical skill and human factors belong together—especially when you carry responsibility for a product, its operations, and a team.

Key quotes and distilled messages

• Passion often begins simply: enjoying the craft.

• Theory and practice complement—use both.

• Product responsibility grounds technical decisions.

• Technical leadership unites development, operations, and direction.

• Stack, ops model, and coaching form a single system.

• Start with curiosity—grow through projects.

• Feedback from real projects is the fastest learning channel.

• Communication, coaching, and justification—pillars of technical leadership.

Conclusion: What we carry forward from “Markus Hiesmair, Software Engineer bei solvistas”

This devstory with Markus shows how powerful a practical, steady path can be: take responsibility early, connect technology with operations, communicate clearly in the team, and keep your curiosity alive. It’s the path of an engineer who does the very things that make product teams stronger: try, explain, justify—and learn from the product itself.

That this journey at solvistas GmbH culminates in a Technical Lead role feels like a logical outcome. Stay curious, collect experience deliberately, and act as a team player—your impact emerges at the intersection of architecture, code, operations, and coaching. And it manifests in solutions that matter for real users, whether for Black Wings, Blau-Weiß Linz, or other event organizers.

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