I took a break from work for the first time in my 12-year career - a full four months away. I expected to return naturally with a bit of catching up to do. What I didn’t expect was to come back and feel like I had walked into an entirely new world.

The structure of my team had changed. The tech stack had evolved. The priorities were different now. And urgent tasks were already waiting for me. It felt a bit like returning to a city after being years away — it is familiar, and yet everything is different.

This is Zalando. This is what a fast-moving, innovation-driven tech company looks like.

Change is the Only Constant

In just four months, the landscape of my team had transformed. Some of the changes were surprising, even emotional:

• A senior engineer from whom I still had so much to learn from had moved on.
• A new senior engineer had joined, bringing in fresh ideas and perspectives.
• A close friend on the team was transitioning into a broader role.
• And in a full-circle moment, an ex-coworker I really enjoyed working with was rejoining the company and our team.

The shift wasn’t just technical, it was deeply human. The dynamics, the energy, and even the way we communicated had all evolved. At first, it felt like I was starting from scratch. It was strange to be introduced as if I was a new joiner, like I had to earn my place back. The familiarity was still there, but it felt different — like I had to prove myself all over again.

One of the strangest moments was realizing I needed to ask the new team member for help with the development-environment setup. Normally, I would have turned to my old friend, who was now evolving into a bigger role. But she was busy with other priorities. Instead, I had to lean on someone I was supposed to be guiding — a role reversal that definitely caught me off guard.

But then I remembered: that’s part of the Zalando rhythm.

We grow, people move, new faces come in, and somehow, the team keeps flowing forward - often better than before.

Change at Zalando isn’t something that happens occasionally — it’s constant. It’s intentional. And it’s embraced.

Hitting the Ground Running

No soft landing here — I had a presentation to prepare and deliver within just two days of being back.

It wasn’t your typical tech talk either. This one was part of Future Day – Code Like a Girl!, an amazing Zalando initiative aimed at encouraging young girls to explore STEM fields. We were hosting 15 bright young minds, and my session needed to be interactive, engaging, and inspiring.

Talk about a reentry challenge!

To make things more intense, I’d missed an entire month of German lessons — which means a hell of a lot of pending homework and catching up to do.

Despite the time crunch, it was energizing. Being part of something that promotes diversity in tech reminded me why I love working here. It wasn’t just about catching up on code or new tools — it was about reconnecting with purpose.

What truly struck me was how natural it felt to step into that space. I felt confident being myself again. I could connect with these young minds, encourage them, and share my journey authentically. It reminded me that I can have an impact — that I have the ability to inspire, to mentor, and to help shape someone else’s path.

That presentation helped me shake off the dust and reminded me that meaningful impact can happen even in high-pressure moments.

Tech Stack Challenges: The Learning Curve

One of the biggest changes I encountered was the shift in tech stack.

Before my break, I had been working with Appcraft and we were working on its backend, Rendering Engine to bring consistent Theming in the framework, but now, I was diving into a whole new world; the team was validating whether the Rendering Engine could empower apps in a React Native environment — potentially replacing Appcraft altogether. In fact, Appcraft might be retired soon.

The setup of the development environment? Oh, it was a ride.

First, I had to upgrade my macOS and install the latest Xcode — simple enough, or so I thought.

The real fun started when I tried to build the project and had my oops moment: Dependency management had completely changed. Gone were the days of Carthage — now we were using the Swift Package Manager.

But wait, there was more — the new React Native framework repository needed its own setup. I was in deep.

And once everything was finally up and running? That’s when the next mountain appeared: getting back into React Native. I had used it before — about seven years ago — but so much had changed, it felt like a whole new framework. I’ve always liked learning new languages and tools, but this wasn’t just brushing off some rust. It was more like starting from scratch.

A Crash Course in Re-Onboarding

The first few days back were a crash course — not just in the latest codebases, but in how to relearn and reconnect quickly. What helped?

• Open documentation and transparent communication: Most of what I needed was already there, easily accessible and well-maintained. But it wasn’t just about finding information, it was about getting the context. I spent a lot of time gathering links from coworkers, reading up on the strategy, the roadmap, and the execution of the project. It wasn’t enough to just understand the code; I needed to understand the bigger picture. Only then could I get onboarded quickly enough not just to write code but to believe in the vision of the project itself. Documentation wasn’t just my lifeline—it became the key to connecting with the purpose of the work.

• Supportive teammates: From pairing sessions to async catch-ups, everyone made space for me to land smoothly. For the first two days, I was given the space to focus entirely on my presentation for the "Future Day – Code Like a Girl!" initiative. It allowed me to jump back in without feeling overwhelmed by the technical aspects right away. My manager was incredibly supportive, assigning me tasks that helped me contribute to the project but also allowed me to start slow and ease back into the flow. This gave me the time to reorient myself without the pressure to dive into heavy technical work too quickly.

Breaking the FOMO Myth

While I was in the second half of my break, I worried: Will I fall behind? Will I be able to catch up? Coming back has shown me that falling behind isn’t the real concern — it’s the fear of not being able to adapt.

What I learned: you can take a break and come back stronger. The fear of missing out fades quickly when you're returning to a company that’s built to support growth and reinvention.

If anything, the experience gave me fresh eyes and a new kind of energy.

Staying Oriented and Focused

Reorienting yourself after a break can be overwhelming, especially when you’ve been away from work for months. The pressure to catch up quickly can build up, but here’s how I kept myself oriented and focused:

• Staying updated: I’ve been following newsletters, tech videos, and blogs — aiming to engage with at least one resource a day, both within and beyond our organization. It helped me stay on top of company all-hands updates and departmental priorities. It’s been key in reconnecting not just with the what, but also the why behind our work.

• Leverage your calendar: I rely heavily on my calendar—even the tiniest details of my to-dos go in there. It’s my way of keeping track of everything, making sure nothing slips through the cracks. I landed back in Berlin on 31st March and made sure I had a list of important things to look at already scheduled for 9 am the next morning. It helped me get off to a quick start.

• Morning Workout to stay focused: I’ve learned that a good start to the day is crucial. That’s why I scheduled my morning yoga lessons from the moment I returned. They’re not just a physical reset; they help clear my mind, giving me a focused and calm start to the day.

• Meeting the team: One of the first things I did was to show up at the office to meet my team in person in the very first week. Those who know me, know I am not a fan of coming to office. But, after being away for four months, I was craving some real human connection to ease back in. Meeting face-to-face helped me feel reconnected and grounded. Not everyone showed up (perks of work-from-home! 😄), but those who did made it totally worth it. It was comforting to see familiar faces and share a few laughs — something that helped me feel part of the team again almost instantly.

• Prioritize and tackle things by weight: Coming back to a mountain of tasks can be overwhelming, and the pressure to dive into everything immediately can feel intense. But instead of forcing myself to handle it all at once, I took a step back to regather myself and then tackled things one step at a time. I prioritized tasks based on their importance and urgency, giving myself the space to focus on what mattered most first. Taking a break to breathe and collect my thoughts before diving in made all the difference.

Zalando, the Evolving Ecosystem

From the outside, Zalando may look like a fashion-store platform. But inside, it’s an ecosystem of continuous change — products, people, processes, and technologies in a constant state of evolution.

It’s not always easy. But it’s never boring.

This culture doesn’t just accept change — it thrives on it. That’s what makes it exciting to work here. And that’s what helped me re-integrate quickly, even after a significant break.

Final Thoughts

If you’re thinking about taking a break but are worried about falling behind—don’t be. With the right environment, it’s not a setback. It’s a setup for rediscovery.

If you’re considering Zalando as a place to grow your tech career — know that you’re signing up for change. Not just in what you work on, but in how you grow.

And if you’re already here, maybe you’ll see yourself in this story too. And remember that adaptability isn’t just a survival skill here. It’s a superpower.

We're hiring! Do you like working in an ever evolving organization such as Zalando? Consider joining our teams as a Software Engineer!