Maria Mateescu
4.8
(5)
Studied at University of Oxford
Works at Self-Employed
Successful clients at
Not currently taking new clients
About Maria
I grew up in Romania, where I was the model student, focusing on going to university abroad. And I did, I studied Computer Science at Oxford University and went on to work for multiple FAANG companies in the UK afterwards. Because that was what I was supposed to do. After the disollution of a 6 year partnership and leaving tech I decided to take some time to figure out what I wanted for once. Anything was fair game. I even did a massage therapist qualification. During that time I decided to move to South Korea, take up coaching, return to going to the gym regularly, and returned to my more creative hobbies. And I have never been happier. That is not to say life is not difficult, I have inadvertently made it so by changing everything almost all at once, but I am doing what I want, and if I am honest with myself what I always wanted.
Why do I coach?
I had a coach once through work who made a great impact on me. After leaving tech I was wondering for a while what I could do, because I wanted to help people. It was by chance that I came across a webinar about coaching, and then I remembered my coach and everything clicked. I joined the course tentatively, thinking that worst case I gain some valuable skills, but it didn't take me long to see how much I enjoyed it. It was the knowledge I was hungry for. And working with people 1:1 to see them becoming more fulfilled and achieve their goals was the meaning I was seeking.
Work Experience
Personal Coach
Self-Employed
August 2024 - Present
* Integrating technical insights with personal development, helping clients overcome challenges and boost productivity. * Fostering a safe space for clients, enabling personal growth and effective boundary-setting. Life Coaching
Professional Development
Career Break
September 2023 - January 2025
Software Engineer
January 2023 - June 2023
* Introduced new brainstorming processes for the team, facilitating alignment on priorities from all team members, which improved project efficiency and team collaboration * Spearheaded project planning for the PR-to-release tool for Reddit, conducting user research, gathering requirements, and creating project roadmap. React.js and Developer Experience
Software Engineer
February 2022 - September 2022
* Gained deep knowledge of Google's Serverless stack through immersive on-call exposure, enhancing ability to manage a broad array of technologies and systems * Completed rigorous training and ramp-up to join mission-critical on-call rotation, ensuring reliable support for Google's production infrastructure * Learned the importance of work-life balance while operating at an extremely demanding on-call pace. Motivated to continue using these skills in a more sustainable environment. Developer Experience
Senior Software Engineer
Other
June 2021 - December 2021
* Joined early-stage startup Cord as one of the first technical hires, building foundational infrastructure. * Promoted and established best practices for development and release safety, enhancing code quality and reducing deployment risks * Implemented Segment integration and structured event tracking, enabling analytics for 100% of Cord's digital products. * Developed minimal viable tooling to enable rapid feature flagging, increasing developer velocity, as well as the consistency of user experience. * Ramped up infrastructure, tooling, and processes in an early-stage environment, focusing on efficient operations and future scalability React.js, Node.js and +2 skills
Maria was also given offers to work at
Amazon
Bloomberg
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Intel
Thoughtworks
Education
University of Oxford
Master of Arts - MA, Computer Science
2013 - 2016
Activities and societies: Computer Science Society, Oxford Union, Volunteer tutor at Schools Plus, College Ball Organiser, Magdalen College Players, Oxford University Light Entertainment Society I followed a straight Computer Science degree in Oxford, which unlike most courses in the field is very theoretical. It focuses of principles and concepts and personally I love that. I believe it prepared me to face anything that may come my way, rather than focus on certain technologies which are ever-changing. Algorithms, Computer Science and +1 skill
5 Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
Maria has helped Leland clients get into Self Employed