Before we start…
I really appreciate the fact that you decided to spend your valuable time by reading this article. It means a lot for me, and gives me motivation to work better and help / motivates people around.
How the story begins.
I have always been a big fan of technology. Especially when I got my first PC back in 2005, the first thing I saw after connecting to the internet via Dial-up was email website service. Maybe you remember that awkward voice during establishing dial-up connection? Yes, I’m that old. Since that moment I became interested in the creating websites. Almost 20 years passed, and nothing changed. Well almost….
Starting of web developer journey.
At that time Youtube and Facebook were just in it’s initial version, there were not so big variety of content as it is today. It was much much harder to learn web development back then. But it was still possible. When I started my career, I barely know foundations of HTML / CSS, and just finished 1 jQuery tutorial. No pure Javascript, and no PHP. No databases. No DevOps. All I had is a basic knowledge and passion.
I started to register at freelance platforms, apply for every single offer, until I faced with the hard reality: you need to know much more than just basics. It’s important to understand how to talk to potential customer, which technical skills you need to learn to provide successful result. And you need to have an experience in all of this. On top of that, you also need to know how to learn these skills and where to learn from. It took me almost 1 year to get every single piece of required information from the internet until I got my first freelance offer. That day change my life.
First freelance offer
My first task at freelance were to translate template that were in PSD to HTML. Yes, at that time we did not have FIgma or any other modern tools. What was result? I failed. Yes, I do not scare to admit that.
But what I did not know at that moment is that the guy who provided an offer to me were looking for people to expand his team. After talking with him, we made a deal. I worked for him for minimum payment and learn from him, and he took the majority of project money from customers to himself in return. That was a game changer.
From a mentee to a top freelancer
We worked together almost 2 years. My first payment for the project were just 15$. At that time, money was not important at all, all I need was knowledge. We had a great journey where I expand my knowledge of HTML / CSS, and also learned JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, WordPress and basic DevOps. In the end I started to work more on my own and earn more money every month. My portfolio grows and I got 20+ positive reviews in the next year.
From freelance to relocation
After working as a freelancer I started to work as remote software engineer for couple of digital agencies based in EU zone. It was a great time and in the end I realize that my experience is enough to realize my main dream, find a job in Europe and relocate.
Application submitting started. Of course, as a freelancer, it’s important to have good communication, technical and negotiation skills. But for relocation you need more than that. Just ask yourself this question. Why company should pay for your relocation costs and take all the risks, when it can hire someone locally? Yes, you have to be that good! So what was happening? The same story. I was failing interviews one by one, and I did not know why. No one explains me the reason, and all I got were general rejection emails. I did not know what companies wants. This situation took another couple of years of mine until one day, I found a person who agreed to be my next mentor, and in this case helps me with my CV and every single step of interview. Result? I got an offer to work for EPAM in Poland. Of course I accepted it, but the circumstances decided differently. My relocation offer has been cancelled due to COVID even though I already obtained a visa. It was a nightmare. But…
What I did not realized that I had required experience and information based on my mentorship sessions. Despite hard times, after 6 more months of applications and interviewing processes I got 2 more offers. Both from Berlin, the city I always dreamed of. And since that moment I relocated and living here in Berlin, Germany.
Story never ends.
Do you think that it’s over? Well, when I just relocated, I thought yes. But in fact, what I did not realized is that the hardest part starts now. Yes, I had years of experience in my career. But it was still not enough.
In this case I was prepared. I knew what to do to cut the path and achieve my goals in a best and effective way. I’m still getting consultations from more experienced folks that in the end helped me to attend interviews in such companies as Amazon, Google and Shopify. And yes, I chose Shopify and worked there for almost 1 year, until next big storm called “Layoffs” hit the tech world.
Today, I’m working at another big and very popular eCommerce company in Germany as a Full-Time Software Engineer. And I have a lot to teach / mentor. Together with you, we can make sure that you do not follow my mistakes, cut your path to success and get what you want much faster in a much more effective way.
So, if you really want to change your life in a more effective way, let’s take your career to levels you’ve only dreamed of together. Feel free to book your first consultation which is completely free of charge.
Trust me, it’ll be one of the best moves you’ll ever make.
Cheers!