A day in the life of a Frontend Developer: Nikolay Georgiev on solving different problems through technology

What is it like to work in the IT industry in Bulgaria? This is a question many people interested in a career in the sector ask themselves. So, we, at BICA, gathered some of the people that we helped find the right job to share their stories. With this series of interviews, we are aiming to show people how everyday life of a person working in the IT sector goes. We hope to break some clichés about the professionals employed in the industry and inspire more individuals considering a career in IT.

Today, we share with you the story of Nikolay Georgiev, a Software Engineer with more than a decade of experience in the industry. In his career, he took different positions and managed to learn more about different fields. He got into the industry by chance. When he went to sign up for his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, it turned out that there were no free spots left. So, he was left with two options — Software Development or Journalism. And he chose the first one. Learn how his career developed afterwards in the interview.

Can you describe yourself in a few sentences?

My name is Nikolay Georgiev, and I’m a Frontend developer at GoStudent. I like to try out different things, and that’s the case with my career. During the years I transitioned from Backend engineer to a FullStack and now I work on the front side of software development.

In my spare time, I love to learn new things and practice different sports. These activities allow me to express myself and develop my imagination.

Can you tell us a bit more about the position of a Frontend developer?

As a Frontend developer, I am involved in developing the part of websites and mobile applications that a user actually sees and interacts with. I use different programming languages and frameworks in my day-to-day tasks such as JavaScript and React. Other essential technologies every Frontend developer needs are HTML and CSS.

My favorite part of this position is the amount of new technologies that are constantly being implemented. These new additions help us to solve different problems. This environment of new technologies keeps me motivated and sparks my interest in learning them.

How does a day in your life go? Do you have a usual routine like waking up, coping with tasks, activities in your spare time?

I wouldn’t say I have a strong routine when it comes to tasks. Usually, I prioritize the more complex and important ones for the first half of the day. During this time I can concentrate on them and be more productive. In the second half of the day I am collaborating with my colleagues or dealing with some routine tasks that don’t necessarily challenge me.

As a person involved in software development, I spend most of my days sitting in front of a computer screen. That is the reason I developed the habit of exercising in the morning, before work. This helps me to be energetic and fuels my brain and muscles with the needed oxygen to feel fresh for the day.

When looking for a job, what was the biggest challenge you had previously faced?

The biggest challenge when looking for a job in the past was the lack of information about the possibilities for career development. Another thing that I don’t like is sending tasks that are not the best suited for a certain position. Once I had to work on a platform that didn’t allow me to show my problem-solving skills and the way I think. I had worked with the technology before and I knew everything was very strict with no room for different approaches.

How did BICA help with the process? Tell us more about your experience with the company.

With the support of BICA I managed to find an employer, where I can develop my skills and learn new things everyday. While I was in the process of looking for a new job, I had a scheduled interview with a company, but they gave me a task, which didn’t allow me to show my creativity and approach toward solving a problem.

Then the people from BICA jumped in the process and provided me with different opportunities that perfectly fit my criteria. They had a personal approach toward me and my preferences. This was very helpful.

You have more than 10 years of experience in the industry. What is the most important thing you look for when choosing your future employer?

Besides the opportunities to learn, another very important thing is the team and company culture. While working on different tasks, you have to collaborate with colleagues, so it’s important to have a good relationship with others to achieve bigger goals.

Can you share some advice for a young developer, who is at the start of his career?

My advice for young professionals at the start of their professional path is to learn the foundations of certain programming languages and where they are used best. I know a lot of new frameworks are on the come up, and there’s a lot of hype around them, but if you know the basics of software development, you can easily adapt to changes that are happening in the job market.

What is the most memorable project you have worked on in your career? What is your biggest achievement?

Every project I have worked on is very different from the others and all of them are very valuable to me. I managed to learn something new from every single one.

What all the projects have in common is the need for a problem-solving approach, which requires a lot of analytical thinking and creativity, in order to solve a certain challenge. This possibility to work on solving different problems and helping people through the decisions you make, are my favorite things about being a software developer.

What are your goals for the future?

My goals are to share what I’ve learned in the past with my colleagues and to keep working on developing solutions for different problems our clients face.