"I had to go on sabbatical to get back to life and not fall into a severe depression." Project manager told dev.ua why she left IT and opened a dog shop

Random login to IT

I had my own business, before the full-scale war — an online store. After the start of the full-scale invasion, there was no business at all, and the need to earn money did not disappear. Circumstances turned out so that quite by chance my resume ended up in a large outsourcing company, which had an open vacancy for a project manager. My education is related to management, and my perfect knowledge of foreign languages also helped a lot. I learned a little about "IT" — and started working in a junior position.

I enjoyed communicating with a lot of interesting, smart people, from whom I always learned something new. I also enjoyed working with budgets, winning something for the project — conditionally agreeing with the client on another person to the team or a whole new stream that would bring value to the client's business. It brought a lot of pleasure and adrenaline.

From burnout to new life

In my previous company, it seemed to me that I was no longer growing and was degrading a little. I wanted a new challenge. And I quit, got a job in a completely different young company, where there were a lot of new challenges. There was also a lot of room for creativity. I worked for half a year, felt that I was burning out, and realized that the problem was probably not with the company, but with me.

I have a golden retriever — 33 kilograms of happiness that has completely changed my life. A few years ago, I had a panic fear of dogs: I would cross the street as soon as I saw a dog. But, as they say, fear lives where there is a lack of knowledge.

When Chapik appeared in my life, everything changed. I began to enthusiastically study dog behavior and psychology, principles of training, and later began to notice how many dogs around me were suffering from behavioral problems - often due to a lack of knowledge or time on the part of their owners.

That's how the idea of creating Doggy Walky came about - a store of products for active and conscious dog walks. This is not just a store. We don't just sell, we explain why this particular product can help you establish contact with your dog, improve control or add more joy to your walks together. Each product in our assortment has passed my personal test.

This, by the way, is also one of the harmful attitudes that we worked on with the coach. By the way, we often distance ourselves from changes in life, think very narrowly, and do not see the real picture. A look from the outside helps to return to reality.

The hardest thing is self-discipline.

When you don't have to come to the morning daily, when you can have breakfast not for 30, but for 60 minutes with your phone, you waste a lot of time on nonsense. Also, when you start your own business, in fact everything is up to you, and only you are interested. At such moments, difficulties on the way hit especially hard.

I can advise people who are planning to change their profession to calculate the difficulties they might encounter at the very beginning and think in advance how to support themselves in such situations. This was a new field for me, with a lot of nuances. I already had a business before IT, but it was a completely different niche, and a lot has changed in four years.

In general, my developed software skills as a manager help me manage myself and the contractors I work with. Also, I quickly and easily understand some software that is needed for work, I know many management tools.

But in general, corporate culture and entrepreneurial culture are two completely different things. I'm getting used to a new way of life, where work is not 5 days a week for 8 hours, but 24/7.

Business brings money, not the same as in IT, but thanks to financial literacy, I have accumulated a chubby financial cushion. If anyone is thinking about quitting IT, I advise you to save money now. My standard of living has not changed, especially because I have never lived lavishly. Even when my salary in the "IT industry" grew, my standard of living did not change much, because I always tried to save as much as possible for a financial cushion.

Comparing two worlds

What I value most about working on my own business is freedom of action and schedule, no one will tell me how to do it except me. Also, excitement. Because my earnings depend only on my efforts. I really like to declare myself louder, to fully realize my potential.

In IT, I met very good people, I always worked with great teams and mentors. It was cool when there was a whole team with whom you move towards some goal, there are your own local jokes, warm working relationships. It was also cool when you had your manager, to whom you would come and complain, and he would at least be able to point out the direction where you should move to solve the problem. In business, while it is still small, you are alone in the field as a warrior.

Of course, the pet store industry is very competitive, but that's a good thing. I react positively because there is room for growth, there are examples to follow. And in general, I have a positive attitude towards Ukrainian businesses, even competitors. The more cool businesses there are, the more jobs and taxes will be paid to the budget, and thus the Ukrainian economy will grow and develop, and this is also a kind of contribution to our happy future in a free, independent Ukraine.

“My work has changed the lives of my clients for the better — it fills them with light and gives them the strength to keep working.” The story of a designer who left a high-paying IT job for yoga

On the topic

“My work has changed the lives of my clients for the better — it fills them with light and gives them the strength to keep working.” The story of a designer who left a high-paying IT job for yoga

Advice for IT professionals who are looking for radical changes

Stability does not exist, in my opinion, it is an illusion. Any IT project can close, especially now, in conditions of war. Any company can start the process of downsizing. The only thing that is stable, in my opinion, is your knowledge and skills, so it makes sense to invest in them, this is the first thing.

Secondly, we spend a huge amount of our time at work, 8 hours a day. This is approximately 80% of the time, not including sleep, household chores, time for food and hygiene. Once I asked myself the question: “Am I ready to work as a project manager for the rest of my life and, in fact, devote my life to this profession and field?” The answer was no. Therefore, I advise everyone to ask themselves this question.

After all, there's a lot of work in the world. I always think to myself, in the worst case scenario, even if the internet stops working, there will still be a need for couriers, taxi drivers. There will always be work. So, aren't we worth trying, giving ourselves a chance to live our dreams?

There were moments when I doubted my choice, but I always remind myself that while I am young, I have the desire, strength, and resources to do something that charges me — I will try. After all, I will never be younger than I am today, and maybe life will end soon, who knows. And I don't want to regret at the end of my life that I didn't try something.

Future plans

Katrin wants to grow her business, build a brand community, collaborate with other entrepreneurs and influencers. Operational plans include hiring a permanent team and stabilizing revenue.

For now, my plans are to develop the business, build a brand community, and collaborate with other businesses and influencers in this field. I am interested in changing the attitude towards dog breeding in our society as a whole, so that both owners and dogs have a better life.

From the operating room, I would like to hire permanent people for my team starting in the fall, and stabilize my income in principle. I see myself in this field for a long time, but I can't make any predictions. Anything can happen, especially in our time. So, as long as I'm interested, I'll move on.

Read the country's main IT news in our Telegram

On the topic

Read the country's main IT news in our Telegram

“I no longer felt any sense.” The story of a designer who left a high-paying IT job for nutrition and is now self-employed

On the topic

“I no longer felt any sense.” The story of a designer who left a high-paying IT job for nutrition and is now self-employed

"I was covered after three months of searching." How a June IT girl made her way to an offer in IT through depression, constant attacks, and trashy interviews

On the topic

"I was covered after three months of searching." How a June IT girl made her way to an offer in IT through depression, constant attacks, and trashy interviews

“I lost the thrill of what used to be so inspiring.” The story of an iOS developer who left an IT startup to create his own apps and a family brand of scented candles

On the topic

“I lost the thrill of what used to be so inspiring.” The story of an iOS developer who left an IT startup to create his own apps and a family brand of scented candles