Марія Бровінська Work 2 July 2026, 09:21

"Let's see what happens": Ukrainian developer turns his resume into a super long thread on Threads

While most candidates send recruiters a PDF resume or a link to LinkedIn, Ukrainian iOS developer Dmytro Golovanov decided to tell about his professional path in a completely different format.

Thread SV

2026: I have been developing for Apple and other platforms for over 9 years. My main focus is iOS applications, but during this time I have had various experiences. Currently, I am looking for new opportunities for myself, given the market and the «need» for quality solutions.

Next will be a long thread of nostalgia for my own server on the balcony, studying LAMP, and various projects.

PS: There will be no names of companies and projects for moral and legal reasons.

Motivation. I started with web development back in the days when there was almost no division into Frontend and Backend (I think it was before 2013). Back then, people sometimes wrote «HTML programmer». My goal was «to learn how to make websites». Fortunately, my family and surroundings had good examples of where to go. They gave me the theoretical, practical and material base to start with. The main thing was to understand: «there is work, prospects, money».

Basics. I started with the «base»: HTML, LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP), SQL, etc. Everything looked very interesting and incomprehensible — how everything works and why. Apache and MySQL, apparently, became the basis, and then experiments were carried out by trial and error as needed. Oh, these megasites on localhost. For a while, I thought that everything was built on CMS like Joomla and WordPress, and I tried to use them.

Linux. Linux became a certain stage of «what is this?» After Windows, it was something like «there should be an interface and stuff here.» And then I learned what Debian, Ubuntu are, why with and without a GUI, and, in general, the structure of the system and how to live there. Because I didn’t understand what it was, I reinstalled the system many times — not as many as Windows with its blue screen, but many. Well, the debate about which is better — Debian or Ubuntu — among the environment is a separate topic.

Dreams. In 2014, I had one thought: «I need a goal. A cool Harley-Davidson! How much does it cost? $28,000? Yes, how many freelance websites do I need to make to buy it? Can I do it in six months?» For some reason, I thought that one website costs $500–$1,000, and $28,000 is only 30–50 websites, which is not a problem to make in HALF A YEAR, right? Unfortunately, it turned out that not everything is so simple, and no one wants to give a student a freelance order.

My own server. Once I inherited a 1U server with VERY loud cooling, so I had it on the balcony so that it wouldn’t be heard at least somehow. Then I understood why servers exist in isolation. Later I got a quieter 2U with an Intel Xeon board (or two). In fact, a home «server rack» on the balcony, connected to a local network and with open ports on a static IP. Later I learned what hosting and buying domains are.

Education. A new stage for me in 2015 was the National Aerospace University «Khaylovarsky Academy» and the Department of «Computer Systems and Networks». I had a lot in common with them, so I understood where to go. At first there was a lot of theory on computer systems, basic sciences, various programming languages, etc. Despite all the nuances, the theoretical and practical base was still obtained. And then — you close the minimum and study what is interesting.

Training (in detail). It was interesting to study and compare different languages and areas: C, Assembler, C++, C#, JavaScript, PHP, Java, etc. And also databases, networks, FPGA and many more. Then you realize that you need to choose an area, because you can’t learn everything. Almost everyone started learning on their own, some went to courses or Trainee/Intern positions, and there they «finished» the stack. Most — Java, .NET, DevOps, QA. During the entire training, I was the only iOS developer, and also «self-taught».

Hello, Apple. 2015: Apple presents Swift as a replacement for Obj-C and C++ — and I get an iPhone 6 (I also had an iPad Mini, but it was stolen). Igor Golovanov then recommended studying Swift and iOS development as a promising direction and language to which they will switch. Learning the language is not a problem, but compiling an application and running it requires Xcode and macOS (then OS X), which is a separate task altogether.

First iOS app. My first iOS app was a simple greeting for @slavko18, which I installed on my iPhone and gave to him. There was an Easter egg in it — I don’t remember what exactly, something not very decent. That’s how the path of trial and error in iOS development began.

A separate world of Apple development. Over time, I realized that most people go into web development, testing and/or DevOps. I had almost no iOS developers among my acquaintances, and the university didn’t really welcome development on a platform and language that they didn’t understand. But I saw this as an opportunity for development and a certain lack of competition. Unfortunately, from the outside, it looked like useless efforts in an unknown direction. Fortunately, it paid off over time, no matter what anyone said.

First job. Oddly enough, my first job was not a big tech company, not a small IT studio, but a government institution and I worked as a system administrator, or more precisely, as a senior laboratory assistant. In fact, the tasks of a sysadmin are: you configure and maintain equipment and the network, fix «everything is broken here» and deal with local developments for the education system (student database). Then, with @slavko187, we gained system and network experience.

The first years in IT. The first projects were consumer iOS applications at various stages — from startups to already existing ecosystems. For example: an IoT application for controlling the heating system and a booking service with an interactive menu (something like ChoiceQR and Expirenza, long before them). One common feature — everywhere I was the only iOS developer. Without a mentor, without colleagues from the direction, without examples. All on my own. My pride — custom animated UI «twists», written in CA/CG from scratch.

Junior → Senior. In 2018–2019, it was interesting to hear from friends how they were «sold» to clients as Senior, although there Junior–Middle. And to see vacancies where Senior iOS — from 3 years of experience. Once, with a friend (and team leader) I jokingly discussed: «Come on, we’ll make you a resume, you get into the company as Senior according to my referral, and the bonus is 50/50». Those were interesting times — you could pass an interview without experience and knowledge, just knowing how to speak beautifully and design a CV.

Side project #1. 2018–2019: stable work, but I wanted more experience. I discovered various projects, mostly non-commercial. The first was an iOS application for students with class schedules and news. It was created by one of the students in 2015, and then abandoned. I used it myself, so in 2019 I suggested rewriting the iOS version, and friends took care of the backend and Android. Unfortunately, the release did not take place — and with COVID-19 it lost its relevance.

Side project #2. eHealth MIC. The second side project was a research project MIS (Medical Information System) for patients and medical institutions for Ukrainian eHealth. We performed research on the compliance of systems with HIPAA and FDA requirements (US standards; the EU did not have them yet), as well as developing prototypes on platforms. Accordingly, I developed an iOS application. Healthcare is one of the most regulated IT segments, especially in the US. Interesting experience.

Great experience. A new stage was an eCommerce development company. Large and long projects with legacy code and separate teams. I lacked theory in various interviews, but this company gave me the opportunity according to practical experience. I started as an iOS Dev, and ended as an iOS Tech Lead of several teams. I joined the Mobile Team, where there were 2 iOS and 1 Android. Then the team changed, but the project moved on. During this time, we wrote and rewrote a lot.

WebKit. The discovery was WebView — web content instead of UI. Yes, Flutter and React Native are built on this approach, but when it is a conditional Magento site that should look and work like a mobile application — it is a quest. And an even bigger quest — combining several WebViews into a single context along with native UI and custom coordination between them. Cookies synchronization between WebKit and URLSession is a separate story .

Startup MVP. In early 2020, before the Covid restrictions, an acquaintance suggested joining the development of a startup. The client provided design and requirements, and I provided a team. It was an interesting experience not only to form a team (which is not the first time), but also to become a technical driver. We discussed everything, calculated, designed, agreed, and in a few months developed an iOS MVP with documentation and a calculation of further actions for the development of the project. With this MVP, the client presented it at an investor event.

iOS Technical Lead. The management gradually planted the idea of "leading the team» in me. And when I remained the only iOS developer, in fact, according to the company’s rules, I became responsible for the direction, and later officially. We formed a new team with mentoring, code reviews, task distribution, performance reviews, etc. In addition to the responsibility for the iOS part, I was also responsible for calls with the client, coordination of solutions between platforms, estimates, deadlines, backlogs, and a lot of everything.

Team. Fortunately, we managed to work together in the office during the easing of COVID-19 quarantine and before the full-scale Russian invasion. All floors and teams knew our room (Mobile Team). We were friendly, loud, often just laughing at something, but the decisions were the coolest. The unofficial name was «Toxic Rats Squad». And when someone left, we gave them a toy rat (I have a gold one). Then there were changes and expansions, but the main team… I’m still friends with them.

Augmented Reality. A good experience is when the client gives freedom of action for experiments. One of these was an attempt to develop an AR solution for a project. Long days and evenings studying documentation and examples, working with 3D objects and space. As a result, a demo feature using AR, which was supposed to be one of the first in this segment at that time. But the client’s finances and the need to restructure business processes did not allow for this.

Side project #3. Augmented Reality Art. One of the side projects was the Augmented Reality Art research project — research and development in the field of art. The goal of the project was to spread the concept of adding content to works of art through AR content. It was an international project in which my side was responsible for the technical part, and the other for the analytical part. Then I managed to implement an iOS application that supplemented works of art when recognizing them through the iPhone/iPad camera.

War. The full-scale Russian invasion caught most of the team and me under shelling. Our office was on the front line of flights in Kharkiv. We stopped work for a while: someone went to the Territorial Defense, someone evacuated, and someone remained under occupation. Many had «projects» that it is still better not to disclose. The notification system in Kharkiv was damaged. There were thoughts about an application, but it was quickly made by one of the IT companies. I tried to join the project, but when I received an answer, it was already completed.

Expert in the company. For some time now, I have been involved in other company projects as an iOS expert and/or iOS Tech Lead. For example: designing and developing an iOS SDK from scratch for one of the products (which was also used by other projects); designing and developing an internal platform for rapid deployment of projects based on developed internal solutions; interviewing candidates for other projects. It was both enjoyable and challenging, but it was an experience.

Searching for prospects. In the summer of 2022, I began to look for development prospects for myself by moving to another company. Apparently, then I felt that there was nowhere to move and no development — «my own mentor». At one of the first interviews, I received an offer to work for a Ukrainian product company, but for personal reasons I refused. Although those almost eight hours of the interview were tough. A few interviews later, I postponed these plans, but then I was invited to teach iOS development (more on that later).

iOS Development Lecturer. A friend wrote that they have a course on iOS development, but the lecturer cannot continue. After passing the interview — which, as it turned out, was partially conducted by an acquaintance from 2018 (she helped with APNS setup) — my journey as a «lecturer» began. There were almost no materials, I had to prepare 80%+ from scratch according to the course plan. The group is 20 Trainee level students, the course is in partnership with an IT company for further hiring. Not without nuances, but we completed the course. Some are still in touch.

Big release. One of the factors that deterred me from interviews was feature releases that I wanted to give away — and be calm. At the beginning of 2023, we delivered a big release that the client and the entire team were waiting for. By that time, I already knew that I would «go». Shortly before that, I saw a vacancy where I had previously received an offer. I wrote to them that I wanted to try again and had new experience. We talked, and with a new offer and peace of mind for the old project, I agreed. That was how my journey in product development began.

Product. I am often asked why I went from Tech Lead to Senior. The main thing for me was interest in the product, the opportunity for technical development, and a strong team. And I got all of that — especially development and experience. The team is top-notch, experienced engineers. Sometimes I felt like a student, although I shared my experience myself. The product is great. But, as the lead said: «you will stop using it as usual» — that’s right. The company is the best in terms of processes and organization. It was like a breath of fresh air.

Hackathon. One of the coolest experiences was organizing the Apple Vision Pro Hackathon in 2024 in Kyiv. Our company was one of the organizers, and I was a speaker with an example of adapting an application for visionOS and a mentor for the participating teams. The event was held in a coworking space, which was partly the company’s office, so I went for a break and «joined» a colleague in the meeting room wearing a Vision Pro — it was fun.

Side project #4. I was involved in one scientific research paramilitary project, which aimed to study spaces in difficult conditions of smoke or other factors of direct impact on humans. As an example, the study of destroyed and mined buildings using sensors and unmanned systems to reduce risks for the State Emergency Service, medics, police and military. My part was LiDAR scanning, analysis and processing. But due to the demand for «education», participation was limited.

New perspectives. Since December 2025, I have been looking for new opportunities for myself. There were several interesting interviews for positions of various levels, but for one reason or another — without an offer. There was a cool technical interview, which we dragged out for half an hour to discuss views on architecture and development trends (if you are reading this — it was top). Since 2026, the IT market has gone crazy: there are fewer and fewer vacancies, feedback is shorter, and the requirements are stranger.

Projects. In 2026 I started working on short-term projects as an iOS/Apple expert. One was under NDA, but it can be described as «Apple sometimes fixes its bugs and hides it in the documentation.» Another was restoring my old project from partially lost archives, updating to Apple’s 2026 requirements, bug fixing, and improving performance. It’s a nostalgia that can’t be expressed when you see your eight-year-old commits and that «hymn code.» Honestly? I got high!

A new direction. Due to the lack of prospects in the iOS/Apple direction on the Ukrainian IT market, I began to consider various options. The difficulty is that even if you know the technology or language, without commercial experience, recruiters do not even respond. Therefore, I decided to expand my knowledge horizons, relying on my early experience, and build several products from scratch from a long list of ideas in my notes — at the same time studying and remembering everything necessary: DB, SQL, Backend, Frontend, Linux, etc. Let’s see what happens.