Android Developer Yevhenii Maslak from Poltava is an economist-lawyer by education. Working as a sales manager, he always wanted to go into IT. To do this, he studied programming languages, but for various reasons he postponed radical changes in his career. In 2022, a major war pushed the future developer to take a risk.
Android Developer Yevhenii Maslak from Poltava is an economist-lawyer by education. Working as a sales manager, he always wanted to go into IT. To do this, he studied programming languages, but for various reasons he postponed radical changes in his career. In 2022, a major war pushed the future developer to take a risk.
Yevhenii Maslak worked as a sales manager for heating equipment and plumbing for 10 years. In parallel with his main job, he studied Java and Python.
«Actually, I’ve wanted to go into IT for a long time, I started learning something several times. I liked programming, but I didn’t know how to start and find a job. There was no one who could tell me where to go. And not least of all was the fear of change,» says Yevhenii.
In 2022, sales volumes decreased significantly due to the war, and Yevgeny had a lot of free time.
«At first, of course, everyone was shocked, then depressed. And then the thought came that it was time to change something. Just at that time, some state program for training IT professions opened. I didn’t get into it, but in the process, I came across the free school „Ш++“ and decided that this was my chance,» the developer recalls.
For almost a year, Yevgeny combined work as a manager and studies, spending all his free time on it, and it was very difficult.
«Was I afraid of changing jobs? Absolutely. But I had a goal and the support of my family. That was enough to overcome the fear,» says the developer.
In December 2022, Yevhenii completed the Computer Science course, a basic course that all Sh++ students take. He then had the opportunity to choose one (or more) specialized courses.
«I knew I didn’t want to make websites. I didn’t consider backend either. And Android is in almost everyone’s pocket. So I decided that the direction was promising. So the choice fell on Android development,» says Yevgeny.
Were these courses enough to get all the knowledge he needed to get started? The developer says yes. The only thing he did to get his first offer was learn how to work with some libraries.
Yevgeny’s first job was at WWL, a company operating in the iGaming sector.
The developer says that there were no major difficulties with the search. But before he got the first offer, he had to go through several interviews, do a few tests, and even earn his first $100 in IT for project work — it was a small mobile game about basketball, which he spent 5 days developing.
«But I wouldn’t say it was difficult. Moreover, I had a permanent job, so I didn’t have to worry about the financial side,» notes Yevhenii.
At the beginning of his career, the IT professional’s income dropped by about 30%, but he was ready for it: «I didn’t believe in the 'golden mountains' that various IT courses promised in advertisements. So everything was expected and was supposed to pay off later.»
When Yevhenii shined in IT, he was 40 years old. Did he feel any different attitude towards him from recruiters? He says no.
«Regarding age. I don’t know, really. After all, no one will say that they refused because of age. I didn’t see any food in their eyes, at least. I didn’t have any unpleasant feelings from any interview,» says the IT specialist.
And although Yevgeny found his first job without any difficulties, the beginning of his IT career was not so simple.
After a month of working at the first company, he was laid off due to the crisis. Everyone who was on probation was laid off.
«My family and I got through it normally. I received a month’s salary and compensation from the company for the layoffs. I immediately started looking for work, taking small orders along the way.»
A month and a half later, the developer found a second job, which already brought in consistently more money than in trading.
«If my first offer was $450, then the second one was $800. And in the long term, my income should have increased even more.»
But 8 months later, he was laid off again for the same reason — a crisis in the company.
Then, a month and a half after the layoff, Yevgeny got a job at a company for which he performed design orders, where he still works. He does not mention the name of the company due to an NDA.
The only thing Yevgeny regrets is that he didn’t start earlier.
Whether it’s worth changing your career so drastically is up to each individual, the developer believes.
«I succeeded, but that doesn’t mean that others will do the same. If you decide, then now is the time to do it. In fact, it is at any moment, right now. If you are waiting for a better time or opportunity, then you haven’t dared yet. It will be difficult. There is no easy start to $1,000 in 3 months. Nowhere, in any IT direction. Study and hard work. If you are not ready, sit where you are,» says the IT specialist.
