Was macht ein Full Stack Developer? Irina Shkliar im Interview

DevStory

Irina Shkliar

Background

How did you get into programming?

I started studying PHP and HTML back in school, but at some point I had to leave these classes. I returned to programming after realizing that a master's degree in international finance was not what I needed.

At what age did you start?

I consider 22 years to be the real beginning.

Which programming language did you first get excited about?

C. It was with it that my training began and I spent many hours solving various kinds of problems on it. Although in the process of direct work, I never had to use it.

Your DevJob

What exactly is your DevJob about?

Support and development of a project in the field of advertising mobile games. Tasks are always diverse – from adding new functionality for the backend, to participating in the development of mobile applications directly – so you don't have to get bored.

What do you particularly like about your DevJob?

Diversity and constant learning.

What kind of challenges do you face specifically in your DevJob?

Constant switching between technologies, with some of which I have never been worked on before. You need to quickly understand not only unfamiliar technologies, but also projects architecture.

What are your preferred technologies?

There are no loved ones, as such, there are technologies suitable for solving certain problems, and there are unsuitable ones. Most of the time I worked with php and react native, and recently started working with a project in golang.

Windows or Mac?

Linux of course.

Personal and Professional Growth

Which Dev Projects do you have outside of your work?

I have always liked computer games, and one day I decided that it was enough to play them, it was time to make them. So in my spare time I'm a fan of Unreal Engine.

How do you keep yourself up to date for your job?

Just doing my job. Since you often have to switch between projects and get acquainted with new technologies, there is simply no way to stop.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

In game development.

Tips for beginners

How do you start programming and what should you start with?

Think not about which language to choose, but about exactly how to solve certain problems. And the more practice the better. Start with simple tasks and move on to developing a pet project as soon as possible. Solving small diversified tasks will never give the experience that developing a project from scratch gives.

Which skills are required for your work?

The ability to search for information, the desire for continuous improvement, the willingness to understand unfamiliar systems, and of course soft skills. Of course, programming skills are important, but they are just the result of the above.

In your opinion, what kind of education helps to be good at your DevJob?

It all depends on which country you are studying in, since programs and approaches are different everywhere. I didn’t have a background in programming at the university, but I had a year of study on a course built on self-study and solving immediate problems, and then a lot of practice. I was lucky that my first work experience was creating an automated educational service which uses the peer-to-peer method. This allowed me to make a big leap than if these were small tasks of support and development.