Through Hard Work and Persistence: Meet Andrii Chmil, React engineer at Agiliway

Being a successful software development engineer requires a certain scope of skills as well as patience and desire to study. It’s a no brainer that every career is built through hard work and persistence. Regardless of whether you are a seasoned professional or a junior specialist that is at the starting point of your path, there are a lot of different ways to boost your performance and develop your skillset. Today we are talking with Andrii Chmil, React engineer at Agiliway who shares the specifics of his job as well as his thoughts regarding personal growth and development.

Andrii, can you tell us about yourself, your education, and your current position in Agiliway? What was your role when you started and how did you get to the place you are at today?

Andrii: I entered Lviv Polytechnic National University, the Faculty of Radio Engineering in 2009. During my student years, I got interested in IT and decided to learn more about it in my free time.

I currently am a senior React engineer. When I joined Agiliway almost 4 years ago I was a front-end developer. I was working on writing functionality for various websites. My primary scope of tools and technologies comprised of different CMS (e.g. WordPress, Magento), HTML, CSS, PHP, JS, etc. After almost a year after joining the company, I decided to move on with my career and opted for React. Having a background in JS, it didn’t require much effort. Thankfully, the company is always open to initiatives and my desire was supported by the managers.

Later I was given the opportunity to try myself on a React-based project, which turned into a success. And that’s how I pursued the new direction of my work. Since then I have worked on multiple React projects including GPS tracking systems, AI-based services for banking, and many more.

In your opinion, why has React become so popular? And why having a React engineer is beneficial for the client’s business?

Andrii: I think the main benefit of utilizing React is that it is simple to learn and work with. Moreover, it is flexible and responsive. Secondly, React is the type of library that shows high performance for the product, regardless if it is mobile or web. Thirdly, React was created by a reliable and influential company, hence, it is constantly being updated and maintained. I predict it staying among the top libraries for many years, unlike other libraries like Backbone, for instance. And, finally, React is perfect for creating a User Interface, since we only describe what we want to have, and the library provides us with the result. I believe this is great, isn’t it?

What challenges do you face at work and how do you overcome them?

Andrii: Talking about challenges in my job I think they are the same for every software development engineer. in order to be successful and maintain a level of professionalism, I have to study a lot and constantly making sure the code quality is high, and I do not miss any important updates in the technological stack I utilize in my work.

However, it is sometimes difficult to draw the line between work and leisure, since, I often read tech-related articles and publications in my free time. It doesn’t mean, I do that always and everywhere because I believe that having a good rest is the key to being productive and efficient at work.

Tell us about the processes a project passes at Agiliway?

Andrii: Every project has to undergo several stages before getting back to a client. We care about meeting deadlines, working efficiently and productively, as well as delivering exactly what we were asked to. Every project is negotiated to clear all the details, estimated timing for each stage and costs, etc. after everything is set, the team gets the planning and we start the implementation of the product or service based on the documentation. We constantly keep our clients updated on the project phases, discussing changes that may occur during the development process. With all that we do maintain high-quality assurance so that everything is flawless and bug-free. Finally, we prepare and release the deliverables, work out all the documentation-related activities.

Is there any knowledge-sharing in Agiliway?

Andrii: Agiliway encourages knowledge-sharing among staff members. Besides the communication, we get with the colleagues where we discuss professional issues, company has started a mentorship program where we can choose a mentor and learn from them. If you are a junior specialist that strives for knowledge and coming from more experienced developers, this is the perfect opportunity. I find it also a good team-building activity. A mentor doesn’t necessarily come from your team, so you get a chance to get to know your colleagues better as well.

We also hold different discussions of the latest tech world updates while drinking coffee or at lunch, which is also a nice knowledge-sharing process. We are lucky to have a team of seasoned professionals who are willing to lend you a hand in a difficult or challenging situation.

What do you enjoy most about your work at Agiliway?

Andrii: What I like the most about Agiliway is the communication we get with our management. I think it’s crucial to have a chance to be heard and receive feedback. It is also very encouraging when you know that you can come up with ideas and suggestions which are considered and discussed. Another thing is that I believe that the company is about the people who work there. And successful company always means having a strong team united by similar views and ideas. It is easy to come up to anyone and have a talk regarding different aspects of our daily operations or professional issues. Having this opportunity to work in a friendly environment with like-minded people around is great for those who want to grow and elevate their skills to a higher level.

Secondly, we know how to have fun after we turn off our laptops. We have traditional birthday celebrations, corporate events, and many more. This is another positive aspect of the company policy. This way we establish a bit different side of communication with the colleagues.

The most valuable skill you developed at Agiliway?

Andrii: I have grown a lot since I started here. Feeling supported and understood allowed me not only to become a better specialist. Agiliway focuses on soft skills as the inextricably linked part of our daily operations. Developing proper communication helps building stronger teams, reduce conflicts, and motivate people.

What movie/book/blog/podcast would you recommend?

Andrii: Recently I’ve been up to technical materials mainly like JS and React. I follow official communities, get newsletters on the latest updates and changes. As to other resources, I like reading publications on Medium. I’m also a subscriber to numerous React-related Telegram channels.

What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time?

Andrii: My favorite hobby is swimming. This is the thing that helps me relax, let go of all the thoughts, and just enjoy my time. I spend a lot of time walking, meeting with my friends, just having fun. I also like watching different TV shows and movies on Netflix.

What inspires and motivates you in your work?

Andrii: I am motivated and inspired by several things in my work. These are interesting projects, utilizing new technologies, implementing my own solutions, and an amiable environment. These are the constituents of the work process I want to be involved in. I like to get satisfied with what I do. I truly believe that people are productive when they are happy with their professional life. If you don’t feel fulfilled then you need to change something. Otherwise, you are going to hate your job in the long run.

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