So how did I end up here?
If someone told me 10 years ago that I’d be a software developer and helping others do the same thing, my eye roll would’ve been LOUD.
In my family, there are no engineers or anyone with higher degree working in the tech world.
There was never any talk of “working remote or “building software” That was for others.
Nothing makes you do your job better than a true passion.
I was born to be an Engineer, always interested about how things work. I've always been interested in planes and fighter jets to I got a master degree in Aerospace Engineering.
Soon after I started my first job in the space sector, I realized how those days almost every engineering job is related to building some sort of software system.
That blew my mind. All those theories and algorithms were actually implemented using software.
At that point, wondering what to do next
I focused on programming, 10 hours a day EVERYDAY I dedicated my entire career on applying physical laws using software solutions.
Those skills in DevOps, Software Development and Testing tripled my salary in 1 year and allowed me to work completely remote.
You can do it too!
If you talk with my high school classmates, they will confirm that I was one of the students with the lowest grades.
Well it seems that, if you really want something you can do it quickly. My dedication, consistency paid off and allowed me to build a great methodology for learning every type of software, framework or topic within one months.
This is when I decided to share this methodology with others, to allow them to quickly become a professional software engineers in Apps Development, Software Testing, Game Development and DevOps.
Being an outsider & the hundred things I couldn't relate to...
Lots of things didn’t click when I started…
I’m the first engineer in my family and stepping into that as an introvert was hecka scary.
Nothing in me wanted to ever be on video or have my pictures plastered across the internet.And I definitely didn’t want to have to share about my passion.
Universities are overrated
I don’t believe you have to go all in for software engineering degree —or do university at all. Academics is overrated today where you can learn everything from the comfort of your home.
Bare in mind that this is the opinion of a person with three higher degrees. I admit myself that I would have saved substantial amount of years, energy and money if I would get straight to the coding courses, without shifting my mind with unnecessary classes. I have colleagues making six figures with no degree whatsoever.
Remember, employers care only about your skills. A degree might look good in your CV, but projects looks better. A degree will not pass you the coding interview, but your skills will. When I hire people I only check the quality of their past projects and if that quality will help my business. This is why our courses are project based.
Efficiency became my main strategy
For me laziness have always been the key for improvement. If people were not lazy to go to the TV and press a button to change the channel, then the remote will have never been invented.
When efficiency became my main strategy I learned how to optimize – how to make every single area of software development effective, efficient, and productive. I let a lot of things slide because they were not necessary for the project to be done.
In fact, I have a ‘let this slide’ list.
Many people feel fulfilled when they learn some skill. That way it is vey easy to spend too much energy on the wrong thing. Your time is the most precious resource, so you need to know how to use it properly.
I still worked hard. But I worked on the things that mattered.
I don’t believe there are lazy methods of doing anything at all. Just smarter, minimum viable ways of doing things that’ll give you more bang for your time and buck!
Sure, I’ve struggled. Had my own share of software developer envy. Had ugly days where I've been rejected from many companies.
But I continued to do it have come to realize that…
The winners are those who play the long game…the ones who are prepared to be top of mind…who are dedicated to gaining mindshare when fail from time to time.
My story from Bulgaria to US
I know it sounds crazy but I have degrees from three different countries.
- Bachelor in Aeronautics from Bulgaria
- Master of Science from Cranfield, UK
- Master of Science from Massachusetts, US
So in the past 10 years I traveled a lot. I've been working engineering jobs in Bulgaria, Malta, England and now in United States.
My first big software project was the development and testing of the European air traffic management system called SESAR. The European space became so crowded in the past years that all countries agreed they need a better system to make sure planes don't crash, something more precise and more modern.
Back then I was living in UK and I got the job because I understand the flight physics and I was good in programming at the same time. I know those are two skills that does not go together.
This job allowed me to really use and leverage my Python and Java skills to solve real world problems.
Why did I move to United States?
United Kingdom was really not my place. I didn’t like the weather that much and everything seemed small - the streets, the buildings…
Back in the days I visited United States and the huge cities, skyscrapers and the entrepreneurship spirit of the people leaving there impressed me a lot.
Everyone was telling me that it is a shame to leave my everything I build in UK and start from zero in United States. It turned out that the saying "fortune loves the brave" came out valid for me. I managed to land a six figure software development job, building software solution for medical devices some of which used to invent the COVID-19 vaccine, within an year after I moved there.
Why am I teaching?
I've been on so many coding interviews, at some point I felt that I know the answer before the question is asked. I also love technology, in fact I am learning on average one new software technology every month. I know I sound like a geek, but this is my passion.
After studding so many years in a University, 6 years total for 3 degrees, I noticed that there are so many mismatches about what we study and what an actual software development job requires. So I thought that I might be able to change that.
Back in the days when the COVID-19 pandemic just hit and I had some time working from home, I decided to dedicate all my free time to build software development courses, covering all technologies I am expect in.
My motivation was that most of the software development tutors are people that are teachers only, but don’t really work as a software engineers and use the technology they are teaching for a real world projects. I am not planning leave my software development job anytime soon. This means that my courses will always be up to date with the latest industry trends.
I assume that they are more and more students seeing value in the way I teach, because within the first two years I had over 500,000 enrollments in my software development courses. That growth was so rapid that CNBS wrote an article about me.
