After spending almost 16 years in the restaurant and hotel industry, holding various management positions, he decided to change the field and began to deal with the IT recruitment. For his first three years in a new role, he held various positions from a junior specialist to IT project manager in a recruitment agency.

Konstantin joined Godel Technologies in 2020. With his huge help, the company was proud to announce its first BG location in Sofia at the start of 2021, providing further growth to the local office.

In his current position, Konstantin is actively engaged in the development and management of human resources, Employer Branding strategies. He always participates in various conferences as a speaker in the field of Human Resources and Employer branding.

Konstantin, could you tell us about your career path? How did you get to this position?

My career path, I would say, is quite interesting. I started as an ice cream seller in my school years, then worked in the restaurant and hotel industry. Believe it or not, for the first 16 years of my working experience I’ve been working as a bartender, a waiter, a cook and a restaurant manager.

But I’ve always had a passion for computers and programming. When I was 15-16 years old, I bought myself books to learn JavaScript. But in Sandanski, where I’m from, there were only few people who dealt with it back then, and it was difficult for me to learn on my own so I gave up.

Knowing my love for computers, my friends recommended me to try myself as a recruiter. And since I graduated from the Faculty of Law and History at SWU with a major in “Public Administration” I thought that my other love for human resources would help me to get into new role.

So, one day I put on my LinkedIn profile “Freelance IT Recruiter” status, and it worked! Some agencies contacted me and asked me if I was looking for a regular job. Few months later I was working as a full-time recruiter.

After a year in this recruitment agency, I decided that I should separate and develop my own business in this field, wanting to show a different approach and way of working. So it happened. I started pretty good. Many of the colleagues I had met in the field asked me to work on their projects. Some also tried to attract me as an internal recruiter, but at that time I was of the opinion that I wanted freedom to work and declined every offer.

One day one of my friends introduced me to Godel Technologies. I liked the company and I saw that our values ​​largely coincide. So I started my work here. Almost 6 months passed until we registered the Bulgarian company and at the very beginning of 2021, the decision of the Trade Register was officially issued – Godel Technologies Europe Bulgaria was a fact.

As the manager of the Bulgarian office of Godel Technologies Europe, could you share the projects your teams are working on, the technologies being used?

As I already mentioned, Godel Bulgaria opened at the beginning of 2021. For this year and a half, the Bulgarian team reached about 20 specialists, in the various directions of the IT sector. The team in Bulgaria includes specialists with .NET, Java, JavaScript (React, Angular), DevOps, Quality assurance, Data Engineers. For the moment, this is our focus of specialists that we want to develop in the Bulgarian office.

Godel has a lot of different and diverse clients, with whom specialists from different locations work. This multinationality of ours gives us the freedom to form a team with specialists from different countries.

At this stage, specialists from Bulgaria participate in various Godel projects. Mainly the projects that are being worked on are in the e-commerce, energetic and fintech industries.

How do you assess the technological abilities of Bulgarian talents at the moment? Are we able to compete in the global market?

Of course. Almost 5 years in this field, I would say that Bulgarian IT specialists are highly qualified and are strong competitors.

Our staff, whether they have graduated from a university or come out of an IT academy, have very deep and in-depth knowledge. I have always said that it doesn’t matter where or what you graduated from, what matters is your desire and persistence.

You are organizing your first technological Meet Up here in Bulgaria. The speakers are leading specialists from your company. Tell us more about the event. What should professionals from the IT community expect from the event?

We have invited three speakers who are our employees in our .NET Division. This is Vitali Pukhalski, who is also the Division Manager for Bulgaria of the .NET team. Our second speaker is Raman But-Husaim, who has been with the company for over 6 years and who is a Team Lead now. And our third lecturer is Senior .NET Software Engineer Vladimir Dimitrov. He is one of the first appointed employees in the Bulgarian office.

Our main topic is “Intro”, that’s why we named the event “Godel Sofia Intro Offline Meet-up”.  It’s been a little more than 1 year since Godel entered Bulgarian IT market. The official office opening happened a year later, providing further growth to the local office. And now we are ready to get to know the local tech community better. Apart from the main topic, we will try to cover technical topics related to .NET.

The most valuable thing for everyone who is going to visite our meet-up will be new acquaintances with colleagues and like-minded people. We have set aside time for networking, both before and after the event.

We are waiting for everyone interested at the very first Godel Sofia Intro Offline Meet-Up on October 6 in Sofia Tech Park at 4:30 pm.

Register by the link here.

Are you about to expand your team? What kind of professionals are you looking for?

Of course. This is our leading strategy. The goal we have set for ourselves is to finish 2024 with a team of about 300-400 people. Some might say it’s quite ambitious. And so it is. But I love challenges and, in my philosophy, impossible things do not exist.

At Godel, as I mentioned, we have projects of various sizes and clients operating in various business areas.

Mainly in Bulgaria, at this stage we have focused on specialists with .NET, Java, Python, DevOps, Automation QA, JavaScript (React, Angular). In the company, we also have Data Engineers, Mobile developers, PHP developers, UI/UX specialists. Every single specialist with the mentioned technologies is very welcomed to us. At Godel, we are one big family and there is always a place for one more member.

Are there any qualities that candidates must possess to become part of your team?

I personally look to see that the candidate is responsible, with a desire to develop and, first of all, is a “Human” with a capital “H”. For me, attitude and behavior are leading. I believe technical things can be learnt, but behavior cannot. We all live in the dynamic environment and the rapid pace at which technology develops. But the Internet space is full of helpful materials, where, as long as a person knows how to search for the information he needs, he can very quickly cope with the tasks set.

But there is no way a person can change his behavior. But yes, technical knowledge remains leading.

What are the values behind a successful software company? What values do you hold most dear at Godel Technologies Europe?

For me, the biggest value behind a successful company is its attitude towards its partners. I’m not just talking about business partners here, but also about its employees. Companies that see their employees as partners are successful for me. At Godel, we know this well, and that’s why we see our colleagues as partners.

In the company, we fully respect the so-called “flat structure”. Each one of us is free to approach, even a C-level manager, and free to express his or her opinion or make a suggestion without reflecting on it. As I mentioned above, we are like one big family. And I personally like this culture very much.

I personally had the chance at the end of July to visit one of our company’s offices in Europe. My visit also coincided with the office’s summer party, and even more interestingly, it also coincided with my birthday. During the party, the host called me and nearly 200 colleagues greeted me with the song “Happy Birthday”. After that, almost all the colleagues came one by one to congratulate me personally and get to know me. This sense of belonging cannot be described. Even, this may sound ridiculous, but for the first time in years I cried. Yes, they were tears of happiness, but they still made me cry. Colleagues from the Bulgarian office have shared the same with me, that for the first time they found a company where they feel important, and not just another appointed employee.

What are the development opportunities? What level can be reached in the company?

At Godel, we value our colleagues. Everyone has the opportunity to grow and develop with us. If we stop at the local level, we are still developing and every new colleague of ours has the chance to reach the position of Division Manager of a team of specialists. Currently, most of our Division Managers are based overseas, but as we grow, we will be able to locally promote colleagues to take on this role. Separately in the company we have different Functions, such as “Innovations”, “Learning and Development”, “Talent Acquisition”, “Compliance” and so on. That’s why every employee can develop not only in his standard role but also in something different.

Do you continue to learn on a daily basis in your job? What would you recommend to everyone who is just starting their career and wants to reach your level? Where to start?

Of course! Everyone can learn something new every day. My day starts every morning at 06:00 am. After making my first coffee, I have a habit of checking out a few sites that have been leading in my career and reading useful articles in my field. Apart from that, I attend various seminars and conferences. Some of the best teachers, however, remain my colleagues, both locally and globally.

My advice is not to give up. Before you hear your first “Yes”, you probably will hear “No” a hundred times. But this should not dissuade people. You should always be persistent and motivated and above all – do everything with love. When one does something with love, then things work out. Also, to remember that the biggest enemy of success is sitting in the “comfort zone”. Going back in time, if I hadn’t taken the step of leaving a well-paying job and branching out as a freelancer, maybe someone else would be in my shoes now. And I will end by saying that “fate favors the brave”.

“I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.”

Here’s a step-by-step guide to take you from code newbie to know-it-all.

1. Understand what coding is.

Coding is, quite simply, a way of telling a machine what to do.

“Coding” is the most common term used by educational sites, but it’s a bit more complex than that. First, there’s no one way to code — there are numerous languages used to code for different types of projects. Second, knowing how to code with a particular language doesn’t make you a programmer or developer.

Though there is some debate about the overlap of coding, programming, developing, and other related pursuits, most people agree that to get beyond coding, you need to be able to understand logic and algorithms, connect different systems and languages, and communicate and collaborate with other people.

2. Understand how coding can help you.

Enhance digital literacy; Cultivate skills; Expand your horizons; Solve problems.

3. Pick your path.

Before you start, remember to figure out what you want to do with your future coding skills. Figuring that out is important for two reasons: first, different programming languages are used for different things, so you want to make sure you learn the language that best fits your goals. Second, having a specific, meaningful goal motivates you to keep going.

So which language should you learn? The Learn Programming subreddit offers this guide in determining which language to learn:

4. Pick your course.

Check out our ultimate resource list for learning to code for a curated list of sites that are highly rated by users, recommended by experienced programmers, and associated with well-known institutions.

All of the sites on the list offer courses for people with zero programming experience. Each listing details the types of courses offered, cost, time commitment, experience level, and a sampling of topics covered. Though many courses are free, courses geared toward people seeking a career in programming are usually paid. Among all the options, you’re sure to find one that’s right for you.

5. Have a support system.

Code can be intimidating, but you’re not alone — the programming community values collaboration. Here’s how you can get help:

Get a buddy. Look for a buddy on Perunity or the Programming Buddies subreddit. You can also find local buddies by searching Meetup for interest groups focused on what you’re learning. Girl Develop It has chapters that help women network and team up to learn and practice programming.

Get a mentor. Mentors can help you when you get stuck and make sure you’re on the right track. Find one on CodeMentor or the Code Mentors subreddit.

Ask a forum. The most popular programming forum is Stack Overflow, followed by Reddit — the general programming subreddit is Learn Programming.

Ask good questions. If people feel like you’re wasting their time, you’ll get either no response or a snarky one. Consider these tips:

• Before you post, search the forum to see if your question has already been answered.
• Write a descriptive title and post.
• Demonstrate that you’ve made an effort to tackle your problem- you’re not expecting people to do the hard work for you.
• This article on asking smart questions has more great advice and is also a useful introduction to the distinct character of the programming community.

6. Go beyond the basics

It’s true you can quickly learn the basics of code. But just as learning English (or any other language) doesn’t make you a great novelist, learning code doesn’t make you a great programmer- that takes plenty of practice!

Our audience is mainly developers but anyone interested in JavaScript and its many applications is most welcome.

How many people are part of the community in Madrid? Are there a lot of Java developers?

According to Meetup, we are over 5300 javascripters. Most of them are JavaScript (not Java 😉 developers. Our stats are public:

https://www.meetup.com/es-ES/madridjs/stats/members/?range=all

How often do you meet? Where?

We usually meet once a month, with a summer break from July to August. At this point we have done 99 Meetups. We don’t have a fixed place; we get offers all the time from friendly companies, bootcamps and coworking spaces, and use whatever place is more adjusted to our needs.

How many people are participating in the MadridJS? What is the ratio of men: women?

The number of active members is usually around 500:

Meetups usually gather between 30 and 80 attendants.

The ratio of women is one of the sore spots in our Meetup: they are hardly 10~15%. We have tried hard to have more female speakers and attendees but have not been too successful

Do you think that people from your country are accustomed to the existence of such groups? Are they interested in them?

Yes, there are many groups where anyone can learn about anything, from WordPress to Vue.js. Our main problem is to keep doing interesting things and to make people actually go to events, because we are all so busy, but I guess that is the case everywhere

What’s new in your community? In terms of technology and around you? 

In terms of technology we are following closely on the recent developments in the language and in Node.js. Our colleague (and ex-organizer) Pablo Almunia is cooperating with the EcmaScript committee in the new specs.

In the personal space, precisely this month I am quitting as main organizer, and leaving the group in the capable hands of Manu and Javi.

What was your most popular / most attended meetup ever? What did you talk about? Who was the speaker? 

It was a 2017 event about Vue.js where our friend Rafael Casuso told us about this emerging (at the moment) framework. We gathered around 150 attendees.

Are you organizing events or other initiatives?

I helped organize JSDayES from 2015 to 2017: it grew from nothing to an event with more than 700 attendees. I’m an organizer of Node.js Madrid, our sister meetup where we gather monthly to learn about Node.js Madrid. I’m also in the Program Committee for Codemotion, one of the largest technology conferences in Spain.

How do you maintain the user group – who finances you? Is there a membership fee?

We are a grassroots group led and organized by volunteers. We have an open GitHub repo where anyone can propose talks, for maximum transparency with the community.

I pay personally for the Meetup subscription which is not too high, around €50 per year. Membership is completely free and we don’t charge for meetups. We have had many sponsors that have offered mainly facilities, but have also paid for food and drinks after gatherings.

Is everything self-initiative? Do you plan to become part of a global unit of such a community?

We have collaborated in several occasions with other organizations from Spain (both within and without the JavaScript ecosystem: joint meetups with VueJS Madrid and with MadridJUG come to mind), and also with international initiatives (at Node.js Madrid we have run a couple of NodeSchools). We have not received offers to join international organizations.

What events and big conferences do you follow and try your best to attend?

I help Codemotion with program selection and thus follow them closely. I like attending other international conferences like FullStack London.

Do you plan visiting Bulgaria?

I would love to! But unless some conference invites me, I’m afraid I cannot justify the trip with my family

How can people join your user group or keep in touch with you?

First, you can join MadridJS from anywhere in the world. In our mailing list there are job offers and events in Spanish regularly; some are in English.

You can also follow me on Twitter.

We will need some 5-7 HQ pictures from your meetups, photos of people from the community, etc. Thank you for your time!