Meet Vlad. He is our student in the past and PHP specialist now. In this interview, Vlad talks about how he managed to become a successful PHP developer in an IT company before graduation.
Vlad, tell us when and how you joined Web-Systems Solutions?
It was in 2016. In July, I had an on-the-job practical training as a Khmelnytsky National University student. At the university, we were recommended to contact Web-Systems Solutions about the practice. So I came here for a three-week practical course. I was immediately given a mentor, the person responsible for my training in the company. It was the back-end developer Dmytro. Dima gave me tasks, checked them, explained the parts that were unclear to me. That’s when I realized that I wanted to work in the company.
And did you get to choose what you wanted to learn during the practical course?
First, we all met together, all the students who applied for the training and the mentors. We were suggested two options back-end and front-end. I chose back. After that, we discussed the details of the course and picked the technologies we wanted to study within the training. We decided on the Yii2 framework as the main back-end technology of the course. Then I got to know more about the technology and built a small educational project with this framework by the end of the practical training. It was a very simple gallery with categories but I was able to continue learning even after the practice based on it.
What happened after the practice? When exactly did you get a job in the company?
I really liked it in Web-Systems Solutions. I wanted to work there, so soon after the practice, I contacted Vladimir, CEO of the company and asked about the vacancies for me. Vladimir promised to discuss this with my mentor, and already in August, I was invited for an internship. My mentor during the internship was Dima too. At that time, he worked on a CRM system for business. It was on that project that I got my first tasks. Some of my ideas have even been approved and accepted into the project.
After the successful internship, I got a job and my own tasks. Of course, I continued to ask my colleagues for advice every time I was stuck with something. That is what I really like about Web-Systems: you constantly get challenged and you learn something new as a result, and when you need help you can always ask your colleague for it. We have the very friendly atmosphere and the good teamwork.
And what about the university? You were supposed to go back to school in September, right?
Yes, actually I still go to school and work at the same time. I graduate this year. By the way, by the time I finish university, I will already have had 2 years of work experience. Cool, right?
What type of projects are you currently working on?
I’m working on two projects at the moment.
The first one is a large international project. We work with the clients from Cyprus. We’re developing a payment system and providing its support as well. I’ve been doing this project for half a year already. Very interesting. There is a lot of interaction between our technical specialists and specialists on the side of the system when it is necessary to make some kind of integration. Recently I went to Kharkov and met with my colleagues who also work on this project.
The second project is smaller but no less interesting. Customers are from Israel. We’re developing a web portal that unites people who want to order something from AliExpress but do not know how it works, and intermediaries, who can make an order from this trading platform for a certain percentage.
Do you continue to work with Yii?
Yes, I continue to work with Yii, but I also study Symfony. And I already have some experience with this framework too.
Tell us about your plans. Didn’t you think about changing your specialization?
I like what I do. I want to continue working with PHP frameworks. I do plan to expand my knowledge in Symfony. I also plan to get to Laravel very soon.
Vlad, you’ve successfully walked the path from a student to a developer and you continue growing as a specialist. What can you suggest to the future generation of programmers?
Well, I definitely recommend you to attend the practice and do it not just for show. Want to be a developer? Then learn! There are interesting opportunities for those who are ready to learn. For example, Web-Systems gives students a unique opportunity to shadow and learn from a programmer for three weeks, as well as provides opportunities for trainees, and helps junior developers to grow. Just decide what you want, set a goal, and move toward it.
