We love sharing the remarkable journeys of our students! Their stories are truly inspiring and serve as compelling evidence of the transformative power of motivation and pursuing one's dreams.
What resonates with us the most are the stories of those who consciously decided to return to Bulgaria, choosing to build fulfilling careers with the help of
Telerik Academy Alpha.
Valentin Anchev's story is this type of story - he went from healing bodies to building code at one of our partners -
interop.io (formerly Tick42)! Keep reading to learn how he did it with the help of Telerik Academy Alpha - and how you can follow him.
From Coventry University to Sofia
Valentin has been making his mark at
interop.io for the past five years. However, he was on a different career path before that.
He graduated from a mathematics high school majoring in French and Information Technology. Then came the Bachelor's degree - Sports Therapy in Coventry, England.
"But I didn't like it," explained Valentin.
That's when he had the idea to change careers and switch to programming. He returned to Sofia and joined
Telerik Academy Alpha JavaScript - a decision he describes as one of the best of his life.
"The Academy gave me an excellent foundation in several areas. One of the most important was the mindset to approach and solve problems. Additionally, with little effort, practical knowledge of JavaScript and programming principles can be transferred to other languages."
But that was not all.
He highly values the guidance, materials, and the "wonderful speakers in the process of entering the programming field," as he shared with us, adding that the program helped him develop his teamwork skills and, most importantly - find a job after graduation.
A job to enjoy
Valentin completed the program in mid-2018 and, less than two weeks later, started his first tech career at our partner
interop.io.
"I've been working for interop.io for almost five years now, and I feel excellent because the work doesn't stress me out and because I do it willingly and enjoy it," shared Valentin, now a Senior I-level developer.
One of the best qualities of interop.io as an employer is how extremely honest of an employer the company is.
"The company does everything to make its team feel valued and monitors their level, so we - the
interop.io team, don't feel wronged. We can attend seminars on various topics, some of which include mental health," Valentin explains, adding that he enjoys the internal pieces of training for employees to continue to develop in a direction they are interested in.
For a long time, he worked as the sole UI developer on the projects he was involved in.
"My duties include attending client meetings, getting requirements, breaking those requirements into appropriate chunks and disturbing them across the team."
As an experienced professional, Valentin also helps colleagues, guides them when needed, and ensures the team delivers quality and polished code to the clients.
The most important advice
The Alpha students have the best advice for all of you thinking of changing careers and joining the IT sector. Valentin's advice doesn't disappoint, and we stand behind each and every word:
"Make the most of what the academy has to offer. Take time outside regular lectures because time is extremely short, and it is difficult to learn everything. Try hard, make an effort, and ask questions, and you can be sure that in the end, if programming is for you and you are interested in it, you will succeed."
Do you want to change your life and start your journey in the IT industry? The fastest path to becoming an in-demand software developer is waiting for you. Apply for
Telerik Academy Alpha JavaScript!
