It took Georgi Manchev just 2 weeks to land his dream job in IT after graduating from Telerik Academy Alpha. But he hasn’t always been on the right track to a promising tech career. Prior to joining the program, Georgi worked as a waiter and bartender and had no coding experience at all. During the intensive 6-month training, he was equipped with the knowledge and skills companies look for and joined Experian, a global leader in information and analytical solutions and Telerik Academy’s partner, as a Junior Software Engineer.
From absolute beginner to hired
Despite the lack of previous experience, Georgi felt ready and confident to jumpstart his career upon completing his final project at Telerik Academy. By constantly working on real-life problems both individually and in team with the other students, he gained the tech and soft skills needed.
“The Telerik Academy Team invested time, effort and individual attention in me throughout the entire program. In addition to the tech training, crafting a killer CV, learning different interview practices and building grit and an open mindset are just a few of the value-added trainings that made me stand out from other candidates.”
Looking back, Georgi thinks that everything has changed for the better. Today he feels much more satisfied with both his professional and personal life, highly appreciated at work and has more time for family and friends.
“Graduating from Telerik Academy Alpha is the best investment I ever made. Many of the things I learned are applicable in other areas, not just coding. Everything paid off in so many ways and is still paying off. The program instilled in me a desire to constantly learn, do more and strive to become better. These habits are key to my performance at work, helping me complete tasks suited for a more senior specialist, share knowledge within the team and suggest overall process improvements.”
Finding the perfect fit
Choosing an employer with matching values and culture, was yet another cornerstone for Georgi.
“Telerik Academy assisted me in finding the right company and team. The open house visits in the partners’ offices they organize, are extremely valuable. Getting to know companies from the inside and talking with CEOs and engineers with 10+ years of experience helped me make the best decision.”
Georgi was impressed by Experian from the very first visit of their office – part of the Alpha program – and the interview process only reaffirmed this.
“During the interview, I felt as if we were good friends, talking over a coffee. We talked around 2,5 hours, going over 90% of the Telerik Academy curriculum and other subjects. It felt totally natural. After the interview, I knew these were the right people and place for me. They asked me the right questions and gave the right answers.”
A company that listens to its employees
Today, Georgi is part of Experian’s Hunter team. His typical daily routine consists of 2 hours of meetings and personal development tasks and 6 hours of coding, researching, bugs fixing and reading or writing documentation. Quality comes first for everyone at the company.
“My key responsibility is to deliver a high-quality product. What excites me the most is the challenge to find the right solutions to complex problems and of course help our business clients.”
As part of Experian, Georgi highly appreciates the dedicated time off employees have for personal development, along with various training opportunities such as Pluralsight subscriptions, third-party trainings, conference tickets, knowledge-sharing sessions between teams and working on different products.
“Experian listens to its employees and their needs, gathers constant feedback and acts upon it. Also, it gives additional benefits to the employees and rewards those who give more to the company.
Another thing I like, is the flat structure – I’ve been in meetings with managers overseeing half of our products. Everyone is approachable and willing to listen.”
Advice to the new students
Motivation is key to success. So, set your goals, stay dedicated and live your dream.
Ready to kickstart your professional journey? Apply for Telerik Academy Alpha.
If you are a Telerik Academy graduate, eager to share your success story and be featured on our blog, just email us at info@telerikacademy.com.
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