My storytelling is about finding yourself and how did I decide to get into High Tech and open my own startup

My name is Alice, and I'm 25. My path into the IT sphere, like my whole life, has been a combination of circumstances and spontaneous decisions. Nevertheless, my story is one of motivation and not giving up, even when all seems lost. I hope that my journey can inspire others to pursue their dreams.

After switching jobs a dozen times in entirely different fields, I found my calling. Now I am the founder of a startup developing a flexible platform that aims to make it easier for developers to find clients and vice versa.

The features we implement will add value to both parties. For example, clients, in addition to IT specialists, will be able to reserve a coworking space in the city where the developer is located.

Additionally, professionalism and high-quality hires are a guarantee for customers. Each candidate on the platform will go through several interview stages. Even if a developer’s soft skills aren’t up to scratch, we will go through the free interview process with him, helping him improve his skills if we see potential in him.

Customers will be able to see the stages of interviewing candidates on the platform itself, giving more confidence in the verification of specialists. The platform itself will be as automated as possible with all the necessary settings and programs.

For developers, we want to introduce a separate model that will make it easier to find worthy clients without a lengthy search.

In the meantime, we are actively expanding our databases of customers and developers and have concluded a couple of lucrative contracts with large foreign customers. So, how did I do it? Maybe not how you’d expect.

I broke family traditions and, instead of going to medical school, I moved to Israel

I was born and raised in Kirovograd, Ukraine. In general, I was a good student, grew up in a good family, many of my relatives worked as doctors. Therefore, after graduating from school, my parents also imagined me in this field. I passed the exams and got accepted to three medical universities - in Kiev, Kharkov, and Odessa.

However, I quickly realized that I wanted to live on my own and achieve things independently. My mother was against it - she believed that first, you need to graduate from a university and then try to work in another country. I decided to do everything my way and leave for Israel - I have Jewish roots, so I had such an opportunity.

To this day, I still remember when my grandfather and my mother accompanied me to the airport, and before the flight, my grandfather said: "Well, that's it, you are immersed in adulthood." At that moment, I became scared. I had friends, a boyfriend, a family, but I had to part with everyone to achieve something for myself, all alone without the help of my parents. When I got on the plane, I met the people I would be working with. We were all a part of the same program, “Massa.” We were taught to windsurf, and after that, we became instructors ourselves and gave surfing lessons to tourists. The program lasted a year. We went to the southern city of Eilat on the Red Sea. I didn't know what awaited me, but I clearly understood that I would become successful and my family would be proud of me.

Service in semi-combat troops and work for days - absolute self-confidence

Upon arrival in Israel, I began to study the languages and traditions of the country. It was not easy because their culture and mentality are very different from that of Ukraine. Israelis are usually noisy, impatient, not always tolerant, and too direct, which shocks our people.

Children are raised differently than in my country, and there are slightly different values and customs. For this reason, many people from my group returned to their countries. During my first year, I was also shocked by their behavior. For example, it is customary for them to start their university studies at the age of 23–25 and only know what they wish to do with their lives by the age of 27–29. After 30, they begin to think about starting a family. That is, they live in highs, and one day, they are in no hurry. Even at the age of 70, going to university is normal.

One of my classmates is 70 years old, and he is a CMO at Toyota. I have a dozen of such examples.

At first, it was mentally challenging for me to understand these people, but after a year or two, I absorbed their values and felt like one of them. I changed my outlook on life so much that the locals thought I was born there. In general, I fell in love with these people and saw their other qualities, such as patriotism, a desire to help, and an easy attitude towards life, despite persistent troubles (related to terrorist attacks and wars).

In parallel with furthering my understanding of the mentality and language, I began to work - I was engaged in cleaning, worked as a service personnel, an animator, starred in commercials, conducted various master classes for children. It was difficult. After the death of my grandfather, who has been helping my mother and sister financially, I had to help them myself. I saved, sent money to my family, studied the language, and worked a lot.

As many people know, everyone in Israel must serve in the defense forces - both men and women. I really wanted to serve in the army. There are several variations of service in Israel - in the rear, in semi-combat, and in combat troops. Since I was always fragile and small, my weight did not allow me to join the combat units, so I went to the semi-combat troops. We were mainly engaged in road patrols. If there was an act of terrorism, we blocked the roads and evacuated civilians.

These were usually drills, but there were also real situations - for example, a terrorist escape from prison or a huge fire in the city and district. Then we truly had to evacuate people. And then there were the car chases when drivers refused to stop. After two years at this pace, I changed. We can say that all the difficulties that I experienced during this time made me almost invincible.

After serving in the army, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I worked in several places. They were no longer cleaning jobs, but not the life I dreamed of. I went to university and combined work and study. During this period, my grandmother died, and my mother again needed financial help. It was not easy, but I had no plan of giving up. However, my confidence was shaken by the coronavirus pandemic…

Office manager in a clothing boutique, then in a jewelry company, and finding yourself

When the coronavirus pandemic started, the financial problems began. Shopping centers closed, and in one of them, I worked as a merchandiser for Zara. There they promised me better conditions, a higher salary. I became very panicked; I did not know what would happen next. I found myself a part-time job, and it became clear that difficulties are only temporary.

For a month and a half, I worked to feed myself before getting laid off. I soon found a more interesting job related to 3D printing in the jewelry industry. I learned all about gemstones, diamond cutting, and more. I was lucky with the expert who trained me. I quickly mastered the Operation Manager role. This was my first job that combined both comfort and a decent salary. But after three months there, I realized that I needed to move on and do something for myself.

I must add: whenever I got depressed - because of the death of loved ones, breaking up with a boyfriend, or financial problems, this melancholy was always short-lived: three days, a week, maximum, and I was ready to go into battle. Even after severe apathy, I would wake up refreshed and feel even more energy and desire to act.

I always wanted my parents to be proud of me. I decided to leave my hometown, and for me, the idea of returning to Ukraine had always been something unimaginable. I did not accept such thoughts. I had already mastered the language; the locals took me for theirs.

I even had a complex that I could not find my calling. Especially when I looked at people who, after graduation, found a job somewhere and worked steadily. I, on the other hand, was constantly attracted by everything new.

From Israel back to Ukraine: how I found my vocation and my beloved soulmate

It's an interesting and spontaneous story. I believe in karma, in chance, and that everything that happens in my life is not without reason. It all started when a guy wrote to me on Facebook. He turned out to be a very cool developer in the IT sphere - at the age of 15, he wrote his first program. Now he has three successful businesses in this area. We started messaging. I told him that my work was leaning in this direction and that I find developers for clients to create websites. I was an absolute beginner but honestly said that I would like to develop my ideas further. He wrote to me that he has a good friend in Odessa who is engaged in a similar activity and that, in general, we could be helpful to each other. Since I love new acquaintances, I agreed to meet.

My new acquaintance turned out to be an Israeli who opened a successful website development business in Odessa. He offered me the role of project manager if I would fly and work in the city. Due to the pandemic, I had not been in Ukraine for more than a year and a half, exactly the same amount of time I had not seen my loved ones. I have a younger sister, and at the time I left, she was seven years old. By the time I saw her again, she was already nine. While I was away, I missed her very much and often cried - after all, this is a long period of separation.

In two days, I got vaccinated against coronavirus, packed enough things for three weeks, and flew to Odessa. For me, this trip was spontaneous, and I did not know how it would end. It turned out that my small suitcase, filled with things for three weeks, ended up having to serve me for several months. I never returned to Israel and did not take my things. This is how my adventures in Ukraine began.

While working in the company in Odessa, I realized that the conditions were not suitable for me. I was faced with a choice: to leave for my native Israel, where everything is clear and stable, or to look for a job in Ukraine. I liked Odessa, and my parents live relatively close, an important factor for me. In this city, in the company I worked for, I met my soulmate. We have been together for more than six months, so ultimately, I stayed here.

To stay in Odessa, I needed to find a new job. And, of course, I was looking for something in the IT field. However, I was very unsure of myself because I was offered the previous position mainly because of my knowledge of Hebrew since most of the customers were Israeli. My experience and knowledge in the field were merely four months. But by some miracle, I passed a test, and two interviews at one large German company in Odessa called "AutoDoc" for the role of business analyst of mobile applications.

It was a shock for me that I was hired not because of Hebrew but for some other skills that suited them. I was terrified of not living up to their expectations.

As with many companies, there are trial periods. Mine was three months. Even though the company, team, and management were great, I decided to leave after three months because the position itself did not suit me. It was difficult for me to overpower myself, and the decision was not easy, but I accepted it.

In addition, my startup idea began to develop actively, and the team started to grow a little more. Now, we are already nine people, and all the team members are my partners and friends. I met most of them in the previous company, including my boyfriend. Shortly after leaving that company, I admitted to myself that I was ready to develop my project.

Initially, the idea of the startup was to help find website developers and good customers. At the moment, we are filling the database with reliable specialists of various technologies and vetting them. Many of them are our acquaintances, and among our partners are well-known people in the field of IT. We have already signed several contracts with foreign clients and are starting to develop the platform. Our philosophy is to offer quality services to customers and developers so that the former get reliability and the latter get a decent job.

Do not be afraid of changes and risks: you will not lose anything!

As a child, I was very modest and insecure. But after moving to Israel, I realized that life is too short to be afraid to start doing something. There is a popular expression in Israel, "The maximum that can happen is not possible." In general, after an unsuccessful attempt, the world will not collapse; no one will die. But you will try to do or change something.

There is always a risk. Until you leave your comfort zone, you will not understand your calling. If you have tried one or two activities in vain, that does not mean that you should give up. If you feel a desire to try something new, you need to do it.

As people age, their interests change, as do tastes. I know many cases when people in adulthood changed professions and started working in new directions.

At the start of my work in IT, I did not realize how interesting this area is. I think that each of us should challenge ourselves and not be afraid to take risks!