The Codest’s Success Story: Meet Lukasz Brzeszcz

In the following article, we will ask our Ruby software developer and manager – Lukasz Brzeszcz – 10 questions regarding his career and development. But first, let’s find out more about the star of this article.

Besides being an ultimate Ruby expert, Lukasz is also a huge metal and rock music fan. He even used to play in a rock band on an electric guitar! In his spare time, he enjoys taking a stroll with his dog Aston and catching up on new movies and series premieres with his significant other.

To meet the hero of this article and see his point of view on being a manager/Ruby software developer, we asked Lukasz 10 various questions regarding his career story and asked for a word of advice.

Continue reading to find out more!

How did your journey with programming begin?

‘During my high school years, I had some programming lessons that covered the basics – I was good at it but did not see myself working as a software developer in the future. Then I started my degree in Automatics and Robotics. I was surprised that the first semester of my studies revolved around programming. At this point of my life, I started to enjoy it and decided to intensively learn how to program, and this is how I got my first job as a Ruby software developer during my third year of university studies.’

What would you say to your younger self?

‘Don’t fear the risks, take advantage of the opportunities given by fate, develop your skills and chase your dreams. If you are a software developer – learn new solutions, follow novelties in the industry, and ask other fellow programmers to evaluate your code. You can learn a lot from other high-profile software developers. ‘

How did your story with The Codest start?

‘I wanted to change my job. As I was searching for some compelling open positions on Just Join It, The Codest’s job offer caught my eye and I’ve decided to submit my CV on a random Wednesday evening. The next morning the recruiter contacted me. After a short talk, I had a technical interview scheduled for Monday, and the next day I got accepted! We can say that the beginning of this adventure was very dynamic as basically the whole recruitment process happened in the blink of an eye.’

How were you able to develop your career at The Codest?

‘At the beginning, I got enrolled into a project. It allowed me to level up my skills by working with experienced developers that had a handful of useful tips to share. In that way, I was able to quickly learn new programming practices and how to perform code review. After a couple of months of working, I’ve got an offer to become a technical recruiter. This stage of my career allowed me to verify my skills and taught me how to check the skills of the candidates. Sometime later I took up a managerial position. At the outset, I had one software developer under my care, with the passing time my team started to grow and include other new awesome members.’

What were the biggest challenges in becoming a manager?

‘I would focus here on two extremely important matters:’

• The art of conversation – a manager needs to both know how to listen to his employees and learn how to ask suitable questions. Personally, I had to find out how to do that in the correct manner.

Quite often employees don’t know where the problem lies, so the role of the manager is to help that person find it out. Asking the ‘why’ type of questions allows us to gradually discover the hot spot. Once we discover the problem, we want to know what we can do to eliminate its cause – at this very moment, both sides gain some benefits.

A manager finds out what causes the problem, knows what the employee thinks about it and what the solution to fix the issue is. A manager is able to follow the fixing process. On the other hand, the employee becomes more confident as the one who found the source of the problem and provided the solution to fix it.

Self-confidence – As a manager, I’m the one who takes responsibility for my team and the company’s development. I need to make sure that the decisions I make are optimal. Learning how to do it is not just a step, it’s a process that is constantly ongoing.

Why boosting self-confidence as a manager can be a great idea? It can improve your decision-making processes. As a leader, you need to make choices, not avoid them. It is crucial to recognize the issue, know how to prioritize it, manage it and be able to act fast before the problem escalates.

I always try to look at the bright side and stay positive – that’s what is a major factor of staying confident in my case. Additionally, I make an effort to actually learn lessons from my failures because this is how you grow as a manager. ‘

What helped you improve?

‘I would say that the biggest impact on my development had been my coworkers, from whom I had an opportunity to acquire new expertise and practices. I’ve gained new knowledge regarding software design patterns and standards. What really came in handy? Our internal DevMeetings hosted by our software developers where programmers shared their issues encountered in projects and the ways how they handled them – it gave me answers to lots of questions I had. Besides that, I also participated in human resources management training that helped me gain a bigger overview of how to lead my team. In my honest opinion, practice makes perfect.’

Where do you see yourself in the future?

‘When I see myself in the future, I picture a happy, self-confident and fulfilled man. An experienced and right-minded manager who does not regret his decisions.’

Why did you choose The Codest?

‘My choice is pretty self-explanatory. In short, The Codest team appreciated my skills, and my experience and gave me development opportunities. Besides, all the employees were really nice to me which made me perceive this environment as a perfect place to work in.’

What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to excel at your position?

‘I would highlight 4 top aspects that in my humble opinion are a must if you want to be a successful manager and programmer:

• Openness for the people – as you basically work with people from around the globe,

• Self-reliance but at the same time the ability to ask for help,

• Skills in the field of analytic thinking,

• Effective time-management skills.’

What advice would you give someone who is considering following a similar career path as yours?

‘I would start with simple – don’t give up, ups and downs happen in every career. The bigger the motivational approach you’ll learn to create, the easier it will be to overcome all of the challenges.

What’s more, you should be prepared that you won’t earn a lot at the beginning. There is nothing wrong with being on the internet and participating in practice courses – you will learn a lot from them, money will come later. As a fresh programmer/manager, you should also be aware that your career is constant self-development and learning. As a cherry on top, there is one last thing to say. You won’t find boredom in this job. Daily new challenges await you!’