It’s time for a Tashkent, Uzbekistan development team update. There have been some fun changes since last year’s thorough who’s who of the team. Our current team consists of Pavel Skripin, Timur Suleymanov, and the subjects of today’s blog, Evgeniy Chjen and Ruslan Sidorenko. Timur Gabdrakipov, mentioned in our previous who's who blog, has since moved to the US office!
Today I’m excited to interview our two newest members, both who have already proven to be a great additions to our crew. In order to shrink the distance between our two offices we make a pointed effort to get to know each other, especially the newbies. Besides this interview and our regular team meetings via Google Meetup, every Tashkent team member attends weekly One-on-One meetings with their US counterpart / manager where we discuss anything under the sun, the priority always being to stay connected. Let’s get to know Evgeniy and Ruslan better, help me welcome them like they would in Uzbekistan, Xush kelibsiz!
Meet Evgeniy
Name:
Evgeniy Chjen
Started at gap intelligence:
About 1 year ago
Tell me about your career path and how you got to gap intelligence.
My first job experience began with software development at the age of 18. It was with InterBank, a payment system company, where I first got my hands dirty with writing internal desktop and web applications and interacted with production databases etc. After 3.5 years I felt I needed something else and got a job at Huawei as a bidding engineer. However, within one year I acknowledged that telecommunication technologies were too boring for me so I started thinking about returning back to programming. Luckily, one day I met with Pavel to talk about music and learned that gap was seeking a new developer so I jumped at the chance.
What would you do if you weren't a software developer?
I would become a rockstar… yes, definitely a rockstar…
What do you like to do outside of work?
Reading sci-fi books, playing guitar and taking portrait photos.
What is your favorite Uzbek dish?
Just all of them!
What is one thing about Uzbekistan that most people don't know?
99% of cars in Uzbekistan are Chevrolet. There is a factory in Asaka city which produces Chevrolet vehicles for the local and international market.
What is one thing you've learned in your time at gap intelligence?
I’ve gained both technical and communication skills at gap. I’ve learned new programming languages, frameworks and technologies. I’ve also learned how to work on a team and how to follow scrum methodologies.
How do you define a good software engineer?
In my opinion, a good software developer is a person who accepts the quote "The more you know, the more you know you don't know" and still has a strong willingness to dive into the unknown.
Meet Ruslan
Name:
Ruslan Sidorenko
Started at gap intelligence:
About 3 Months
Tell me about your career path and how you got to gap intelligence.
I have been interested in computers since childhood by watching the work of my father. Then little by little I moved from computer games to software development. Not so long ago, I saw a job offer for a Rails developer on Facebook – so this is how I got to gap.
What would you do if you weren't a software developer?
Perhaps I would become a mountaineer, because I used to go rock and mountain climbing. I like being in the mountains, feeling my connection with nature there.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I like to be in the mountains, go swimming and read books.
What is your favorite Uzbek dish?
Plov is my favorite Uzbek dish, but the vegetarian version. Plov is the pearl of the Uzbek cuisine. Its main ingredient is rice, is usually cooked in a huge cauldron and with various combinations of other ingredients – peas, carrots, raisins and more. I prefer the vegetarian version because I don't eat meat.
What is one thing about Uzbekistan that most people don't know?
We have a 375 meter-high TV tower, located in Tashkent and it is the 11th tallest tower in the world.
What is one thing you've learned in your time at gap intelligence?
I have learned what real team work with many developers looks like. We had teams in my previous work places, but each member had their own project and only sometimes general meetings were held. At gap, you have to communicate constantly and adjust your actions to see what other developers are doing.
How do you define a good software engineer?
They improve their skills all the time and have a strong sense of responsibility.
Do you have what it takes to be a gapper? Head over the careers section at gapintelligence.com to learn more about open positions. Find more info the bottom of our about page.
