As we head into the new year, with new cohorts, we caught up with one of our new additions to the mentoring team, Kire Simonovski - Lead Software Developer at Evoke Systems, on his background in tech, why he chose to become a mentor and advice he can give from throughout his career.
Our Full Stack Coding Bootcamps partner students with real world developers to support in their progression from junior developer, to in-career coder.
Let's see what Kire had to say.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got into a career in tech?
My passion for technology and programming has always been a constant throughout my life. From a young age, I was fascinated by computers and the endless possibilities they offered. I’ve spent countless hours tinkering with different programming languages such as Basic, Pascal and Delphi and building small executable applications from books and magazines, always eager to learn more and push the boundaries of what I could do.
As I progressed through my academic studies, I kept working on small contracts mostly as a System Admin and Software Engineer and I began to realise that my true calling was in technology. The more I learned about the field, the more I was drawn to the fast-paced, constantly evolving nature of the industry.
One of the biggest factors that led me to choose a career in tech was the opportunity to combine my love and passion for technology, my hunger for knowledge and the chance to solve problems and build tangible solutions that helped others.
Technology offers the opportunity for constant learning and growth as the field is constantly evolving, and I knew that I would never be bored or stagnant in my career. As I am a true evangelist of learning and education and strive for constant improvement, I was excited by the prospect of continuously learning new skills and staying ahead of the curve in my field.
Today I work as Lead Software Engineer and I am excited to see where this path takes me in the future.
What made you decide you wanted to give up your time to be a mentor?
Becoming a mentor is a rewarding experience, but it can also be a big commitment. For me, the decision to give up my time to mentor others came down to a few key factors that drive my behaviour and make up my personality.
I have always had a passion for helping others. I have a wealth of experience in my field and I wanted to use that knowledge to support others who are just starting out. I believe that by sharing my experiences and providing guidance, I can help others to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.
I believe in the power of mentorship. I know from my own experiences that having a mentor can make a massive difference in one's career and personal development. I wanted to be able to provide that same support and guidance I received to others.
Lastly, I wanted to give back to my community. I have been fortunate enough to have had many mentors throughout my career who have helped me a lot to succeed. I wanted to do the same for others and help them to navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with working in the field.
Overall, my decision to become a mentor was driven by a combination of my passion for helping others, my belief in the power of mentorship, and my desire to give back to my community. Being a mentor is a challenging but incredibly fulfilling experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
What advice were you given early in your career that has stuck with you?
As a software developer, I have had the privilege of working with many experienced and knowledgeable engineers and mentors throughout my career. One piece of advice that has particularly stuck with me was the importance of stepping out of the comfort zone and learning that failure is part of the learning process.
In order to truly excel in the field, it is important to continuously challenge oneself and try new things whether that be taking more/new responsibilities, trying out a new framework or programming language, prototyping a solution to a problem in a new way etc.
This advice has been invaluable to me throughout my career as a software engineer as it has helped me to stay current and relevant in the field and has enabled me to take on more complex and challenging projects and overall advance my skills and excel in my career.
What do you think you can bring to mentoring the next generation of tech talent?
Given my technical expertise, extensive experience in the field, and academic background I believe I can provide insight into the different career paths available in the tech industry and help mentees to identify the areas in which they are most interested and possibly best suited.
Additionally, I have experience in leading and managing teams and I can provide mentees guidance on team structures, interview stages and processes, work on communication and collaboration skills, and provide them with a deeper understanding of the industry to help them become successful software developers.
Overall, I am very excited about the opportunity to share my experiences and support the growth and development of the next generation of software engineers.
To see if coding is for you, you can try our introduction to coding bootcamp - with our cohorts and student numbers constantly growing, we are always looking for new mentors. Please contact Tech Educators if this is something you are interested in.
About the Author
James has 8 years with Fortune 200 US firm ITW, experience of managing projects in China, USA, and throughout Europe. James has worked with companies such as Tesco, Vauxhall, ITW, Serco, McDonalds. James has experience in supporting start-up and scale up companies such as Readingmate, Gorilla Juice and Harvest London. James completed his MBA at the University of East Anglia in 2018.