From Bankruptcy to Leading Developers

I’ve never pursued challenges in the way that many people do. I simply overcame them. When I was only 20 and a rather rebellious kid, my dad died in an accident. At that time, I had piercings in my nose, lips and ears, and I didn’t care about my work at all. I studied at the local university because my mom wanted me to, but honestly, most of the time I got drunk and stoned.

One day, my dad fell off a ladder, hit his head and within an hour he was dead from a brain hemorrhage. This was an unexpected tragedy for our family. I was a “late” kid, meaning that my mom gave birth to me when she was 45 years old. At the time of my Dad’s death, she was 65 and retired. So, I had to take responsibility for the family.

In a second, my life had flipped 180 degrees. Until that moment I had been a disobedient kid, but now I had to become a family guy. I think I got my first wrinkles and gray hair that very next week.

All of a sudden, I needed to make money not only for myself but for my mom. I also started spending much more time with my mom, helping her to survive thanks to both my love and money. Fortunately, I found a full time job pretty fast, and everything went well. Now, I’m teaching people online about how to earn money from basic developer skills. I believe everyone can do it!

Right after the accident I opened a savings account. I had to take care of so many things, and spent many sleepless nights earning money, which I could have avoided had I started saving earlier in life.

My career as a software engineer has grown rapidly. I was hired by international companies in Moscow, and then I found a job in Germany. Today, I live in Berlin — it’s my favorite city, and it’s full of developers. Some would say it’s full of techno, or emerging artists. Everyone sees what they want, right? For sure, it’s a great hub for a career. American companies also hire a lot of engineers from Berlin, and the startup scene is booming.

I still help my mother, of course. She lives with her sister, who takes care of her. I send them money every month and go to see my mom a few times a year — it’s only a 2-hour flight from Berlin to Moscow.