“I Crashed the Servers at Midnight — and That’s When My Dev Career Actually Started”
This is the first piece in my series with digital folks—freelancers, in-house killers, and side-hustlers. We kept it real, kept the caffeine high, and squeezed out a playbook you can use today.
Q: So… what do you actually do? What’s your stack? What products?
A: The last 2–3 years I’ve rotated across 3 apps inside a big fintech org:
- App #1: Internal real-time ops dashboard.
- Backend: C++ microservices (raw speed = religion).
- Frontend: React.
- Transport: gRPC end-to-end.
- App #2: Compliance (yep, the “are we allowed to touch that payment” thing). Real-time checks on counterparties.
- App #3 (next): Back to Real-Time Settlement, new UI. I’ll join after BAs set a year’s worth of scope.
TL;DR: Frontend lead vibes, production React, real-time systems, and constant context-switch cardio.
Q: How did you even end up in dev?
A: Honest answer: by accident. Teacher hyped me up in high school. I liked “informatics” mostly because sometimes we played Counter-Strike in class 😂.
First official job: tiny web studio in Czechia—I got rejected ~90 times before that one yes. Assignment #1: “Spin up a new server.” I didn’t even know the words. Copied what the previous guy did… and at midnight every server went down. Learned fast.
Q: If not dev, what would you do?
A: No clue. I’m a momentum person. I get pulled into a field, fall in, then go deep. Picking from a catalog? Not me.
Q: Goals? Startup, $$$, management?
A: I don’t see 15-years-from-now me coding full-time. Probably shift into adjacent roles or leadership. But I’m also the nerd who listens to engineering podcasts at night and enjoys it. So… I’m here until it stops being fun.
Q: Where do “older devs” go? Is ageism real?
A: The field’s still “young,” so you see fewer seniors 40+. But I genuinely think it’s one of the best careers to evolve—consulting, indie products, or staff+ IC roles. Lots of exits that aren’t “code forever.”
Q: Freelance platforms—Upwork/Fiverr—yay or nope?
A: Didn’t work for me. At 18–20 I couldn’t compete on price or signal. What works now: referrals. People who know me. I don’t actively chase; projects still find me.
For beginners? I’d prioritize internships early. Where? Everywhere. Even my team keeps 3–4 intern roles open year-round.
Q: Job market trend—AI, layoffs, 500 applications, visas… help?
A: It’s tougher. Friends in Czechia have searched 12–18 months with visa stress. Also: shady “contract sponsors” exist. My takeaway: still lots of money and meaningful work in tech. AI is a great tool, but it hasn’t replaced thoughtful humans (yet).
Q: What does your day actually look like? And how many hours are “real work”?
A: We ship twice a year (two big releases). The 2 months pre-release are heavy; the rest is planning/building.
Hours? I’ll give you a real number: ~5 honest, focused hours most days. Some days I stare; some days I do a day’s work in one hour. Output > hours. Coding is creative—sometimes the solution hits me on kilometer 5 of the treadmill. I run, then sprint back to the laptop at 9pm and ship.
Q: Remote vs office—what’s actually more effective?
A: We’re full remote, but I go to the office daily. I concentrate better there. Team policy depends on the lead—some want 3 days in for faster comms. Net-net: office helps most teams, but there are exceptions. Some folks truly thrive at home.
Q: Tools, workflow, keeping chaos under control?
A: I used to trust fate: “If it’s important, they’ll call.” (Spoiler: they will. You’ll hate it). Now I log everything immediately at HustleApp—work, freelance, life errands.
Habits save me: inbox triage every 2 days, GYM, etc. If it’s not visible, it doesn’t happen.
(This is exactly why I vibe with lightweight task/habit tools. Backlog the chaos. Keep statuses simple. Make habits obvious.)
Q: Burnout, procrastination, “be a machine 9–5”?
A: Forcing it doesn’t work for me. I switch context: gym, running, bouldering, walking. 30–60 minutes away beats 3 hours of doom-scrolling a bug. Pomodoro doesn’t move me; environment changes do.
I also work when the brain wants to—I’ll happily do 3 hours on a Sunday if that buys me a calm Monday.
Q: Focus hacks—music, podcasts, YouTube in the background?
A: None. Even music distracts me. When I’m in: silence, blink, ship.
Q: Best kind of manager/client?
A: High trust, low micromanagement. Tell me what and when. I’ll own the how. I was lucky. I know I’d clash with “hover & dictate” bosses.
Q: What actually brings you joy at work?
A: The save. When nothing works and the room asks, “Where’s Arik?” I like being the person who unblocks the team. Also, I genuinely enjoy tech content at night—and the fact that I enjoy enjoying it 😂
Success metric? Shipping hard things a small % of teams could ship. Getting a lead offer at 23 as a fresh expat was a nice external signal. But the best one: people come back and trust you.
Q: Give us the f**k-ups.
A: - The midnight server wipeout at Job #1. Humbling—and useful.
- Twice I joined products where the foundation was wrong. I pushed to re-architect with a release clock ticking. Could’ve blown up, but didn’t. Lesson: a bad foundation taxes you forever. Fix it early or pay interest.
Q: Red flags—you won’t take the project when…
A: - $10k to clone Wolt (delivery platform) — not serious.
- I wouldn’t use it myself.
- No clue who the customer is.
- Pure idea, zero plan. I’m Gen Z but still SNG-brained enough to want structure.
Also, yes, I once turned down building a webcam platform in Cyprus. The money temptation was real; the tattoo on my resume wasn’t worth it.
Q: Life outside code?
A: Gym, bouldering, karting (F1 hype got me), hanging with friends. The hardest part is leaving the house after a long day. Do it a few times and your body starts asking for it.
Q: Digital detox or glued to the phone?
A: I’m a Gen Z addict. Sauna for 15 minutes without a phone feels like a century. Not proud—just honest.
Q: Recos—podcasts, channels, books?
A: - CodeTV (formerly Learn with Jason) — founders & builders pair-programming, real tools, real talk.
- Syntax (YouTube + podcast) — practical frontend.
- Ulbi TV (RU) — strong frontend tutorials for beginners.
- Books? I browse whatever hooks me. 50/50 tech & fiction.
Q: Where would you live next?
A: Barcelona (loved Spain’s vibe), but bureaucracy in Spain is rough, friends say. Dubai intrigues me—concrete jungle energy fits me more than “cute red roofs.” Heat would be the boss fight.
Q: Sabbatical: 3–6 months, where and what?
A: Bali/Indonesia for sun-coma and swims. Kazakhstan to see family. Minimal hiking, maximum horizontal.
Q: Morning fuel—coffee or tea?
A: Coffee. Started as a trend, now addiction.
Arik’s Playbook (Do These This Week)
- Log everything immediately. Tasks, errands, follow-ups. Your brain is not a database.
- Build the base, not just features. If the foundation is shaky, negotiate time to fix it now.
- Chase internships early. A year of real-world commits beats 10 bootcamp certificates.
- Referrals > Race to the bottom. Ship for a few people brilliantly so they talk.
- Change the scene to unstick. Gym, walk, quick run. Your best ideas don’t live in your IDE.
- Choose leaders, not just companies. High-trust managers will add years to your career.
- Measure output, not hours. Track shipped deltas, not butt-in-chair time.
- Set 2–3 habits that compound. Inbox triage, daily language practice, weekly architecture review. Tiny wins, daily.
Final Shot
You can’t out-focus chaos. You can only organize it.
Start small. Log everything. Ship ugly.
Your best idea is waiting at kilometer five.
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