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IT-migration to Kiev

- And who is this? Late?

- Podkolesin.

- What, too, is looking for?

- No, this one has already found.



My short working career was shaped in a bizarre way. But in the end I have what I have. Through all the intricacies I became involved in project management. Starting from a small position in the beginning of the development of the web division of a major retailer, I tried myself as an engineer at SAP, but eventually settled on the development in the web technologies space, as in the area where I am technically most oriented.



By the middle of the past, in 2013, I knew little about project management, I heard a lot, but something constantly prevented me from getting to the details. Until I had an urgent need and desire to move to Kiev. But at the same time there was a serious need to move to the next stage of development in the activities of the project manager and here's why.



Started well. Do not trade on the details, say the main thing


Thanks to the presence of friends and acquaintances in this field of activity, I received an initial assessment of my strength and employment opportunities. To say that I was shocked is to say nothing. I had the impression that I had slept for a few years, I suddenly woke up, and everything in the world had changed a long time ago. It seems that it was so, and I needed to catch up, absorbing information on project management, methodologies, tools and mechanisms that are used in this area of ​​management.

')

In the company where I worked at that time, there was a somewhat old-fashioned attitude towards work and employees. Investing in education and staff development was considered not entirely appropriate, so I had to get out on my own. The knowledge that I received immediately found an experimental application in work, but due to the sluggishness of a large company, it was all rather of research interest for my development and practical application of theoretical foundations.



In parallel, I began to look for opportunities for further practical development and, along with posting a resume on Ukrainian human resources, I updated my resume on Russian ones. On the Ukrainian side, as a rule, there was a stable radio silence regime, but in Russia, job offers fell like a horn of plenty.



Here you should make a small remark and voice some very useful advice that many may already know:

Try to look for a new job while working on the current


This is all explained easily - you are not burdened with financial difficulties, you do not have to worry about tomorrow and, finally, you can really choose what you want.



During the fall and winter of 2013-2014, I attended dozens of interviews. Got a great experience in dealing with the personnel and management of the firms I visited. These were not interviews, but real mini seminars. I do not think that something like this happens at developer interviews, but PMs certainly like to scratch their tongue. We communicated, shared experiences, analyzed problem cases and their solutions. I didn’t fit some companies, conditions in some seemed unsatisfactory to me, but in the end I found what I was looking for and changed jobs, having the opportunity to turn knowledge into reality.



There was not always silence from Ukraine, I talked several times with Ukrainian recruiters. In my opinion, these communication sessions were successful, but all these firms stopped the difficulties in hiring a citizen of another country. Sometimes there were invitations to work, but with extremely low wages. Then it became interesting to me and I thought about the situation in the job market.



Session continues


Russia


For a long time being in the process of finding a job, it was possible to make some assessment of the personnel market in Russia and Ukraine. In addition, for a couple of months I participated in the search for a mid-level PM for one of the vacancies of the company, having spent quite a few interviews.



The market for mid-level project management professionals in Russia is saturated and possibly oversaturated. Here we should make a reservation and clarify what I have in mind practically the entire job market, without dividing it into profile IT companies or product companies that have only a small IT department in the OSH. The need for specialists is experienced by everyone, but the requirements are different. That is why in one company in the capacity of a Project manager you will have to deal mainly with paperwork, and in the other days you will hang around in a bug tracker. I knew a couple of PMAs, who performed the role of almost office managers. He himself mainly worked with the team and stuck in the bug tracker.



Ukraine


In Ukraine, everything is somewhat different. Since the economic situation in the country does not yet allow the domestic market to develop, the percentage of companies providing IT services to companies and companies wishing to use these services is extremely small. And those units that exist in the labor market mainly pay little, because customers pay just as little. By the way, in Russia, this niche is just the main and supplying vacancies for beginners and the average level of PMs, and it is from it that many specialists begin their journey.



The next part of employers is a large and medium business (not IT, but, for example, an online store) of Ukraine, there are not many of them and it’s quite problematic for a Russian project management specialist to get there. Unfortunately, I had no honor to communicate with recruiters of these companies, as they did not show any interest in me.



The remaining companies are IT firms, grocery or not, that provide services mainly to customers from other countries who are interested in paying less than at home, but for a quality product. Which is very well done by developers from the post-Soviet space. There are quite high demands here, but periodically there are offers for juniors. I had no choice but to look for a job among this third group, to pull up knowledge and hope for the best.



This one has already found


I found a job. Rather, they found me and conducted an interview on skype, during which I realized that the months spent on self-study, spent in searching for work and other running around, were not wasted. The issues on which I could “float” half a year ago were now resolved quickly and without problems. I found what I was looking for, got an offer with the remuneration that arranged for me, handed over the affairs of the current job and began to pack my bags.



The abroad will help us!


I have not had occasion to work in companies that pay due attention to the comfort of employees, the maximum business was limited to new office equipment. I don’t know from what moment the information came to the employers, how it was done in the West and why not to do the same with us, but it came and that’s good.



The norms of comfort, according to which numerous specialists work, have become for me a luxury, to which I gradually got used. The company provided me for the first week an apartment in the center of Kiev, not far from the office. And the office itself was very convenient and comfortable. Small openspace people at 10-12, a bunch of greenery, allowing you to create your cozy jungle. Of course, new office equipment and comfortable furniture. A full-fledged kitchen, where there is always plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, tea, coffee, sweets, etc. Rest rooms and many other pleasures.



After the first week I managed to find an excellent proposal for a long-term housing rental. Unfortunately, the situation with this in Kiev is not the best. There are two problems here. The first. Imagine you are an Internet user, surf the World Wide Web all day long and have already inhabited some of its places. You know the popular resources of your country, you know famous sites that you can trust, but at some point you find yourself in a completely different environment. New sites, new logos, all life experience goes to hell. Something like this. And the second is based entirely on human laziness. Offers on the delivery of apartments are made out “on the knee”, it’s normal to not place a single photo, but only the telephone of the intermediary. Because of this, the choice is rather difficult.



Prices for rental apartments are different, as elsewhere. On average, from 200 to 500 dollars on the outskirts of the city for a one-room apartment. I was lucky, I found for $ 400 and through my acquaintances - I avoided the fate of communicating with a realtor and running around the city. The apartment is on the outskirts, but the outskirts of Kiev, not that the outskirts of Moscow - before working in the city center I take 25 minutes by metro.



Results


Summing up, I want to say that for my relatives and friends, this event certainly came as a surprise. Moving in such a difficult time naturally made people worry. I can not say that I was very worried, I just tried to go to the goal. That's basically all I wanted to tell you. Thank.

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/285646/



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