The HackSoft team expanded further this year and we want to present you the youngest member of our team - Stilian Nikolaev 👶

Can you tell us more about yourself?

Hey there! My name is Stilian, but most of my colleagues call me “the baby of HackSoft”, because I am currently the youngest here, at 19 years old.

At the moment, I work as a Frontend developer. However I do aspire to become a Fullstack developer at some point in my career.

Why did you decide to join HackSoft?

When I was looking for my first job, I wanted to work in an environment that matched my values and HackSoft was just the right place!

With every next interaction, I was more and more impressed by the people and the company culture.

Everyone working here seemed truly satisfied and motivated to get 💩 done. That is what whispered to me "this is the right place".

What are your favorite technologies and why?

My favorite technology is React.

It encourages you to split the huge scary task into small, attainable components and then gradually assemble them. I find this philosophy to be very beneficial for non-coding problems as well.

What are your hobbies / interests?

Obviously, my main interest is building apps and solving problems, so one could say that my job is also my hobby.

But apart from work, I like to spend as much time outdoors with friends and generally stay away from screens.

I enjoy working out – it improves both my physical and mental health, which ultimately benefits all other aspects of my life. 🏋️‍♂️

Tell us 3 fun facts about you

Here there are:

1️⃣ I chose not to pursue a degree because I think I would learn much more from working with real problems and obtaining experience rather than cramming my head with tons of theory, which I will probably forget a few weeks later.

2️⃣ I enjoy taking an ice cold shower daily because it greatly improves my mood and overall health. 🧊 I recommend that more people try it. I suppose it is not as weird as drinking sparkling water. 😄

3️⃣ As strange as it sounds to developers, I don't drink coffee anymore. Before I used it as a productivity tool, however at some point, it did more harm than good. Now that I have stopped it completely, my energy levels are much more stable, and I don't need to rely on it to work efficiently. I still enjoy a cup from time to time, though.

What drives you coming into work every day?

When you find the right work environment, you don't need much to motivate yourself.

I chose software development as a career because I've always been passionate about problem-solving and building stuff.

Of course, one cannot forget the amazing people at HackSoft, who make quite an enjoyable and inspiring environment.

What's your motto?

"Memento mori" - As morbid as it sounds, it prompts us to take action and avoid wasting our precious time.

It also encourages you to create your own story on your own rules.

Life is short, so you might as well enjoy it and live it as you wish, caring less about meaningless things. 💪