From product quality to front-end
He became interested in 3D design while he was still a student and although the jobs market was merciless when he tried to make it his career, he didn’t throw in the towel, but patiently kept on searching for his place… and that was what took him from a company manufacturing cable assemblies to MakoLab’s front-end team.
Meet Damian Królak, Junior Front-End Developer! Insights talked to him about how not to lose heart and the best way to start out on a career in IT.
What did you study at university?
Computer studies, specialising in computer graphics. I was mainly interested in creating 3D graphics. Back then, computer games fascinated me and I thought it would be great to create something of my own from scratch. Modelling objects and characters was really engrossing. And so that’s the direction I took as far as university was concerned. I was an extra-mural student so, in the meantime, I was working.
What were you doing?
I started out on the shop floor and gradually worked my way up the ladder. In the end, I wound up in quality control, first as an inspection technician and then as a quality engineer. Meanwhile, I was hunting for a job connected with graphics. But sadly, I couldn’t find what I was interested in on the Łódź jobs market.
Where did the idea of front-end come from?
There was a moment when I came to the conclusion that, since 3D design wasn’t working out, perhaps there was some other field that utilises graphics know-how. I tried leaflet design, but that wasn’t it, either. I read, I searched and then I started joining up the dots between my love of computer graphics and front-end. I found some people involved in it and their opinions motivated me to head in that direction.
Was what you’d learned at university useful? Where did you begin?
In terms of programming, I actually had to learn everything of my own accord, starting with the basics. Initially, I watched tutorials and read fora. I did various online courses, watched films on YouTube and worked my way through Facebook groups focused on programming and front-end.
In other words, you left the familiar behind and turned to something entirely new to you. Do you have any advice for people who are thinking of stepping out into front-end?
I’m not going to hide the fact that I’m slowly starting to get used to what I do at work. When the opportunity presented itself, I recognised that it was worth giving it a go. What I can advise is this. If you want to move forward in a chosen direction, don’t give up. Make looking for solutions and not problems your daily habit. Having faith in yourself is helpful and so is patience. It was my decision to obtain the knowledge, slowly, one small step at a time, and I did it counting on the fact that, one day, I’d finally achieve my goal and switch careers.
Was it worth it?
This is my first job as a front-end professional. To be honest, I’ll admit that I didn’t have any major expectations, but I can say that I enjoy what I’m doing. And that’s what counts, isn’t it?
What are you happiest doing outside work?
I love board games and card games, reading books and spending time with my son. I spend most of my free time with him, in fact.
In a nutshell, when you want something enough, no obstacle is insurmountable. And that’s certainly one of our mottos!
Translated from the Polish by Caryl Swift.
Kamila Braszak
Employer Branding Specialist
