Meet Merix: Artur - Front-end Developer

I asked about Artur my little Merix birds, as I always do when I'm preparing the interview. This time I didn't know where to start because it looks like Artur is a man with thousand faces. Just check out his LinkedIn photo - he looks familiar, doesn't he? ;) The first thing that comes to one of Merix folks' mind when thinking about Artur is good music. It's not surprising - Artur plays bass and makes an electronic music. He even performed during Opener Festival! On the other hand, I heard that Artur is a big fan of Gutalax (but I don't know if it's the truth or just a cruel joke). Maybe it's a clue says something about his mysterious nickname - Aro666? Anyway, Artur is a fascinating person, who did a lot of more or less crazy things. Just read the following interview.

  • Tell us something about yourself.
    When I’m thinking about it, my everyday life seems kinda boring. I have become more nerdy since the programming consumed me. So… my favorite activity after hours is… coding. I was a big music geek once who scrubbing through recesses of different music genres - from Mongol folk to Soviet post-punk. Sometimes I play bass, and I have a lot of pieces of music in my drawer that never have seen the light of day.
  • What are your main responsibilities at Merxistudio?
    I’m a Frontend Developer - it means constant learning of new technologies and unlearning these which stopped to be popular. Step by step, JavaScript ends being something challenging, and I’m preparing to engage in a battle with Django and Python.
  • What is important to you while working?
    Well, thought-out app project and the lack of misconceptions while starting the work is the key to good cooperation with a client as well as delivering a high-quality digital product. A lot of complexity of the project that forces to focusing hard allows me to concentrate on my job fully. In the case of generic work, I can easily distract myself and… play foosball game :)
    A few cups of coffee a day were a basis of keeping fresh mind so far. Now, I’m trying to reduce the amount of caffeine.
  • Tell us something about your beginnings in the company.
    My first day at Merixstudio was the first day after OFF Festival 2016 (so I had to leave earlier). To be honest, I rather have problems with right adjusting while playing with the new crowd. But when it comes to Merixstudio, it was completely different. The first tasks I got concerned internal projects that usually test skills and experience of the new employee. From small projects that take no longer than a month I went on to complex web applications. Talking about support from the team, fortunately, there’s always someone who, if has no time, listen to my whining at least :)
  • What have you learned while working in Merixstudio?
    90% of what I know about programming I’ve learned at Merixstudio. And I’m very grateful for that. When I started working here, I only knew the basics of developing web applications, and this is where I could face the real problems that appears while creating an app.
  • What do you like the most about Merixstudio?
    The people, the atmosphere, foosball table and after-hour parties.
Artur during foosball game
  • What was the biggest challenge you faced while working at the Merixstudio?
    To switch to English when talking with clients. In the beginning, every meeting was quite stressful for me, even though I was aware that my English skills are pretty good (and it was the reason why every of them came off rather mediocre). In time the language stopped being an obstacle, and English meeting became a natural part of my work.
  • What cool things have you worked on at Merixstudio?
    An application dedicated to personal trainers. It required a lot of engagement to deliver an interesting digital product that will be user-friendly. On the second hand, it was a pure pleasure watching the development process when it was getting more and more the product that the client wanted to have.
  • When did you make a decision that you want to work in IT?
    In the beginning, I really wanted to be someone responsible for Social Media (fortunately I got over it). Then I became Junior Project Manager by accident, and I’ve been working two years as a PM. In a meanwhile, I decided that I want to do something more creative and, after hours, I started to learn frontend technologies. In the same company, I retrained and started my job as a Frontend Dev. I persevered almost a year until I felt that I need new challenges.
  • What do you think is most difficult in your work as a Frontend Developer?
    I think it might be the common answer but the most difficult are the multiplicity of frontend technologies and solutions to the same problem as well as constant change when it comes to trends. I don’t hide the fact that it’s awesome. However, it can be pretty badly frustrated when it turned out that months of learning of some framework are wasted because nobody uses it anymore.
  • The first thing you do when you arrive at the office.
    I turn on my computer and sit down.
  • iOS or Android?
    iOS because it’s intuitive and user-friendly soft. But I use Android myself :)
  • What do you do in your free time?
    I know that it can sound poorly, but I usually code. I also learn Python and polish my React skills. I’m currently working on my own application which is a combination of Uber, Google Maps, etc. Ultimately, it will be put up on the walls thanks to Raspberry Pi :) Besides, I swim, play squash and football or drink good beer.
  • The best hero from your childhood is…
    Sailor moon :D
  • Where is your favorite place in Poznań?
    Every abandoned place that is perfect for Urban Exploration :)
  • Beer or vodka?
    Definitely, a beer, especially when it cost no more than 2 zł.
  • Sports?
    Swimming. The biggest part of my childhood till high school (when I had a one year gap) was dedicated to this sport. I also like watch football, and my favorites teams are FC Barcelona and Olimpia Grudziądz of course.
  • Dog or cat?
    A little doggy or a big cat.
  • Which website do you visit the most?
    Stackoverflow.com
  • Favorite app.
    Google Calendar. It allows me to save every crucial event and set up a lot of reminders. I highly recommend it!
  • The light or dark side?
    Of course the dark one. I was always fascinated by villains. Thanks to them everything gets more interesting and more unpredictable.
  • If you could only visit one website for the rest of your life, what site would that be?
    http://www.themostamazingwebsiteontheinternet.com/
  • If you could have your dream job, what it would be?
    Youtuber.
  • Four things you would like to bring to a desert island with you…
    A yacht, yacht’s manual, the supply of pills for seasickness and good mood.

Take a look at the rest of our interviews. You can find it in people&events section.

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