Introducing David Ristov DevOps Engineer at Exein
Nurturing the flame of curiosity in a world of wonders
I've always been naturally curious, often finding new interests. Whether it's an unfamiliar concept or a previously unseen entity, I have a tendency to delve deep into it to understand its workings. This applies across all areas; it could indeed be anything.
You've likely heard this before in other stories from other engineers in the field, but my first encounter with technology was through video games, starting from my childhood. While I don't precisely recall the beginning, I do remember that my father brought me a PlayStation 1, marking the start of a journey that later transitioned into the broader realm of technology.
With the playstation came my first PC which at that time was considered advanced—though by today's standards, it’s deemed far outdated. Nonetheless, it was the coolest thing for me back then. Spent every second exploring all these buttons, programs, and icons. It was a period of technology transition and I was simply fascinated by it.
In middle school, we began learning about programming. Although initially I was only interested in playing and enjoying video games, a point made by my high school teacher changed my perspective: "For everything you see in a video game, someone must have coded its operation." This realization sparked my curiosity and led me to explore this field furthermore, First in high school and then in university.
While pursuing my degree in Computer science and engineering, I found myself uncertain about my path in the IT world. I played around with projects in different areas; backend, frontend, microcontrollers, mobile applications. While all were interesting, none resonated with me.
One day, a close friend of mine and roommate at the time came home and said that he heard something really cool – DevOps. We sat on the laptop and started reading what’s that all about as both of us had no clue. That was my first encounter and steps that I took to explore this new area. I tinkered and played around on my own until I got a DevOps internship opportunity. That’s when I got to see the bigger picture and real world experience.
After taking my professional path in the field of DevOps and gaining valuable experience over time, my journey eventually brought me to Exein.
If you were to ask me why I chose Exein I’d say that It's the overarching goal and vision of the company that captured my interest. In a relatively small market, Exein stands out for its intriguing work. Their open DevOps role in the IoT/Cybersecurity field piqued my interest.
After joining, I began working on Exein Runtime, a project the team was highly committed to developing. However, from the infrastructure perspective, it was only set up for local development. This is where my role became significant, allowing me to lead in shaping the Ops part for the product. Now, observing Runtime's development feels like watching a child grow and improve daily.
Another significant factor that played a role in leading me to Exein is the company's emphasis on product development. This approach was quite different from my past experiences which were more project-based and typically involved short-term engagements with clients, lasting from a few months to a year or so.
At Exein, the focus is not just on the initial creation of a product. The process goes much deeper than that. Here, we are continuously engaged in maintaining and enhancing the same project on an ongoing basis. It's a process of constant evolution and improvement, of assessing and reassessing our work to ensure that it meets the highest standards of quality.
This emphasis on long-term commitment to a product, the opportunity to watch it grow, evolve and to contribute to that process is something that I find particularly fulfilling. It gives me a sense of pride and ownership in the work that I do and that's a feeling that I greatly appreciate.
The world of software engineering is a constant journey of exploration and puzzle solving. It's an ongoing adventure where each new feature is a step forward, creating a path through the ever-changing terrain of technology.
