I was drawn here by a friend, Roman Hoshovskyi, who had already been working at Levi9 for about a year. But I didn’t stay because of the friendship. What won me over was the atmosphere, the team, and even something that might seem trivial, like the office location.
To be fair, when the office later moved to Parkova, it became obvious that location was the least important factor. I’ve stayed with this company for so long because my perception hasn’t really changed since the days of the very first office in the Rius Hotel building. That’s quite rare — usually either you change faster, or the company does. Here, somehow, it aligned. I guess the simplest explanation is that the way things are set up here just suits me.
No one is breathing down your neck
I think what surprised me most about Levi9 was the Dutch approach to people and work. From day one, it felt like you were trusted. No one is hovering over you, checking every step; you’re simply responsible for your part of the work. Because of that, there’s very little bureaucracy and no constant oversight.
Nine years later
Over these nine years, I’ve grown a lot, and not just professionally, but in everyday life too.
At Levi9, there was always this feeling that you’re not being boxed in. Instead, you’re given the space to figure out for yourself where you want to go and how to get there. Before joining Levi9, I’d worked at other companies, so I have something to compare it to, and I haven’t seen this level of comfort for growth anywhere else.
What improved the most were my soft skills. Customers, meetings, difficult conversations, conflicts, travel, training — there was more than enough of everything to stop feeling lost and actually learn how to communicate properly.
My technical knowledge grew as well, of course. But over time, you start to realize it’s not really about the knowledge itself — it’s about learning to notice your own patterns. And now, with the rise of AI, that’s become even more obvious.
On achievements
Most of my achievements are in the work itself, which probably isn’t the most original answer 
I remember how my colleagues and I rewrote 6,000 tests in two months, while still maintaining the old ones for another year. So in total, it felt more like dealing with 12,000. At the time, it seemed incredibly challenging.
Or, for example, when I built CI/CD pipelines that hadn’t been properly implemented before. At some point, though, these kinds of tasks just became part of the routine and stopped feeling like anything special. I guess that’s the point: what once felt like an achievement eventually becomes your baseline. So these days, I don’t really compare myself to others. I look at how I’ve changed.
What changed — and what keeps me here
I think one of Levi9’s biggest strengths is that, despite all the difficult circumstances, it still tries to keep its standards.
Of course, a lot has changed over the years. That’s just how modern IT works. The market shifts, approaches evolve, and new tools and expectations emerge. But what matters to me is that, through all these changes, Levi9’s values have stayed the same.
I’d say something similar about my own role. My specialization is quite broad. Over the course of my career, I’ve worked with Python, C#, Java, TypeScript, and also touched on DevOps, databases, and development in general.
I was offered a move into development, but I chose to stay in QA precisely because of that variety. To be honest, it wasn’t easy at the beginning.
On top of that, the company lets me keep a good work–life balance. That’s something I really value about Levi9, and it hasn’t changed over the years.
Not just about work
Probably the most memorable experience was hiking Hoverla in winter with colleagues and then snowboarding down. But honestly, there were many moments like that. River rafting trips, mountain getaways, all kinds of stories that people still bring up.
I should also mention the office on Parkova. For some reason, I associate it less with work and more with everything around it. Going to Ukrainian Catholic University for lunch, playing table tennis or football, and all the parties. Although, to be fair, we probably worked the hardest there too 
Unsolicited advice
I wouldn’t give universal advice, because it’s always very personal. What helped me at the time was not getting stuck and not comparing myself to others. It’s better to focus on how you’re changing and move forward from there.
My future roles
My career path has not exactly been a straight line. I’ve had the chance to grow from development to a department manager, and then return to pure development again
So now I don’t tie myself to any single scenario. A lot depends on the opportunities that come up, especially now, as the company and I are going through a challenging period. But if there’s one thing that remains constant, it’s the people. That’s always been what Levi9 is about, and I think it will stay that way.
