Read the interview with the C3 Cloud Skills Cup finalist – Ivaylo Barakov, Developer Bulgarian Champion. He had the best score, and besides winning a training voucher from ITCE, he gets to compete in the Cloud Skills Cup World Championships organized by LLPA in June 2021.
Hi Ivaylo! First, congratulations, you are the Developer Bulgarian Champion in the Cloud Skills Cup – Bulgarian Tournament. Please tell us briefly something about you, your hobbies and the technologies that you are most interested in?
I am part of Bulpros Consulting’s team, and I have experience mostly with Microsoft Azure, AWS cloud services, and programming, which is why the quiz seemed easy and familiar.
Considering the times we live in, we all need to find more time for our hobbies to allow our minds to rest. This is why I have chosen to grow vegetables and flowers at home. I also don’t miss any opportunities to automate the watering process and to expand the crops I am growing. Currently, I mostly deal with DevOps technologies and processes even outside of work.
Which technologies look most promising to you in the future?
For me, the Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology of the future. I believe that the exponential growth in the generated data worldwide and the number of sensors can’t be ignored, and we will depend on this technology in the future.
Where did you learn about the Cloud Skills Cup – Bulgarian Tournament?
I learned about the initiative from LinkedIn and decided to give it a try.
Do you have any experience in Microsoft Technologies? Was the test hard for you, or you managed to finish it quickly?
I have experience mostly with Microsoft Azure, AWS cloud services, and programming, which is why the quiz seemed easy and familiar. I didn’t expect to be the winner for the Developer category because my focus is on cloud technologies, however, I do have experience with solving exams for a specific time frame.
How do you stay up-to-date? How do you continue learning now that you have a full-time job?
Succeeding in my sphere of work could be challenging due to its fast-changing pace. As a result, I try working on projects which require the use of the most recent practices and technologies, which I strive to embed in other projects that might not necessarily require their use. I believe this to be quite beneficial for my clients. In this way, I manage to combine the useful with the pleasant, and sometimes I even get to read a book about sales practices to better defend my ideas.
You are the winner in the Developer category as part of the Cloud Skills Cup – Bulgarian Tournament, and besides going to the Cloud Skills Cup World Championships finals, you won a training voucher worth €500 from ITCE. Have you chosen the training you would like to visit? Actually, have you been to a training at ITCE before?
The initiative is really great, and the challenge requires great focus, some adrenaline, and experience in solving problems for a specific time. I am very happy that ITCE and LLPA provided the IT specialists with the opportunity to test their knowledge in such a competitive format. For some time, I have been following ITCE’s initiatives, especially during the time of the pandemic. In my opinion, online trainings offer the fastest access to synthesized information. In this technological age, speed and being up-to-date are an essential part of our success. I am interested in the DevOps world, the way of thinking of these specialists, and the ways to implement this methodology within the organization. Currently, I acquire new information from Community sources, mostly in regards to Open Source solutions, however, I definitely have an interest in and recognize the benefits of the instructor-led trainings:
- Individual approach
- Opportunity to ask specific questions
- Meeting other specialists with similar interests
- Receiving additional information during discussions
How do you plan to prepare yourself for the Cloud Skills Cup World Championships?
I will not lie there is a lot of pressure as I didn’t expect to finish first in this category. I believe that with my current knowledge in cloud and DevOps technologies, I will be able to cover the questions for the development section. Thanks to my colleagues, who are always open to sharing their experience and knowledge, I have listed some topics to cover as part of my preparation for the world championship.
