Known to us as Sergey Ratyshnuy.
Sergey, what part of the world are you from?
I live in Cherkasy city which is in central Ukraine. It’s about 3 hours SE of Kiev on the west bank of the River Dnieper, the longest river in Europe – over 2000km. Its headwaters begin in Russia and flow through Belarus and the Ukraine to the Black Sea – it is an important navigable route.
Cherkasy has been known since the 13th century and has played a great role in the history of Ukraine. The famous Cossacks had their roots here. Because of their military tradition, Cossack forces played an important role in many Russian conflicts, notably the Crimean War, Napoleonic Wars, and the First World War.
Is there something you like to share about your personal life?
I have a pretty big family – Anna my wife, mother, father, four sisters (I’m the youngest one), six nephews and nieces and of course many others in our extended family.
Also, we have two cats – Semen (black one 14 years old) and Bella (2 years old). They like to play together.
I really like spending my free time enjoying different types of activities from traveling and working on our summer house to snowboarding, fishing, and other water sports. I thought you would like to see a few photos of how I spend my time.
I believe you were working for a local company before joining OTGS – how did you hear about us?
That’s true. I was working locally creating sites for clients. For a couple of months I was involved in a project which included WPML. I was impressed with WPML and the company in general. I knew someone who knew Andrey Klimansky who was already working for OTGS. Upon an impulse one day I decided to apply for a job. It was the right decision ;).
I hear you are our expert when it comes to WooCommerce even when it comes to very complex questions. I know your help is greatly valued!
For most of my time in the company I have been working on WCML. I have also been involved in different projects in WPML, Compatibility, QA and, of course, in Support. In the WCML team you need to be aware not only about changes in WPML but also about changes in Woocommerce because additional challenges are created after each update.
Sometimes the WCML team comes under pressure because of WC releases which can create problems in compatibility. At these times we need work as fast as we can (sometimes in the evening too =)) to solve any problems and deliver the new version to our users. In most cases we try to prevent these kind of situations by testing the beta versions of major WC releases.
It goes without saying that you need to keep up with the changes in technology.
What do you like best about your work?
I like the dynamics, the changing aspects of my work, the most. In developing, each day is a challenge because you learn something new. Another kind of challenge is when you receive a broken user site and you need to investigate to find what is wrong with it and then try to help the client solve his problems. But I like to help people and do this as fast and efficiently as I can.
The best reward is when you receive grateful feedbacks about your work and the help you give to make people’s lives easier.
Tell us about your daily routine
My typical day starts at 7.30 am and finishes at 5 pm. I start by catching up with emails and issues where my feedback is needed. After this, I go back to topics that are on my schedule. However, I like to keep myself available at all times to help with unexpected problems if I can.
When the work day is over I need to coax my mind away from it all so I go to the gym, take walks or spend time with friends. When the weather improves I will be out cycling. The OTGS Scholarship Program gave me the incentive to take the plunge and buy myself a bicycle.
And your future plans?
My immediate plan for this year is to solve internet connection issues at my summer house so I’ll be able to work from there. I tried this a few times last year and working in the open air was a great experience.
Naturally, I always want to continue improving my skills. I believe by setting big goals in all areas will motivate me to enlarge and grow more.
For my family, my dream is to build our own house and have it full of children =).
Come Work With Us
Are you interested in working with a globally distributed team that encourages growth and advancement? Are you ready to harness the power of technology for a better future?