1. Tell us a bit about yourself. 

My name is Ivan Fiala, due to my first name being so common I had many nicknames during my childhood but now most people that know me on a personal level call me Fic. I come from Livana, I guess you could call it the suburbs of Osijek. Born in 1996 which makes me a millennial I guess.

2. How did you first learn about Bamboo Lab?

I think I first heard a little about Bamboo Lab when I was finishing High school, I was researching potential jobs depending on my choice of a college. I then again heard of it during the Pannonian challenge, which I attend every year. Later I got a more personal look into Bamboo and how it operates during guest presentations in college. 

3. How long have you worked at Bamboo Lab?

Together with internship, a little over a year, time flies.

4. Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us.

Although currently I work in development, during college I worked as a Social Media Community Manager for a short time.

5. Three words to describe Bamboo lab?

Quirky, fluid, diverse.

6. What does your job look like?

Code, code and lots of code, sprinkled with a little bit of coffee. That is at least what most people think when I tell them I work in web development. Sure it mostly is writing code, but I also communicate with clients sometimes, write reports on projects. Create guides for clients to find their way around when their Web Apps are delivered, write time estimations for projects, work on our internal processes and apps.

In short, yes, most of my day is spent writing and looking at code, but there is so much more hidden in the background that makes the difference.

7. Let’s jump to some lighter questions. What do you love to do in your spare time?

I have a problem, I have too many hobbies and I'm constantly in search of new ones. I like to workout, play Dungeons and Dragons, play video games, watch TV shows and movies, read books, draw, work in the garden for relaxation and cook. I often go snowboarding in winter.

I also plan to take up some new hobbies like airsoft, mountain biking, climbing and various other extreme sports/activities.

8. What book 📚 did you read last?

For work I last read “Learn enough JS to be dangerous”, it’s always good to freshen up on basics. But in my spare time I read “Permanent record” by Edward Snowden. I guess that is a cliche for developers but oh well.

9. What do you like most about your job?

I like learning about new stuff. We live in an age of digital transformation, almost all of the businesses are coming online and they need us, web developers, to create web pages for them. That gives us access to how their operations run in the background which allows me to learn a ton about stuff I never would have access otherwise in any other job.

10. What advice do you have for prospective Bamboo Lab candidates? 🎋

Be proactive, be prepared to learn, but don’t be pushy. If you have ideas and opinions, voice them, but be ready to take criticism for your ideas.

11. Tell us more about your favorite project.

For me it was Marko Dješka’s personal web page. He is a comic book artist and animator so it was fun doing that and watching his drawings.

12. What is the favorite part about working at Bamboo Lab?

I like the sense of freedom and flexibility I have, when we are starting a project I make all the time estimates for tasks and am free to allocate time however I see fit as long as I complete it in time. 😊

13. What is an ability you wish you had?

Tough question. Predicting the future would probably be interesting but that would bring in some paradoxes and might endanger all of the time-space continuum. Flying while fun would bring it’s challenges, mostly it would be hard to insulate from the cold and I dread the feeling of coldness. I have to go with simple telekinesis for those moments when you sit down in front of the TV and you remember you forgot to pick up a beer from the fridge.

14. What is on your bucket list?

Parachute jump (Might do that soon). Travel to Japan, Iceland, Mexico, Cuba and Egypt. Cabin in the woods. Brew my own beer. Send some of my homemade hot sauces to competitions and maybe even start selling some, there are some ideas floating around in my head.

15. Any random facts you could share with us?

• I have 2, actually. If humanity went extinct, the longest remaining trace of humans on Earth would be a plastic pollution layer, and in space it would be our satellites.
• Some groups of apes have started using stone tools, teaching newer generations how to use them. This means that some groups have entered the stone age, but unfortunately due to inability to communicate and exchange ideas (due to Human activity) with other groups they probably won’t be able to advance further.

16. Best vacation you’ve been to?

Skiing trip in France at the start of this year. 🎿

17. If your house was burning down, What is the one nonliving thing you would save?

Probably just take the phone then, to serve as light for navigation and be able to call for the fire department.

18. What is your personal philosophy?

Live and let live, who am I to judge.

19. What is something you always wanted to do but never did?

Travel the world in a van, or at least some parts of it. Might still do it as a tech nomad. We shall see.