Bogdan Dobanda, System Architect: Good ideas quickly morph into cool projects at Modex

Our next chat in the #WeAreModex series of interviews with the bright minds behind Modex puts the spotlight on Bogdan Dobanda, System Architect. Attracted by computers and technology since high school, Bogdan has been working as a developer since 2003 and has seen, throughout his career, almost all the ‘faces’ of IT.

Bogdan’s professional story begins after graduating from the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications. “I’ve been working as a developer since 2003 and, throughout the years, I’ve encountered different ‘faces’ of IT: from installing security equipment, cabling of networks, installing and configuring routers to administrating servers and dealing with software applications. I’ve recently developed an interest towards DevOps and, whenever possible, I’m trying to learn as much as I can about this.”

Reimagining a helicopter on a HC 2000 computer

Our colleague’s passion for computers and technology started in high school. “In the 8th grade I took part in an optional Informatics course organized by the school. It was my first contact with a PC and IT, as a whole. I remember that I had, in my classroom, a HC 2000 computer connected to a colour TV and the first thing which I liked was that I could do graphics, in QBasic. A modified helicopter was one of my first “projects” back then”, recalls Bogdan.

When and why did Bogdan decide to become a developer? “During high school, everyone in my class had access to one PC only, so I had to write my homework (software programs) on paper, with a pen. That’s when I understood how a “for” cycle works and later how recursive functions work. My first ‘wow’ moment was when I wrote on the paper a program which calculated the lowest common multiple for two numbers and then, after I’ve transcribed it on the PC, I’ve seen it was working!”

A part of the Modex family since 2018

The Modex chapter began for Bogdan at the end of 2018, following some discussions he had with Alin Iftemi, one of the company’s three co-founders. “We worked together in 2006-2007 and we got along very well also because we had a common passion: programming. Since then, I had several jobs and our paths crossed again in 2017, when he invited me to work with him. I couldn’t do that right away, but after one year I called him and we started to work together. Now, after more than two years spent at Modex, I can say that I made the right choice, and I feel I’m in the perfect spot, working with professionals to bring meaningful products and services to the market.”

Bogdan continues, speaking about the projects he has worked on. “After getting a job at Modex I started working on Modex IDE (Integrated Development Environment). I enjoyed working with React and Node.js and I’ve seen the challenges that front-end developers have to deal with. A few months later I moved to BCDB (Modex Blockchain Database) and it’s hard for me now to count all the new things I’ve learnt since then – and I’m still learning. Overall, that was a big switch for me, from Windows applications where I worked with forms and relational databases to micro-services, docker containers, web sockets and blockchain – the Holy Grail. I’m currently working to bringing BCDB to the highest architectural level possible, which allows an easy integration with new technologies.”

Proactive attitude and no half-measures

How would Bogdan describe the working environment at Modex to someone who doesn’t know the company and would be interested in joining the team?

“Modex encourages a proactive attitude, and good ideas quickly morph into cool products and services. Modex is the kind of company where there are no half measures. Also, I believe that through its culture and employees, our company has the power to motivate you to be better than yesterday. There is a mutual respect between colleagues and this helps all of us enjoy praise, but also learn from the mistakes and the critical points of view, if that’s the case.”

Since the debut of the pandemic, almost all business meetings, events and conferences, but also friendly chats have moved online. As a consequence, the need for reliable technologies and products which facilitate online communications has spiked. Keeping this in mind, we’ve asked Bogdan to tell us how he sees the demand for developers and tech professionals in the coming years.

“Most likely, the demand will continue to grow. As long as more and more companies around us are upgrading their technical equipment and, as a result, they also need software – from autonomous machines to refrigerators and light bulbs – the need for developers and tech people will be on the rise.”

“If it feels more like a hobby, then you’re on the right track”

How about blockchain? Where will this technology be in the next five years? Bogdan shares his point of view: “Blockchain is still a relatively new technology, so I think that the major challenge is represented by its large-scale adoption. Given that blockchain can be integrated in multiple industries, the possibilities are endless. I think that manufacturing and retail will be amongst the first industries which will adopt blockchain on a large scale – and here I’m speaking about the products’ traceability, from manufacturer to buyer.”

Bogdan also has some advice for those who want to become developers. “Being passionate about what you do is the key to success in this domain. Only by being motivated and passionate enough you can perform at your best. As a rule – which is valid for any job, not just programming: If it feels more like a hobby, then you’re on the right track”

Expanding the tech horizon

Unsurprisingly, our colleague’s free time is also linked to the tech universe. “My hobbies are connected to what interests me the most at a given time. Of course, they are also linked to how much free time I have. Lately I’ve been trying to read as much technical documentation as possible related to my area of expertise, although many times I only manage to watch video presentations, nothing more.”

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