Devops, Agile, Method. & TestsConference50min
The Tech Lead Elevator: Real Stories and Hard Lessons
The talk shares lessons from 18+ years in IT on becoming an effective senior developer or tech lead. It covers understanding requirements, communicating across tech and business, avoiding common pitfalls, and applying hard-earned strategies to improve team productivity, resilience, and mental well-being amid rapid technological change.
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Marek DominiakTrainitek / Mintra / Sparkbyte Solutiond LTD
IT world moves so fast it’s hard to keep up - especially now with AI shaking things up. Becoming a senior developer or a tech lead is filled with both challenging and sometimes funny experiences.
In this talk I will explain the core aspects of seniority, the importance of questioning and understanding project requirements, and the “art” of effective communication across “tech” and “business”.
Through real stories and my painful experiences, we'll look at what you can do to make your life and the life of your team members easier, avoiding traps set by “business” and gracefully moving through the muddy waters in the messy IT world. I will share strategies and tips that I learned the hard way, that can save you a lot of mental health and lead to increased productivity for you and your team.
Join me as I share insights from the trenches working 18+ years in mid-sized IT companies.
In this talk I will explain the core aspects of seniority, the importance of questioning and understanding project requirements, and the “art” of effective communication across “tech” and “business”.
Through real stories and my painful experiences, we'll look at what you can do to make your life and the life of your team members easier, avoiding traps set by “business” and gracefully moving through the muddy waters in the messy IT world. I will share strategies and tips that I learned the hard way, that can save you a lot of mental health and lead to increased productivity for you and your team.
Join me as I share insights from the trenches working 18+ years in mid-sized IT companies.
Marek Dominiak
I’m a CTO of Sparkbyte Solutions, co-owner of Trainitek, and an architect and tech lead at Mintra. I have 19 years of experience, mainly in the Java world. I’ve spent a lot of time mentoring developers and leading teams, with a big focus on creating solutions that will actually last for many years. That got me into Software Craftsmanship, Domain-Driven Design, and code quality early on.
Over my career, I’ve completed many small and large projects that run in production, interviewed developers, handled communication with customers, designed architecture for entire systems and delivered them, and introduced many technologies proven in production. I have 15 years of experience working in the Scandinavian market.
Through Trainitek, I’ve trained over 650 people in modern architecture, Domain-Driven Design, EventStorming, and testing. We’ve worked with more than 40 companies so far.
I like to share what I know at conferences: Devoxx Poland, Devoxx UK, NDC Oslo, JavaZone, jPrime, JDD in Kraków, and others.
Over my career, I’ve completed many small and large projects that run in production, interviewed developers, handled communication with customers, designed architecture for entire systems and delivered them, and introduced many technologies proven in production. I have 15 years of experience working in the Scandinavian market.
Through Trainitek, I’ve trained over 650 people in modern architecture, Domain-Driven Design, EventStorming, and testing. We’ve worked with more than 40 companies so far.
I like to share what I know at conferences: Devoxx Poland, Devoxx UK, NDC Oslo, JavaZone, jPrime, JDD in Kraków, and others.