How it started in the early '90s.

About

Beginning

My journey into IT began in 1993 with an Amiga 500. What started as gaming quickly turned into curiosity about how the system actually worked. The turning point came when I opened a text editor and sent my first output to a dot-matrix printer. In that moment something clicked. The machine followed my instructions precisely. It sparked a lifelong fascination and a desire to work with computers.
Here we are in the attic with my mate from the early days, hooked up to an Amiga 600 and a Philips CM8833-II. A bunch of floppy disks lying around. I bet we were about to take Yo! Joe! for a little spin.

Hello

I'm a software architect based in Warsaw, Poland, with over 17 years of professional experience in IT. My expertise focuses on delivering clean, minimal, and efficient solutions to complex business problems. I specialize in reducing technical debt and modernizing legacy systems, with a strong emphasis on well-designed foundations.

Work

I build high-performance e-commerce platforms, custom internal web applications, and websites that deliver both form and function. I focus on security, quality, minimalism, and pragmatism to build products that people can rely on.

Tools

My primary tech stack is PHP with the Laravel framework. I value tools that are mature, well-designed, and practical in real-world projects. I'm fully productive on macOS, supported by a set of custom scripts and aliases that streamline my daily work.

Soft skills & approach

I translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable language, helping align business goals with technical solutions. Having spent six years working in Australia, I'm comfortable operating in international environments and collaborating across cultures, time zones, and teams.

Hobbies

Outside of work, I enjoy traveling and exploring new places, often with a camera in hand. I'm particularly drawn to street photography, usually working with 35mm prime lenses. I also have a long-standing interest in retro computing, especially classic Amiga systems. In my downtime, I listen to Depeche Mode and collect sealed big-box editions of games and software that were important to me.
A few opinionated takes on various things
☕️
Perceived idleness

When I am not in front of a computer, it does not mean I am not working.

🕹️
Favourite Amiga games

Yo! Joe! · Shufflepuck Café · Mortal Kombat · Battle Chess · Cannon Fodder · Lotus Turbo Challenge 2

😘
Working with difficult personalities

Highly skilled but hard to work with? I bring respect, diligence, and empathy.

♟️
Chess career highlight

In 1999, I finished 4th in a chess competition in my hometown and won a toilet mirror. The peak of my chess career.

💩
State of JavaScript

I prefer minimal JavaScript touch-ups over bloated frameworks. Server-side rendered HTML does not have to mean a worse UX.

🧅
Corporate Fruity Fridays

Zero tolerance for corporate bullshit. Small teams, flat structure, no beating around the bush.

🎭
HR is not your friend

HR is there to protect the company - not you.

🧠
Blind trend following

I choose pragmatism over trends. Not every problem needs the latest gizmos.

👨🏻‍💼
KPI

For most companies, you are a KPI in a spreadsheet. Act accordingly.

💝
Knowledge sharing

When you share knowledge, you do not lose it.

🧹
No "else" statements

I prefer early returns. An "else" statement only adds redundant nesting and makes code harder to read.

👵🏻
Respect legacy

If it works, do not touch it. Legacy systems are often a sign of maturity, especially when they generate revenue.

Day to Day

I work as a fully remote IT consultant, delivering software for clients around the globe.