Written by Jake Smiths
How can an IT specialist expand from a local to a global level? We asked Mykyta Machekhin, a renowned IT expert with a successful career spanning Ukraine and the US, for some professional advice on this topic. Machekhin is known for developing an innovative AI text-generation program that can replace an entire team of marketers. He has also made significant contributions by creating a unique resource for accelerated foreign language vocabulary acquisition, which allows users to master up to 150 words per hour, an absolute record in the educational field. Currently a Senior Software Engineer at California-based startup CurbWaste, Machekhin shared the challenges of training humans versus artificial intelligence and offered strategies for succeeding in a highly competitive IT landscape.
From government digitalization to multimillion-dollar business savings
Mykyta’s professional journey began as a software engineer at the state enterprise Infotech in Kyiv, where he played a key role in pivotal government digitalization projects. This led him to more complex environments – managing high-load systems at M&A Group and leading innovative projects at Genesis Tech.
While working for Genesis Tech, Mykyta noticed that its marketing team spent too much time producing content and streamlined their workflow by integrating its advanced AI technology.
The move reduced content creation time by up to 85%, resulting in significant cost savings for both the company and its customers, with an annual internal savings of approximately $300,000. In addition, the project expanded internationally, benefiting numerous companies and generating an estimated $2.5 million in annual savings for their clients based on the comprehensive data they collected.
Global success through collaboration
Throughout his career, Mykyta has been deeply influenced by many mentors and colleagues. A key figure in his professional development and inspiration was Timur Shemsedinov — a widely recognized Eastern European expert known for being a frequent trendsetter in backend development. Initially, Mykyta’s university teacher, Shemsedinov, later collaborated with him on a government project within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Together with a dedicated team of young professionals, they laid the groundwork for creating the widely acclaimed Ukrainian application Diia.
This app revolutionized the way millions of Ukrainians accessed government services directly from their smartphones. Its impact was so great that USAID Administrator Samantha Power remarked at the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos that the US would like to replicate Diia’s success in other countries, as reported by AXIOS.
However, despite his remarkable professional trajectory, Mykyta reached a point where further growth seemed unattainable, prompting him to consider relocation.
“One of the main reasons I moved was to seek new opportunities for collaboration. I’ve always believed that working together is one of the key avenues to achieving great things, and I was drawn to the unique potential for partnership and innovation I found here,” Mykyta said.
He strongly believes in collaboration over competition, stating that remarkable achievements can be made by combining everyone’s unique strengths, knowledge, and experience to better technology and society.
Breaking into the foreign job market
While the United States boasts industry leaders in IT and a huge job market, getting hired after relocating from a region with a completely different corporate culture presents a formidable challenge. The hiring process in the US diverges significantly from that of Eastern Europe, posing potential obstacles for newly arrived talents. Mykyta noted that recognizing this fact and adapting to the distinct work environment is absolutely necessary. He emphasized that one of the first things to do is to network actively.
“By stepping out of my comfort zone and committing to meet as many people in my field as possible every day, I was able to surround myself with a circle of motivated professionals. This approach solved the initial problem, enriched my professional life, and expanded my horizons significantly,” he said.
Creative approach to challenges
Another important thing to consider is the language barrier. Since you are entering a foreign job market, you need to speak its language, which can be quite challenging.
Mykyta has developed revolutionary software to help people learn new languages more easily. This unique application can teach users up to 150 new foreign words per hour. Although the program is still in the testing stage, it has already drawn the attention of the global IT community. For its significant contribution to the education industry, Mykyta received a prestigious national award and the title of “Developer of the Year in the field of educational projects,” beating more than 50 applicants.
“Considering that mastering vocabulary is often the most time-consuming part of learning a new language, our product has the potential to reduce the time required to learn a new language to just a few weeks. Currently, there are no analogs to this product on the market that I or my team are aware of, making it a pioneering solution in educational technology and a prime example of how my contributions have extended beyond traditional software development to create tangible, impactful innovations. Currently, this application is under active testing and will soon be available for public access. If you want to try it before the official release, contact me, and I’ll give you privileged access,” Mykyta said.
A creative and innovative approach is a big plus in establishing yourself in a global career market and an excellent opportunity to create something that will benefit the whole world.
