How We Brought ReactNative to Our Company: A Journey of Challenges and Success

Introduction:

It all began around 2018-19.

We had just started our "company," if you could even call it that.

The three of us took the leap, quitting our jobs, and set out to build our own ship with grand sails and ambitious plans to navigate seas and oceans. Then, two more developers joined us, who also left the same company as I did. Together, we started searching for projects and taking on any work we could find, no matter how small, as long as we had some level of expertise. We sat in an apartment with unfinished renovations and proudly called it our office. That's how the story of our development company began, but the story of React Native started much earlier.

Flashback

Let's go back to 2015. I was working remotely for a company, gaining some trust from the management, and helping with recruitment. As I realized, this all started even earlier, let's take another flashback to around 1995.

A flashback within a flashback.

We were just kids back then, and it all began on the street. Our street had quite a few kids my age, and we would gather, play games, ride bicycles, and be friends. Across from my house lived a girl whom we had been friends with since childhood, mostly through my sister. As we grew older, playing "hot potato" no longer interested us. One day, that girl was talking to my sister and found out that she had met a boy from Ivano-Frankivsk through a social network called Vkontakte, which is now online but was considered something mega-cool and unconventional back then. They started dating, built a family, and now they have a daughter who is the same age as we were back then. It seems like I started with a programming headline but ended up talking about love.

Let's get back to 2015. We were searching for a front-end developer for our company, well, back then the term "frontend" wasn't as trendy, so we were looking for a web designer. It turned out that Petro Polishchuk , the husband of our neighbor from the previous flashback, was a web designer. I managed to get his number from somewhere and gave him a call, inviting him for an interview. After a month of working with Petro, I realized he was a fascinating person, and we became great friends. Even after he left that company, we remained good friends and would occasionally visit each other.

Finally, let's talk about React Native, or maybe not exactly.

When we created our company, I naturally shared the news with my friend. He was already an accomplished front-end developer with a top-rated status on Upwork. I once recommended he try finding work on oDesk, which has now become Upwork, even though my English was poor then. He took my advice, and it worked out well for him.

D-Day

At that moment, React was highly popular. While I was working with Angular, I also dabbled in React on the side. However, my knowledge of this new stack was at a novice level. I vividly remember that day, as it marked the beginning of React Native development, not just within our company, but also within our city. Petro messaged me, saying, "You mentioned you know something about React Native. Well, I have a client who needs..." The project didn't seem large, and it was the perfect opportunity to put my theoretical knowledge to the test. We scheduled a call with the client, with Petro acting as our translator. In broken English, I confidently assured the client that our company was an expert in React Native and that we could easily deliver the project. Surprisingly, the client believed us. My first doubts arose when he explained that he needed mobile applications with specific functionalities, and React seemed more associated with web development. I quickly called Petro to confirm if the client was confusing a mobile app with a mobile version, only to discover I was confused.

The Night Before Dawn

The night before the crucial project call, only one thought consumed my mind - I had to learn React Native. It so happened that Udemy was offering free courses on the subject. I started watching the course material about an hour after my conversation with the client. By the evening of the following day, I had completed 70-90% of the course. I don't recall if I even took a break to eat. The intense immersion in React Native for the past 24 hours likely contributed to my success.

Despite my limited English proficiency, the client might have believed I had a weaker grasp of the language but a strong understanding of programming. Perhaps my extensive programming experience on both the front-end and back-end played a role. Ultimately, I managed to pass the technical interview on the same day. It was a triumph borne out of dedication and determination.

What Came Out of It

Despite the initial confusion, we successfully developed the app. We iterated on certain modules multiple times, refining the functionalities until we achieved a successful outcome. Armed with this experience, we began advocating for React Native as a cost-effective alternative to developing separate projects for different platforms. We built new apps, gradually becoming experts in the field. As our company expanded, we started hiring new talent, and I took on the role of teaching them React/React Native. We also sought to nurture the local community's interest in this technology, organizing workshops and courses. Our efforts had a significant impact, with former employees spreading their knowledge to other companies and the establishment of the HmelnIT Cluster, a local IT community initiative.

Conclusion, or simply put takeaways

Reflecting on our journey, there are several valuable lessons learned:

• Childhood connections can have a profound impact on our lives and careers. Never underestimate the potential of the people you encounter along your path.
• Everything in life is interconnected, and the way we treat others can influence our future interactions and opportunities.
• Embrace responsibility for the commitments you make, even if they seem challenging at first. Sometimes, a small sacrifice can lead to significant accomplishments.
• Take calculated risks and push beyond your comfort zone. Growth and progress often come from stepping slightly outside of your current capabilities.
• Be open to learning opportunities in all aspects of life, not just through a last-minute crash course like mine.

Our story of bringing React Native to our company exemplifies the power of perseverance, adaptability, and collaboration. It showcases how emerging technologies can transform businesses and communities when coupled with passion and a drive to explore new frontiers.

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