Meet Karin and Andrei – Two very different routes to the same destination
Our Selection Sprint 18 is packed with sprinters from all walks of life — and this week, we’re meeting two of them whose paths to coding couldn’t be more different. Karin, a 46-year-old machine operator from Estonia, spent two decades building green circuit boards before deciding to try her hand at programming. Andrei, an 18-year-old high school student from Moldova, discovered his passion for tech through robotics and never looked back.
⚙️ Karin – Machine Operator who loves puzzles and strategies
“My name is Karin. I’m 46 years old.”
Karin’s journey to coding is anything but typical. She studied philology and teaching Estonian to foreigners, then worked 20 years in a factory in Elva as a Machine Operator building green circuit boards.
“I like the schedule,” she says. “You work two or three days, then have time off. During that free time, I wanted to try something new.”
The job was tough: “You can’t learn it anywhere else, only in this factory. It takes half a year just to learn your tasks properly.”
But coding?
A friend asked her ‘Karin, what do you want to do?’ I thought about psychology, law… but they all take years to learn. I was told that you need very good math to study IT. And my math was… good, but not that good anymore. She told me about this school since her son-in-law finished the school and now works in Bolt and it seemed interesting”
Some might say there are similarities between learning a new spoken language and learning a programming language and Karin agrees, “It’s a different language and you have to know the words in order to speak it. Except here, you don’t speak it, you write it.”
She laughs about the math side of things: “Well, let’s just say that it helps if you know 2 + 2 is 4. That’s basic math, OK. But coding is more like strategy — like chess or one of those puzzle games. It’s the same kind of thinking here – you have to plan your moves.”
What surprised her most?
“The people. I thought IT folks would be… sitting behind screens, quiet. But they’re actually very cool.”
Karin’s tip for new sprinters: “When you find a friendly face, go talk to them. Trust me, you’re not alone.”
And to anyone who’s curious about coding: “If you like learning languages, try this one.”
Second from the right is Andrei
👨💻 Andrei – Young coder from Moldova
“My name is Andrei, an 18-year-old guy from Moldova. I’m still in school, currently in the 12th grade.”
Andrei’s tech journey started early: “I tried a robotics course. We built a buggy, and I got hooked. Then I started actual programming and loved it. Still love it to this day.”
What’s the most exciting part of the Sprint?
“The people. People from all over the world who are open to conversations and new experiences.”
And the most unexpected?
“The efficiency. You actually learn a programming language — one of the hardest — in just three weeks. That’s surprising.”
Andrei debunks the “math myth” too: “The only math operations you need are basics: +, -, *, /, and %. Complex stuff is in a library called Math. You don’t need to be good at math to be a good programmer.”
His advice for new sprinters: “Don’t lose motivation if you don’t get something right away. It only gets harder before it gets easier. But by the end, everything will be clear.”
Andrei also recommends breaks and balance: “Take walks, visit nearby cities, eat good food, sleep well, drink lots of water and the Sprint will become enjoyable.”
To those on the fence about trying coding: “I had the same problem – until my friend told me: ‘What will you lose?’”
He adds: “Trying new things is the key to happiness. In Romanian we say: Încercarea vină n-are. There’s no harm in trying. So try new things, maybe you’ll love it. And the sprint is perfect for this. A very fun and enjoyable experience.”