Irina O'Hara is one of our uniquely clever, expert frontend developers. She’s immensely talented and has had a vital impact on our website redesign. When it came time to spotlight her, Irina was a joy to sit down with and get to know a little better.
To get to the basics, she writes code and creates awesome websites, and she’s darn good at both.
Background
Irina was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia. However, she wasn't born a development expert and had other aspirations from the start.
"I wanted to be a DJ on the radio. It didn't go anywhere, but I loved listening to the radio, especially when there were special programs where people were guest speakers or called in. I loved that. I thought that would be a cool job to have.
I used to love calling into the radio stations to try and win giveaways or guess what song was playing. I won a book one time, and I won movie theater tickets. I was pretty good at it."
As soon as she was introduced to coding, she started doing it on her own. She loved working on small projects and making things on a computer do what she wanted them to do. When she was old enough for university, she got a degree in software engineering and has been excelling professionally ever since.
How do you stay sharp, and what advice would you give someone just starting as a frontend developer?
"Frontend Masters is an educational website for coders like me to learn and stay sharp. Also, our team has many resources; we share knowledge with each other and have meetings where we share what we've learned.
My advice for new coders is to don't be afraid to make mistakes. Fail faster. If you fail, it doesn't necessarily mean you’re a failure; it means you tried something new, and it might take a few more tries, but eventually, you will get good at it. Fail faster means to try again and again; don't delay. Don't be afraid to try other challenges because that's where you get the most growth."
Irina is excellent at being fearless. She said that if she could tell her 20-year-old self anything, it would be not to be afraid of anything. There's nothing she can't accomplish if she puts her mind to it.
What is it about Smarty that makes you happy?
“I like our codebase. I think it's very clean and organized, and I love working with my teammates. I love working with React specifically. There's a lot that I love and appreciate about the work. I love how we architected the codebase."
Like many of our employees, Irina was surprised about how much data a single address has and how complicated that data can be. However, as a frontend developer, she doesn't have to face that complication directly.
"I don't have any consistent challenges. If we run into a challenging problem, there are always resources on our team. Other people are willing to jump in and help out, and collectively, we can solve something challenging.
The website redesign is one of the largest projects we've worked on. I think our website looks amazing, and I played a big part in that. It made it very meaningful for me.”
Are there things in Smarty culture that stand out to you?
“You can work hard, and you can have fun… hard. Fun and work can coexist. You can do great things and still have a good time along the way.
We don't just say that we like to have fun and it's a great place to work, we're actually doing a lot of fun things. I feel like I don't contribute to the culture, but I participate, so that counts, right?”
What do you think builds the strongest working relationships?
"Communication is key. Make people know if they have questions or if they want to work with you, make sure they know that you're available and willing to help."
Seeing people as people is a key part of the Smarty culture, and Irina is an excellent example of that. I know I like Irina, and I'm sure everyone else does too because she's so good at treating us like people, as opposed to obstacles in her way.
Where do you experience your most energizing moments?
“I like to play pickleball, and I do many competitive events. It's a new sport for me but I feel very energized when I'm playing pickleball. And, I'm pretty good at watercolor painting, too.”
She's not lying. Look at these amazing watercolor paintings!
Who inspires you?
"There are a lot of things that inspire me. When I read other people's stories when they accomplished something great but started later in their lives, that’s incredibly inspirational for me.
They weren't born into success. Like, hearing about someone who starts doing ballet in their 40s and becomes great, it inspires me because it shows that there are no constraints in what you can achieve in your lifetime. It doesn't matter where you come from, how old you are, and so on; you can still do something great. Life doesn't always have to be linear; sometimes you can take a detour, and it's still OK."
From winning radio contests in St. Petersburg to winning our hearts at Smarty, Irina O'Hara is proof that you can code hard and play harder! Whether she's crafting pixel-perfect websites, crushing it on the pickleball court, or creating watercolor masterpieces, she brings that signature "fail faster, smile wider" attitude to everything she does.
Sure, she might say she just "participates" in our culture, but let's be real – Irina is contributing more than she knows. And while she may have left her DJ dreams behind, she's still dropping some seriously expert beats as one of our frontend developers.
So here's to Irina, who reminds us that life doesn't always follow a linear path, and that's exactly what makes it beautiful. And if you ever need someone to help you win some concert tickets from the radio or debug your React components, you know who to call!
