My Journey into IT

It all started back in 1999-2000, when I was an 8th-grade student and got access to the Internet for the very first time. This happened in a district administrative center where I was attending a local gymnasium. At the time, the Internet was just beginning to reach remote areas of Kyrgyzstan, thanks to the support of the Soros Foundation. I still remember the first website I visited—it was msn.com. That moment felt like stepping into an entirely new world.

That experience sparked my curiosity about technology. A few years later, I moved to the capital city, Bishkek, and joined the National Computer Gymnasium. Around 2001, I became fascinated with creating websites. I taught myself how to build simple websites using HTML and upload them to a server via FTP. Back then, the Academy of Sciences in Kyrgyzstan offered a free hosting service where you could host your projects on third-level domains in the .kg zone.

Every website I created, every line of code I wrote, and every successful upload to a server gave me an incredible sense of accomplishment. Those were the years when I spent countless hours in internet cafes—my favorite places at the time. There, I exchanged emails with friends, explored the vast possibilities of the web, and, of course, kept building websites.

After graduating from high school, I initially enrolled in a humanities program. However, after just one year, I realized my true passion lay in IT. That realization marked a turning point in my life. I changed my direction, switched to studying IT, and never looked back.

Those early experiences shaped my perspective on technology and laid the foundation for everything I do today. It was a time of discovery, experimentation, and small victories—each of which became a stepping stone on a much larger journey that continues to this day.