Turning page of early 2025

Being honest with myself, I’ve realized that from mid of May to June, 2025—and beyond—I was stuck in a self-perpetuating cycle. The endless loop of bad habits left me questioning whether any external intervention could help at all. Therapy didn’t seem promising, so I turned instead to micro-dosing acid and quitting methylphenidate—a decision that eventually helped reclaim some measure of control over my life. While many habits still linger, my main goal now is to turn the page on this chapter and step into uncharted territories.

Lately, my mind has been occupied with where my genuine skills could be best applied. Since April 1, 2025, I’ve immersed myself in learning OCaml—a language that caught my attention not just for its utility but also because of its intriguing alternatives like ReasonML and ReScript. Coming from a background steeped in Rust and TypeScript, these languages have been both refreshing and challenging. They remind me that while the tools may change, the underlying drive to innovate remains constant.

On the job market front, I’ve had my fair share of disappointing interviews. The recurring feedback was “you have no projects” or “your experience is insufficient.” This lack of clarity on what constitutes a meaningful project left me frustrated. In my eyes, a project isn’t just a resume filler—it’s either an authentic creation or merely a rehash of someone else’s work. Honestly, I’d rather showcase two genuine projects than flood GitHub with superficial showcases.

Gazing at the Polish market from this vantage point paints a chaotic picture. The tech scene here feels like a circus: startups often chase funding without true belief in their products, and the software house culture is rife with mediocrity. Moreover, the JavaScript hype has led to an influx of vibe coders and AI-generated resumes, complicating the hiring process on both ends. Despite these challenges, I see glimpses of opportunity—companies that value substance over style.

Reflections on the Job Market

In the Polish market today, it’s all too easy for genuine talent to get lost in a sea of inflated credentials and hollow portfolios. The interview process often emphasizes quantity over quality, with many recruiters fixating on project count rather than depth or innovation. This has led me to question whether my own portfolio—despite its authenticity—is enough to stand out in an environment where superficial metrics like lines-of-code modified per month (a flawed performance measure) are sometimes valued more highly than real impact.

Future Directions

Looking ahead, I’ve decided that rather than fighting against a market that seems increasingly indifferent to true innovation, it might be more rational to take a different approach. Throwing a dart at an organization—preferably one aligned with Fin-Tech like those around Jane Street—could be the way forward. My experience in Functional Programming and a growing fascination with OCaml has naturally steered me toward areas where I can combine my technical skills with emerging market trends.

The idea of building a micro atomic exchange of assets as a side project has been simmering for quite some time. It’s an opportunity to merge my interest in Fin-Tech, programming language theory, and the minimalist elegance of languages like OCaml (a Rust-like but more focused tool). Although I’m aware that my mathematical and data science skills are not yet top-notch, I see this as a chance to bridge those gaps or at least work around them with creative solutions.