"I've been playing electric guitar in a rock band for 14 years," says IT marketer Daniyar Jumanaзаров about his lifestyle.

In an interview, Daniyar Dzhumanazarov shared how he balances work, sports, music, and mountain hikes — and why he considers this the best form of balance.

Daniyar Dzhumanazarov, 30 years old, city — Bishkek, Marketing Director at Geeks Academy, Instagram

About Me

I am a marketer with 10 years of experience. Currently, I work as the Marketing Director at Geeks Academy, where for seven years we have been training adults and children in modern IT professions: programming, design, management, and SMM. My main task is to ensure that those who want to build a career in IT know about us and choose our academy for their training.

Due to the specifics of my job, I have a flexible schedule; I start my workday later and finish accordingly later. I work a full-time schedule from Monday to Saturday, from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. On Sundays, I love going out of town for long walks. On weekdays in the evenings, I usually spend time with friends, and I visit the gym two to three times a week.

Where and How I Learn

In the modern world, and especially for someone in marketing and IT, I consider the process of continuous improvement essential, so I try to learn something new every day through professional pages on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, various media outlets, and communication with AI. In addition, I read and listen to books about once a month, take professional development courses several times a year, and communicate with colleagues and established professionals.

I definitely recommend Geeks Academy, as over seven years we have gathered immense expertise from 50 teachers, 80 mentors, and a community of 4,000 graduates, many of whom are currently creating IT infrastructure in Kyrgyzstan, working in various IT companies and banks. I myself am constantly learning from my colleagues.

Aside from Geeks, I of course actively follow global EdTech trends. Over the last four years, I have completed 10 courses ranging from marketing to world history on various platforms such as Skillbox and Udemy. I have been studying English and mathematics on Duolingo for over six months. Previously, I studied at the Kyrgyz-Japanese Human Development Center in the Mini MBA program. I read books on psychology and personal growth.

Everything mentioned above is recommended, but with the caveat that in the educational process, success depends on the individual. There is no magic course or university. You need to properly tune your own mind to perceive information, regularly reinforce it, and apply it.

As part of our work with Geeks, we regularly attend various events and also host them ourselves. Every week we organize free open lessons for everyone interested, where we tell and show what IT specialists do in 10 different directions, from design to testing. I definitely recommend checking out our Instagram; every Sunday we publish the schedule of such masterclasses and lessons for the new week.

For music fans, I can recommend similar open lessons on playing musical instruments: for example, drums at Cool Studio and QRush. It is an incredibly cool feeling.

My Circle

To my great fortune, my circle consists entirely of intelligent, educated, and decent people, mostly from the world of IT, business, and creative professions such as artists, designers, and musicians. I was lucky with my parents, who from early childhood gave me warmth and support, tried to surround me with the right people, provided a good education and upbringing. One could say that they taught me how to form my circle. It is important to me that both friends and colleagues share the same values. That first and foremost, a person remains a person, keeps their word, is reasonable, and only then come material benefits and other things.

I have a diverse circle of acquaintances and contingent due to my work and hobbies. In addition to IT specialists working in local companies, there are successful world-class freelancers, professional musicians, teachers, and owners of bars and cafes.

I am often invited as a representative of Geeks to various events in the IT and business sectors, where one of the main goals is networking. For example, in the autumn of 2024, we performed on the stage of the Bishkek Investment Forum. For the second year in a row, I have been a member of the jury for the final of the TIFE program. Recently, I also visited a job fair at AUCA. On May 29-30, the largest IT forum in Bishkek, KIT, will take place, which I strongly recommend everyone who is in one way or another connected with IT and lives in Bishkek to visit. Everyone will be there.

In recent years, the IT community in Kyrgyzstan is growing like wildfire, and this is truly a fantastic trend. To expand your circle of like-minded people, I recommend joining IT communities on Telegram. There are dozens of groups on various topics: communities of mobile developers, AI fans, UX designers, testers, and others. These groups regularly publish posters for job fairs and hackathons. I also strongly recommend actively maintaining your LinkedIn profile and not being afraid to send requests first. Everything is right there. This is useful for both career and general professional development.

Where I Spend Free Time

I sincerely believe that rest is not when you do nothing, but when you do something completely opposite to your routine. For this reason, the best rest for me is hiking. During the warm season, I always go on hikes to the Ratsak Hut, Komsomolets Peak, Kok-Moynok Lake, Kol-Tor, and other popular destinations. There the brain rests maximally, the eyes enjoy the views, and the lungs breathe the purest air. For the body, it is always a cool challenge, after which you feel alive. Besides hiking, I love spending time in cafes and reading books while sipping cappuccino or black coffee.

I have been playing electric guitar in the rock band The Rolls for 14 years. Last year, we performed at the largest Beatles festival in their hometown of Liverpool, UK. We became the first Kyrgyzstani citizens to perform on the legendary Cavern Club stage, where besides the Beatles, Queen, Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, Adele, and many other iconic artists performed. Besides music, for the last three months, I have been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as in my opinion, it is the best way to non-boringly improve your strength, flexibility, agility, and cardio.

Where to Buy What

I wouldn't say I'm an Apple fan, but almost all the technology I use daily is from them: MacBook, iPhone, AirPods. Simply because it is convenient, nothing extra, and liquid. You can easily sell old devices and upgrade. I bought my MacBook at Softech.kg — in my opinion, they have the best "price-quality" ratio. I bought the iPhone at Mostovoy for the same reason. I ordered AirPods from Amazon through the delivery service Expressus.kg.