IT families: Dmitry and Ksenia Tsyganov

We are launching a new section where we will introduce families in which both partners are IT specialists.

We spoke with Dmitry and Ksenia to find out how they met and what distinguishes IT families from others.

Dmitry Tsyganov, 35 years old, city — Bishkek, Lead Frontend Developer, Mentor

Ksenia Tsyganova, 28 years old, city — Bishkek, Office/Community Manager at Turbine Kreuzberg

About Us

Dmitry. I work as a developer and teacher. I have been in the IT field for about 13 years. I love video games, long walks, traveling, and mountains.

Ksenia. In 2022, I traveled to the USA under the Techwomen program. My hobbies are baking, makeup, and hiking.

Dmitry. We have a funny story about how we met. We share many similar interests: for years we attended the same parties and communicated with almost the same people. But we managed not to meet personally. Like comets in space: our orbits are similar, but they do not intersect closely.

Ksenia. We first met at the Attractor School programming courses that I attended. Dmitry was a mentor there. At that time, we did not communicate closely. We truly got to know each other at my first job. At Heartbeat AI Technologies, Dmitry was a senior developer, and I was hired as a frontend junior. It is hard not to recognize each other when you work in a small team on the same project.

How we entered the IT field

Ksenia. I have always been drawn to technology, so I consciously pursued a technical specialty. I studied to become a programmer at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. But I "entered IT" thanks to the initiative of Google’s Women Techmakers. Now I am the leader of this community. For me, IT is more about community than just Hard Skills.

Dmitry. I liked programming even in school. We had a good teacher. She taught us programming languages, not programs like Word, Excel, and Paint. At university, I studied a different profession and did not get what I wanted. So I engaged in self-development, and thanks to friends, I found my first job. Alongside my studies, I did freelance work. That is how my development in the IT field began.

Ksenia. Currently, I am an office/community manager at the German IT company Turbine Kreuzberg. I work from the office, but most of my team is in Portugal and Germany. My tasks include maintaining office operations, organizing events, and other matters.

Dmitry. I teach programming at Attractor School courses and work as a lead frontend developer at DNK in Bishkek. I often work from home.

Distribution of responsibilities

Ksenia. We both work full-time, so we maintain the house together. It helps that we are minimalists. We have a dishwasher, and a smart home helps monitor the condition of appliances and minimizes situations like "something suddenly broke."

I mainly cook, as cooking and baking are my hobbies. But we also use delivery services so I don’t have to stand by the stove when I’m tired.

Dmitry. In the morning, we always hug. Ksenia brews tea, which we drink leisurely. We both love Christmas and Lego, and we associate our traditions with them.

Ksenia. Every year we create an advent calendar: from December 1st until Christmas, we give each other small gifts: sweets, books, inexpensive gadgets, and so on. When traveling to other countries, we always visit Lego stores. We buy something small that will fit in our luggage. If we travel in winter, we try to bring back Christmas tree ornaments. Therefore, our tree is a collection of memories.

Dmitry. Our main family value is that at home, we can be ourselves. Home is a place where you are accepted. We also always tell each other what we love about one another.

Combining household chores and work

Ksenia. There are easy days at work when you have plenty of energy left in the evening, and there are moments when you just want to hug on the couch and do nothing. IT work is mentally demanding. You have to keep a lot in mind and solve many tasks. Responsibility and deadlines are exhausting. You have to manage household chores with this in mind. It is easier to do a little bit every day than to have a general cleanup when everything is dirty and you don’t know where to start. But we also have a chair with clothes on it — that is sacred.

Recommendations for a happy family life

Dmitry. Happiness is different for everyone. But I recommend being honest and open with each other. If there is no trust in a relationship, it is not a relationship.

Make time and have hobbies that are just for yourself. It may sound strange, but in marriage, it is important to have something of your own. A hobby, a corner in the house, something just for you. Many couples try to do everything together. Because of this, they get tired and conflicts arise.

Be ready to pick up the slack: it is normal to want everything in a relationship to be 50/50, but this is not realistic in the long term. Sometimes you are not in a resourceful state and can only give 40%, and the partner takes on the rest.

Ksenia. If I am overwhelmed, Dmitry takes on household tasks. When he has deadlines, I take on more.

Dmitry. Hug and listen to your partner after a workday. It is a small thing, but it helps to recharge.

How IT families differ from others

Ksenia. The main feature is that we always need good internet. We always take laptops wherever we go. We know exactly where in the airport you can find a comfortable place to work, where the connection is best, and so on.

Dmitry. The joke that you feel naked without a backpack with a laptop is only partially a joke.

Ksenia. A good backpack is an extremely important item in a programmer's house. You choose it strictly and for everyday use.

Dmitry. We love playing games and watching series. We also have a long-term home project — a smart home. We are building it in our apartment. It is a non-standard task that helps to reset the brain.

Ksenia. We invest a lot in our education. We master new skills and try to figure out things we have never done before.

Mentorship is strongly developed in our family: my husband teaches people to program, and I do a lot of volunteering as a STEM mentor for young people, mostly girls.