IT families: Vladimir and Marina Mikhailov

Vladimir and Marina met at his first technical interview, and today they have been married for three years and are raising their two-year-old daughter. Their story is about mutual support, shared household responsibilities, and balancing career, family, and personal ambitions, as well as advice for those who want to combine IT and personal life.

Vladimir Mikhailov, city — Almaty, backend developer, LinkedIn

Marina Mikhailova, city — Almaty, IT recruiter, LinkedIn

About themselves
Vladimir. I am a backend developer. My path in IT was not linear; by education, I am a "Sector Manager," I worked in trade for three years and in marketing for another year and a half. But I was always drawn to software development, so I taught myself the profession from scratch. In my free time, I love chess, movies, and walks.

We met at my first technical interview; my future wife invited me as a candidate for the junior backend developer position. After I accepted the offer, we decided to continue communicating. A month later, we were already living together. Now we have been married for three years, and we have a daughter who is two years old.

Marina. I am a senior IT recruiter. Officially, I am on maternity leave, but I continue to work actively on a freelance basis. I previously worked in sales and hold a bachelor's degree in Business and Management. I also love photography; I used to have a professional camera and took it seriously, but now it is more of a hobby and a way to switch off.

When I first saw Vladimir, all words left my mind, and the moment felt like a scene from a movie.

But, of course, I remained a professional and did not show my emotions. Everything happened naturally, and we quickly realized that it was fate. At that moment, I filled the most important position in my life.

How we entered the IT field

Vladimir. I always loved computers and decided to try my hand at it. I watched educational videos, found inexpensive courses, and studied tirelessly. I was confident that I could become a developer without a specialized education. After many attempts, I was finally hired by a company where my wife worked. For me, learning is a habit, so I continue to grow in backend development every day.

I used to always work remotely, but my format has changed over the last six months. Now I work from the office and am only home once a week. This is a new experience for us in terms of time distribution.

Marina. I ended up in IT recruiting by chance; I went to an interview for a technical support specialist position, but they offered me a chance to try myself in recruitment. 

Now I take on interesting project tasks for recruiting IT specialists, which allows me to work "with pleasure," maintain my expertise, and still devote full time to my child. I also act as a "home consultant" for my husband; I can always advise on resumes or career paths.

Distribution of responsibilities

Vladimir. We do everything together. Usually, we figure out who will do what in the process, but we are always ready to help each other.

Marina. We work as one team. We do not have a strict division into "male" and "female" tasks. Whoever is the first to free up from tasks takes care of the house. The fact that my husband is now in the office more often has brought some adjustments, but we adapted quickly.

Family traditions

Vladimir. Our ironic tradition is ordering food on Wolt with our last money. But seriously, the main value is support. Family is what makes my life meaningful and inspires me to advance in my career. My wife and daughter are sources of my motivation.

Marina. For us, "screen-free" time is important. Joint walks and playing with our daughter help us recharge. In terms of values, we adhere to mutual respect and belief in our partner's success. We constantly support each other's ambitions; in IT, development is impossible without this.

Combining household chores and work

Vladimir. Combining them is difficult, but not because of the specifics of the work itself. We are both a bit lazy by nature, so we do household chores without fanaticism, just enough to maintain coziness and a decent appearance in the house.

Marina. We do not strive for perfect order at home; our emotional state is more important to us. We allow ourselves to rest from household routine to save energy for family and new professional challenges.

Recommendations for a happy family life

Vladimir. The foundation is honesty. But even that won't help if you are not compatible with each other. My advice is to live together for a year first, check compatibility in everyday life, and then decide whether to get married or not.

Marina. Do not compare your family with pictures from social media. Every couple has their own crises and ways of dealing with them. My advice: be kinder to each other. It is easy to lose your temper during maternity leave, at work, or under deadlines, but it is important to know how to take a timely breath and hug your loved one. The most valuable thing we can give each other is the feeling that you are not alone, no matter what happens.

How IT families differ from others

Vladimir. I think there are no global differences. Except that we are constantly "in context" at home and often argue about the future: whether artificial intelligence will replace us soon or if it is just another hype. We discuss how to apply neural networks in work right now and whether we will all be left without jobs in a couple of years; such conversations during dinner are quite common for us.

Marina. Honestly, I am not sure that IT families differ in any special way from others. We get tired, worry, make plans, argue, and laugh just like everyone else. We just have our own professional background and our own topics for conversation, but otherwise, it is the most ordinary family. And perhaps that is the main answer.