"I founded a community for Android developers," — Daniyar Amangeldi on his lifestyle

Daniyar Amangeldy, city — Almaty, Android Tech Lead Engineer, Linkedin

About Me

I work as an Android Tech Lead Engineer at T-Bank and as a mentor at nFactorial School, founded by Arman Suleimenov, where I teach a course for beginner Android developers. I founded the Android Hours community — weekly offline workshops for Android developers who are already working in companies. The goal of the community is to raise the level of development and specialists in Kazakhstan.

Additionally, I am a member of the nFactorial Club — an invite-only community for founders, entrepreneurs, and experts in their fields.

I work from home, which allows me to maintain a good work/life balance. My workday usually starts between 09:00 and 10:00 AM and ends between 18:00 and 19:00 PM, with breaks for lunch or tea while the code compiles. Three times a week I go to workouts, and three evenings a week, from 19:00 to 20:30, I teach courses at nFactorial and Android Hours.

Where and How I Learn

When I was a junior specialist, my workday always started with studying materials on Habr and Medium, as well as reading technical books. Android development is constantly evolving. In the past, these were simple applications with limited functionality and weak security, but today they are complex systems: internet banking, delivery services, taxi services, super apps. Technologies and libraries are changing rapidly, so it is necessary to constantly keep up with new trends.

Currently, I conduct Android Hours and speak at meetups. My learning methods remain the same, but now I study topics more deeply because it is personally interesting to me, and I love sharing knowledge. There is more content available: books, podcasts, articles, courses.

I regularly listen to the nFactorial Podcast and follow content from bloggers such as Android Broadcast, Mobile Developer, and the official Android Developers blog from Google. It is also useful to watch meetups and conferences, for example, from Kolesa Group or Mobius.

I can recommend the masterclasses by Kairat Khasanov. He is a brilliant speaker who inspires people to learn new things through his actions, shares knowledge, and helps society.

Environment

I try to be the "dumbest person in the room," so I enjoy being in the nFactorial Club, where experts gather. Listening to their discussions is a valuable experience. For example, recently at one of the events, we had a task: imagine that our team was allocated 10 million tenge, and we had to suggest ways to multiply it. Such cases are interesting because they allow you to hear different opinions from professionals.

I also follow teachers from SDU, especially Askar Satybaldiev, who has shaped my thinking since my undergraduate years.

My friends and acquaintances also inspire me. Many of them work in IT, but there are also those connected with other fields: medicine, the oil industry, business. For example, one friend opened a coffee shop in Aktau, and another moved to the US to study.

Among IT events, I enjoy meetups and conferences from Kolesa Group. I attended CodeTalks in Almaty — a great place to meet colleagues. I also participate in nFactorial Connect — an event for graduates and mentors of the nFactorial School.

All these events help find like-minded people. The community actively gathers in Telegram chats, where you can stay connected online. Various clubs and work colleagues are also great options for expanding your social circle, especially in large companies where team-building activities and events are often organized.

Where I Spend My Free Time

In winter, I love going to the mountains, especially to Shymbulak, to breathe fresh air. In my free time, I play board games with friends, such as Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Bang. In the mornings, I try to attend workouts. On weekends, I like to go to the sauna, swim in the pool, read a book, or spend time with my family. I also enjoy participating in city quizzes about movies, anime, and TV series. Recently, we started showing the anime "Naruto" to my sister, but we haven't been able to finish it for two years — she watches it slowly!

One of my hobbies is dancing. I am into the Popping style. In school and university, I often performed and actively practiced, and now it remains just a pleasant hobby. I also like listening to Western hip-hop that was popular in 2000 — it is to these tracks that I dance. It is especially nice that many Western artists have started discovering Kazakhstan.

I love playing on the PS5 console, and I also get together with colleagues to play on the Nintendo Switch. I mastered this console when I worked with the Dutch in Amsterdam — they taught me.

During courses and meetups, I often use an iPad and the Procreate app to draw lectures. Drawings help me explain complex technical topics by visualizing analogies, examples, graphs, and memes, making learning clearer and more interesting.

Where to Buy What

I prefer Google Pixel phones because they run on the Android operating system, which I like. Currently, I have a Nothing Phone 2, which is also good, I recommend it.

As for computers, my choice is the MacBook — it is an excellent combination of quality, performance, and durability.

For entertainment, I love playing on the PS5 and Nintendo Switch. And as for something exotic — the Steam Deck — it is simply a find of the year for me.