In addition, the acquisition creates opportunities for businesses seeking more advanced eCommerce solutions to smoothly transition to the extended capabilities offered by Sylius. This means users can expect both new functionalities and a clearer path for scaling and evolving their online stores.

You can read more about this transaction and its potential impact on the European eCommerce market in the article published by 15min.

In response to this need, we at PrestaRock, together with our partners Varlė.lt, have developed a specialized PrestaShop integration module that enables businesses to quickly and easily start selling on one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Lithuania.

This solution automates:

• product catalog synchronization,
• price updates,
• real-time inventory management.

Until now, integration with marketplace platforms often meant manual work or complex technical solutions for many businesses. The module we developed removes these barriers and enables even small companies to operate at the speed and efficiency of major market players.

The partnership with Varlė.lt marks an important step in strengthening Lithuania’s e-commerce technology ecosystem. We are creating solutions tailored to the local market that help businesses digitalize and grow faster without additional programming work or large investments.

For PrestaShop users, integration with the Varlė.lt Marketplace becomes simple and fast. Businesses can focus on what matters most: product assortment, customer service, and growth.

Read more at lrytas.lt

In an article published by 15 min.lt, we share how we achieved this. We used advanced solutions, an efficient project management methodology, and a flexible technological foundation that significantly reduced development time and costs.

We invite you to read the article and learn:

• How do we optimize the online store development process?
• Which technologies help you achieve more for less?
• What lessons can your business apply?

Read the full article.

Ričardas Šmaižys, founder of PrestaRock, emphasizes that Sylius is not a one-size-fits-all solution. For businesses with a simple product catalog and relatively low turnover, it is often more economical to choose traditional platforms such as PrestaShop, Magento, or OpenCart. However, companies that have already outgrown these standard solutions, deal with large-scale processes, or require highly customized store logic can achieve significantly greater efficiency with Sylius.

The article also presents insights from the Sylius creators themselves: the platform stands out for its modular architecture, automated testing, high code quality, and complete freedom to adapt it to specific business needs. Sylius offers both a free Standard version and an extended Sylius Plus, where companies pay only for the modules they actually need.

Sylius is therefore a strong choice for businesses that value architectural stability, long-term scalability, technological sophistication, and full control over their e-commerce infrastructure.

Read more on 15min.lt.

What No Longer Impresses Employers

I’ve been involved in recruitment for more than ten years, and quite actively for the last five. I’ve seen every kind of message and CV, from the first contact emails to initial interviews. It has become almost standard for candidates to attach code samples right from the first message. However, these samples are often very small — projects created in just a few hours — and such work doesn’t show much more than the fact that you have used Git once or twice. While this is certainly a useful skill, it’s no longer something that sets you apart when every second candidate can do the same.

It’s also increasingly common to see personal portfolio websites used as introductions. That’s already a step beyond a simple project list, but many of those sites remain basic and unimpressive. Today, with the help of AI tools, anyone can generate something similar within minutes. As a result, what once demonstrated initiative no longer guarantees attention

How to Truly Stand Out to a Hiring Manager

From my experience, the best way to stand out is not by pretending or following templates, but by genuinely engaging in meaningful IT-related activity. In my company’s history series, I shared how my own career started with blogging. Through that community, opportunities appeared naturally because I was active, curious, and eager to grow.

Blogging may no longer be trendy, but creating content on YouTube, maintaining an active profile on Facebook or X (Twitter), or writing short reflections on IT topics can serve the same purpose. It’s a great way to show your curiosity, ambition, and real motivation to learn. Think about your hobbies — even if they aren’t related to IT, maybe you can use technology to improve them. For example, you could build a simple accounting system for your family’s farm, a self-service portal for your car lease, or a website for a local group helping homeless animals. A real, functioning, and useful project will always tell more about you than a university lab assignment ever could.

What to Emphasize in Your Project Examples

Of course, not everyone has a hobby or an idea that can turn into a project, and that’s fine. If you can’t think of something useful to build, focus on presenting polished examples of your work. Too often, I see code repositories that feel unfinished — just pieces of student homework rather than well-prepared, representative projects. If a project is meant to represent you, make sure it’s complete, readable, and professionally presented.

It’s no longer enough to simply show that you tried. Explain what kind of architectural decisions you made, highlight how you approached and solved a problem, and provide short documentation. Present your project instead of just sending a raw Git link. Recruitment specialists often review dozens of CVs a day, and the first screening is rarely technical. A non-technical HR professional won’t necessarily understand your code without a clear explanation, so your responsibility is to help them see the value of what you’ve built.

Join Communities and Hackathons

Until recently, hackathons — short, one- or two-day events — brought together professionals of different levels to build prototypes, sometimes even for public institutions. These events are great opportunities not only to apply your skills but also to meet like-minded people and learn from others. With the rise of artificial intelligence, the number of community events and meetups has grown significantly. Such activities allow you to gain new knowledge, expand your network, and see how others work in real projects.

From my perspective, participation in these events says a lot about a person. It shows that you are open, communicative, ambitious, and not afraid of new challenges. Even if it doesn’t directly prove your technical expertise, it helps create a positive impression of your mindset and approach — qualities that many employers value even more than technical perfection. Such experience on your CV will especially attract recruiters in startups or fast-growing tech companies, where independence and initiative are key.

Final Thoughts

If you lack strong technical skills but want to apply for a programming job, you essentially have two paths: present yourself as a beginner with potential and growing technical skills, or as a fast learner with curiosity, adaptability, and the right mindset. As the job market evolves, personal qualities such as teamwork, positivity, communication, and empathy are becoming just as important as coding ability.

A CV is not just a list of bullet points — it’s a story about who you are and how you approach your career. To stand out, you must help recruiters see you clearly. Describe your completed projects, provide short explanations of your decisions, and highlight the activities that show your initiative and enthusiasm for learning. The right mix of personal qualities, curiosity, and well-presented work will do far more for your career than a few lines of code ever could.

So, what skills should a beginner programmer develop to be selected?

Learn to Use Programming Tools

When writing my growth story, I mentioned that some of the most important skills were invisible to the naked eye. For example, I learned to type quickly without looking at the keyboard when I was around sixteen, experimenting with an American accounting program designed to teach fast typing. Another great example is precise communication, which I learned from my math teacher: mathematical language must be short, exact, structured, and clear.

The same applies to programming. A good programmer knows their development environment (IDE) and can use keyboard shortcuts efficiently. Even now, I often see developers who rely on the mouse to move lines of code, jump between sections, or reach the end of a line. It may seem like a small thing, but mastering your IDE’s shortcuts is a remarkably time-saving skill that every senior developer has.

In addition to working with your development tool, you should also know how to find and fix errors in your code. That’s where debugging tools come in — for example, in the PHP environment, xDebug is almost essential. I’m often surprised to meet even experienced (especially freelance) developers who don’t use it daily. It’s an invaluable skill that saves a tremendous amount of time and frustration.

It’s also important to understand the basic functions of the command line, which are present in nearly every programming environment. Development tools often rely on it — for launching a language or framework in developer mode, tracking project progress, or managing time and builds.

Finally, one tool no modern developer can do without is GIT version control. When I ask about Git, many developers know only what it’s generally used for and can recall a few commands like commit, push, or pull. But the key is understanding its principles — such as the feature-branch workflow and how to resolve merge conflicts.

Choose One Programming Environment and Build Basic Knowledge

Sooner or later, you’ll have to answer one important question: which path do you want to take? Do you want to become a web developer, work on large enterprise systems, or build mobile apps?

To be honest, web technologies are the simplest and fastest to learn. They offer a wide range of tools and relatively straightforward language structures. As a beginner, I would start here — you won’t need to worry about devices, complex build processes, or difficult environment setups.

But the real question is whether you already have a foundation of basic knowledge. Knowing the terms and definitions is not enough. Even for an entry-level position, an employer will likely check whether you’ve built something — not just if you understand the theory. They may ask what challenges you’ve faced while coding or when and why a specific solution should be used.

You won’t be able to answer these questions without trying it yourself. Watching online tutorials is not enough. You need to build, experiment, test, and make mistakes. This will not only help you create real examples to include in your CV but also give you practical experience. Even better — create something useful and use it yourself. That’s how motivation appears, and real learning begins.

Summary

The best way to enter the job market faster is to independently gain at least basic knowledge of one programming language — whether that’s PHP, C#, or another — and learn how to apply it in practice.

If you don’t yet have time to fully master a language, at least understand the ecosystem around it: the tools, related languages, common developer challenges, and terminology. In other words, the minimum requirement is to gain contextual understanding of your chosen field.

All these skills will help not only when applying for a job but also once you start working in a company. Remember, the goal is not just to get hired — but to stay in the job and continue growing after the probation period.

Even if some of these steps seem time-consuming just for landing a job, they will prove extremely valuable once you start working with a mentor or senior developer. You’ll be able to ask better questions, understand explanations faster, and progress much more confidently in your career.

The core objective was to do what I myself wasn’t good at, and what I didn’t want to relearn as a new skill: recruitment. I didn’t feel effective when it came to soft skills, so this move needed to solve both problems — to help us reach maximal efficiency. The volume of work was so large that even a two- or threefold expansion would have left us unable to meet client expectations — we needed solutions then and there.

Even though in earlier years I had a fairly clear understanding of PrestaRock’s culture and what it meant to be part of the “crew,” this time, in collaboration with a truly empathetic HR specialist skilled in soft skills, we managed to elevate our collective activities and company celebrations to another level.

The Tradition of “Book Evenings”

Almost right away we noticed that our team leads had goals to read books and hit annual Goodreads targets — ten or twenty books a year. Why not make it a company tradition and involve more employees? After all, one book can change a career, and reading two or three on work themes can help someone become twice the specialist.

Though for some employees our last-Thursday-of-the-month meetings might have looked like a cult — where it was unclear what we discussed — we still often enticed even the most skeptical to attend, simply out of curiosity. They’d listen to our summaries, quotes, and thoughts drawn from life and work, and how we’d interpreted what the authors were trying to say.

I dare say that this tradition helped me reach record reading numbers — over 30 books per year. I believe it contributed to others’ achievements then, and still today.

“Cake Days” — Almost Weekly

In my early career days, when writing these entries, I bragged that our teambuildings could rival those of big companies with tasting dinners. Now we managed to enrich the shared pre-lunch table almost weekly with cakes brought in by team members.

I remember it was fun to hear people talk about buying kitchen appliances, blenders, and telling how their entire kitchen looked like it had endured a war, because it was their first time baking a cake. But they baked nonetheless. From tiramisu to lemon or chocolate cakes — it became our everyday life, something even those who only brought a sandwich for lunch couldn’t resist.

In summer, colleagues would bring literal buckets of šaltibarščiai (cold beet soup), joking that if we expanded further, we’d need to order industrial kitchen containers to prepare it all.

Eurovision Nights and Watching Basketball Games in the Office

It may seem trivial — standard in many offices — but we elevated our Eurovision watching: from HR we’d get ballots for voting or giving feedback, and we’d sit as a “jury,” score participants, and later await the final results and see who guessed more winners and won a prize — gift vouchers for their oracle knowledge. There were other amusements in the office too: e.g. watching table football championships, etc.

“PrestaRock” Academy for Testers and Programmers

Working in tandem and maintaining our in-house talent development efforts, we decided to follow the example of major Lithuanian companies and organize our own academies. It wasn’t difficult — we already had well-documented and standardized onboarding processes, so based on them we selected and refined material for newcomers (entry-level) wishing to embark on IT paths to become programmers or testers.

Over several months, we held selection sessions every Wednesday, which helped us attract talented specialists and rapidly expand the PrestaRock team. The knowledge gained, I trust, even by those we didn’t hire, became a springboard in other companies or organizations.

“KTU Wanted” Events

To find those specialists and opportunities, we could also present ourselves at KTU — one of Lithuania’s best IT-specialist–training universities. For several years in a row, at the career fair organized by them, we spoke to high school students and university students about how to start properly, why it’s important to build a solid foundation, and how to choose your first workplace wisely.

We hoped that by sharing these ideas, and by showing my own example — from programmer to manager — we’d attract equally talented young specialists with career hunger. I’d say this project succeeded and became one of our more successful initiatives.

Achieved Goal — Personal Attention to Each Person

And despite not surprising anyone with elaborate entertainments (apart from maybe the book evenings), we had reached a perhaps slightly imbalanced level where each person was personally invited to group lunches, each person personally asked how they feel or what their thoughts are, and then there was also our daily SAFETY indicator check. Eventually we even got complaints like “how come you didn’t remind me about something that was on the calendar?”

The goals — more personal attention, more fun, more sense of community — became our everyday life. And I, as a manager, could focus and stay operational in daily tasks knowing someone was looking after my team — and doing it properly.

In my previous post, I wrote about how to figure out if you can – and should – even pursue a career in programming. But if you’ve decided to take that step, the next natural question is: how do you choose your first job?

If you think landing that first position will be easy, you may be in for a surprise. The IT job market has changed a lot in recent years: companies are more selective, the bar for even “junior” roles is higher, and competition among beginners is tougher than ever.

One study found that many so-called “entry-level” job ads actually require up to 4–5 years of experience. For most newcomers, that makes starting out feel almost impossible. Another analysis showed that while junior job postings grew by nearly 47% between 2023 and 2024, the number of candidates grew even faster—making it harder than ever to break in.

So the real question today isn’t just “how do I get my first job?” but rather “how do I choose the right one so it becomes a launchpad, not a trap?” In this article, I’ll share what to look for, what to avoid, and how to make your first job a stepping stone to long-term growth.

Should You Join a Startup?

A few years ago, I wrote about whether a startup can really be called a business. Back then, I questioned whether burning through investor money without responsibility creates any real value—and whether such companies could even be called profit-driven businesses. That mindset toward money has a direct impact on a beginner’s choice: do you want to work at a company that’s focused on generating profit, or one that can afford to just “do something” without clear direction?

It’s easy to get drawn to startups. They inspire with Silicon Valley narratives and promise exciting opportunities. And yes—because they’re funded by investors, the culture can feel more relaxed, less results-driven, and filled with perks and fun activities.

But the flip side is risk. Startups can—and often do—lay off entire teams overnight, even those working on profitable projects.

In my view, startups aren’t always the best environment for beginners. The work culture is often undefined, which can lead to two extremes: sloppy work or simply “getting things done” without real quality. You’ll often need to figure things out on your own, with little guidance or mentorship. For an ambitious, challenge-seeking person who’s comfortable with uncertainty, that might be exciting. For others, it can be overwhelming.

Is an International Company Really Better?

Not so long ago, when “Barclays” opened one of the first global tech centers in Lithuania, a belief spread that “international means better.” But in 2025, I’d argue that local Lithuanian companies and foreign corporations have largely converged in culture and working conditions.

In fact, Lithuanian businesses often match—or even surpass—international firms in culture and employee benefits. The real difference lies in structure: in a large multinational, you’re more likely to be a cog in the machine. Even if your skills exceed the junior job description, your career might advance slowly because of strict procedures and layers of bureaucracy.

Local companies, on the other hand, often let you work closer to decision-makers, giving you more visibility and opportunities for growth—if you perform well.

If safety and stability matter most, and you don’t mind slower career progress, then an international company might be the right fit, especially if you plan to stay for three to five years. But if you want to grow quickly, gain hands-on experience, and decide your next steps later, consider a smaller local company, where your contribution will matter more.

Small vs. Large Companies

In a small company, you’re visible. Every contribution counts. That’s both an advantage and a pressure: you can’t hide behind the team or “save your energy.” Your impact is felt immediately. The question is—are you ready for that level of accountability?

In a large company, it’s easier to blend in. Middle managers often shield employees from direct responsibility, making life easier for those who are quieter, slower, or less eager to be evaluated constantly.

But weaker performance doesn’t necessarily limit your career. The real difference is pace: if you want to go from intern to manager in two to three years, a small company gives you a better shot. There, you’ll likely work directly with leadership, not just middle management.

Of course, smaller companies carry risks too. They may lack established best practices, and the quality of their technical foundations can be shaky. My advice: choose a small company led by someone with technical expertise, and one trusted by well-known clients. That’s usually a sign they deliver quality work and have strong competencies.

Early in my career, I was lucky to work for technically-minded leaders who reviewed my code and gave real guidance. In larger companies, this role is often filled by non-technical managers. If you’re considering a big firm, ask during interviews who your direct manager will be—and research them on LinkedIn or Google.

Tech Agency vs. In-House IT Department

By “tech agency,” I mean companies that build technology solutions for clients: apps, websites, systems, and integrations. By “regular business,” I mean large organizations with their own internal IT departments.

In my experience, in-house IT teams often have weaker technical standards. Employees tend to be more passive, less motivated, and less up-to-date with new trends. In contrast, agencies survive by delivering better, cheaper, faster solutions—so you’re forced to learn, adapt, and stay on top of the latest technologies.

In internal teams, responsibility often falls entirely on you, without oversight to ensure quality. Like in startups, that can mean more ownership—but for a beginner, it may also be too much responsibility too soon.

What to Avoid

Looking back, I’d say my own company in its earliest days—when it was essentially a one-person business—would have been risky for a beginner. I was lucky to have strong values and a results-driven mindset, which helped me build PrestaRock. But not every founder who grows from freelancing into a small company manages to do this.

Many tiny firms—five to eight people—fall into “sloppy work” mode: reusing half-baked solutions, cutting corners, and prioritizing speed and price over quality. For a beginner, this environment is dangerous. You won’t build the right habits, and once bad practices are ingrained, they’re incredibly hard to unlearn.

Final Thoughts

Your first job isn’t just a paycheck—it’s the foundation of your career. Choose wisely. This decision could determine whether, five years from now, you’re a strong professional or just another burned-out face in the IT crowd.

If I were advising one of my mentees today, I’d recommend a stable local tech company with 20–30 people, clear values, and some international clients. It’s the sweet spot: not too small, not too large, close enough to leadership, and structured enough for steady growth. In such an environment, you’ll be noticed, supported, and able to grow quickly—if you’re talented, proactive, and willing to learn beyond the workplace.

If you’re more cautious and prefer safety, go for an international company. They’re harder to get into, but their academies often offer excellent training and a strong starting point.

And if you’re truly ambitious—aiming to become a leader fast—then seek out a small team with a technically strong founder. In such a company, you can become the right-hand person to the leader, propose your own ideas, and rise not just as a programmer, but as a future leader.

We continually explore new ways to enhance employee conditions. Lithuania may become one of the first countries in the world to officially adopt a four-day workweek. At the same time, the minimum wage rises every year, often faster than productivity. Prices rise as well. But does purchasing power really increase?

Across Lithuania — and just as much on LinkedIn — we are shaping a work culture that emphasizes not overstraining ourselves and working only as much as we feel able to. “I’ll do as much as I get around to.” I’ve even seen events in Vilnius focused on how to include even those employees who are unproductive or fall behind..

I didn’t attend the discussion and couldn’t find a recording, so I can only react to the headline. But it raises a question: should companies always focus on retaining employees who struggle to be productive? Or shouldn’t such employees simply do a job where they can contribute more effectively? Especially now, when AI technologies can already take over part of the workload.

I agree that we shouldn’t be working overtime and that free time is better spent on self-expression and growth. I also agree that it’s a personal choice whether to learn and improve skills outside of working hours. Some build their careers quickly, while others do so more slowly. I agree that younger generations are more vocal about their feelings. That expectation has to be heard, and sometimes all it takes is a hand on the shoulder and not pushing too hard.

Still, this culture also creates a narrative — reinforced by consultants — that such expectations are normal. And we should remember: consulting itself is a business. So, what’s easier to sell? Training for a profit-making company with resources, or programs tailored for a broad workforce that often lacks motivation or financial capacity?

The result is that, for some employees, the workplace turns into a place to pass time rather than a place to deliver results. The belief grows that no one should measure their performance because “I’ll do as much as I get around to.” In other words: “Whatever I manage to do should be enough — my salary must go up every year regardless.”

We often hear the expectation that employers should provide everything: training, mentors, health insurance, psychological support — regardless of personal performance. Another common demand is the right to work from home, where working hours blend seamlessly with daily routines, such as picking up kids, attending sports, doing housework, and even pursuing hobbies.

All this would be easier to accept if employees actually worked eight full hours when coming to work. Dainius Dundulis, the founder of one of Lithuania’s largest retail companies, once said: “If an employee spends three out of eight hours playing games at work, I’ll only pay for five.” (source) Not long ago, this logic seemed obvious. But how many hours do we really work today? Isn’t it already closer to a four-day work week?

In reality, in some companies, employees work effectively only four days, even if they show up for five. I’ve seen it firsthand: we once shared an office with such a company, and by 3 p.m., most of the staff had left. The rest of the time was spent in meetings or around the coffee machine.

I have no doubt that in many other companies, where performance isn’t measured by actual productive hours, the same is true. The problem is simple: people still come in five days a week, but the output often equals that of a shorter work week.

Still, this year’s LOGIN conference finally brought a more realistic voice: work is, above all, a place where you come to create results.. One speaker clearly pointed out that managers and HR departments often become overly lenient toward employees.

So what happens when these two perspectives collide? The usual answer is: hire an HR professional who is supposed to “fix everything.”

How did that work out for me? I’ll share in my next post.