Hey there, it’s Nicos here.
I’m a developer/architect/tech lead with a passion for creating software people actually enjoy using — combining functionality with design that makes you smile. My expertise spans the entire development process, from initial concept sketches and layout design to code, people, moving pixels on the screen, to the blinking lights in the server room.
They told me they like working with me. I don’t know if they are telling me the truth or if they don’t want to hurt my feelings. So you’d better go ask them.
I design AI-powered systems — multi-agent orchestration, voice pipelines on Azure, RAG architectures stress-tested against real-world edge cases. I got here through front-end development, which taught me everything I know about building experiences people actually enjoy. React, TypeScript, Node.js, Python, LangChain — the stack evolved, but the obsession with craft stayed the same.
I love sharing what I learn. I write about software and AI on my blog and create educational content on my YouTube channel. I organize developer bootcamps, publish courses (my TypeScript course was the first, with more on the way), and speak at conferences like Architecture Summit — anywhere I get the chance to geek out with a crowd.
Career
I currently work as a software architect at EPAM Switzerland. I’ve had the chance to work with some of the most challenging projects, for recognized clients such as UBS, British Telecom, Qatar Airways, RE/MAX, 1&1. Throughout my career I worked on the banking, travel, insurance, marketing, and advertisement sectors.
My job has given me the opportunity to wear many hats:
- As an architect, I design systems end-to-end — from cloud infrastructure and performance to solution prototyping and technical documentation. The part nobody tells you: half the job is people relationships.
- As a people leader, I’ve managed engineering teams, mentored developers, and learned that being a role model works best when you stay humble. The tech lead and line manager hats taught me that great software starts with great communication.
- As a developer and tech ambassador, I still write code, consume unreasonable amounts of caffeine, judge hackathons, and share the world of technology through talks, blog posts, and community events.
Life
I grew up in Thessaloniki, and now I live in Zurich. I always enjoyed the idea of moving abroad and expanding my experiences, meeting a new culture, and making new connections. Plus, the economic situation of Greece back then made the decision a lot easier.
I started coding very young. My father taught me programming when I was seven years old. My first programming language was BASIC. It wasn’t really obvious how a kid like me could benefit from it, so I moved my attention back to video games. But then, I thought of merging the two. In school I used to create video games in Visual BASIC and share them with my friends.
I lived the web since its very beginning. In high school, I started building websites in Yahoo! Geocities, using my legendary 56K connection. I still love building sites that capture people’s attention.
I have a Computer Science degree. It’s a coincidence. Back then, computers were considered a hobby for engineers, and these degrees were pretty new. Society, including my parents, didn’t yet see the benefits of computing and how it could shape our lives. I’m very grateful I followed that path, although I’m pretty sure I would have done it anyway.
In my first years of employment I was working on a call center, providing second level support to clients. It was as boring as it sounds. However, it helped me understand what the users need, which eventually helped me create better products afterwards. For me, the user experience is the center of every product I’m working on. Later on, I transitioned to the engineering team, building hundreds of e-commerce websites and landing pages.
There was a time I was freelancing — and by freelancing I mean working for free just to build a portfolio. Being my own boss was exciting, but it could get lonely. And that was waaay before the COVID era made it popular. I was also back to my hometown and most of my connections were scattered across the world. In the search to make new connections, I joined the local meetups. I know this sounds cliche but my life did change after that.
In the following years I was participating in community meetings for .NET, Ruby, Node.js, and more. I also discovered Open Coffee, a friendly informal networking event for entrepreneurs, professionals, expats, and people in the startup community. I had a chance to meet people like me and try to form a startup.
Then React came into my life. Never before had a technology made such a tremendous impact. I was lucky to work on a brand-new project and be one of the first to bring React to production. My team was among the first worldwide with React in production. That led us to create Thessaloniki’s official React meetup. We organized workshops, presentations, and we had a lot of fun building something together. Our first event had more than seventy participants.
Random facts about me
- I’ve mass-produced hundreds of e-commerce websites in my career. Somewhere out there, pixels I arranged are still selling things to strangers. Some of those made it to become site of the day.
- I listen to music almost all day, and I’m curating Spotify playlists that keep me focused and add a spice in my life.
- I strongly believe that following your passion can transform your career in ways you never imagined.
- I’ve built an AI-powered personal knowledge system that helps me capture, connect, and resurface ideas. It’s the closest I’ve come to having a second brain that actually works.
Still here? Wow, I’m really curious who’s on the other side of that screen. Feel free to write something in my guestbook. So 90s, I know! And still so cool.
Love, Nicos