I Am NI: Maksym Nakonechnyy

published

02.22.2022

Maksym Nakonechnyy, a passionate baker who values forging connections with people and learning new things, has found a sense of belonging here at NI.

Name: Maksym Nakonechnyy
Hometown: Lviv, Ukraine
University: Iowa State University
Department/Role at NI: Software Engineer, SDD
 
Why did you want to work at NI?

To be honest, I ended up at NI by accident—I bumped into one of NI’s representatives at a career fair at my school. We talked about NI, and test automation sounded like a fascinating field. I managed to secure an internship with NI that day. During my internship, I had a fantastic time and fell in love with what the company does, the people, and the culture. And now I’m here full-time!

Do you have a passion outside of “work”?

Outside of work, you can usually find me in the kitchen trying out a new dessert recipe. I love baking! However, after my recent move to Austin, it’s been a struggle for me to find somebody to eat my masterpieces. Besides that, I also love learning about history, political science, languages, and economics.

How do you Engineer Ambitiously™?

I try to push myself outside my comfort zone and don’t let my fears stop me. Taking risks and pursuing new ideas is always scary, and it’s OK to be afraid of failure. The important thing is to be scared but do it anyway. I always have a positive attitude and willingness to overcome any challenges I face.

I value all interactions with people, even short ones with strangers. I believe that they all influence our lives and teach us something.

-Maksym Nakonechnyy
Who is your biggest inspiration and/or mentor (at NI or otherwise)?

My mom is my biggest mentor in life. From her example, I learned that life’s not always easy, but you can overcome any challenge with persistence and hard work. Additionally, I do not source inspiration from just one person. I value all interactions with people, even short ones with strangers. I believe that they all influence our lives and teach us something.

With the transitions to remote school and work in the past year, share some lessons learned along the way.

One essential thing I learned is how important it is to take breaks from work or studying and not to focus on one thing for too long. Before the transition to remote school, we had those breaks built into our day between classes. Now, I try to use the 50/10 rule, which means that I focus on one thing for 50 minutes and then take a short 10-minute break, either multitasking or just relaxing.

During your time at NI, what’s been the most significant lesson you’ve learned? (This can be anything from a life lesson to a skill/best practice you use in your career.)

One important lesson I learned is that, on Windows, 64-bit DLLs live in the System32 folder, and 32-bit DLLs live in the SysWOW64 folder. For a driver developer, this is quite a significant thing to know. One day, I had to swap some DLLs for ones I built myself, and I put them in the wrong locations. It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure this out.  :)

As you enter the workforce, tell us why diversity and inclusion (especially in engineering) matter to you.

For me, diversity is crucial because it brings in a wide variety of thoughts and ideas. It helps a lot when debugging. Having people from different backgrounds who think differently broadens the pool of ideas a lot. Coming from a different culture, I especially value inclusion. Working at a company where I wouldn’t feel included and have a sense of belonging would be very tough. Luckily for me, I don’t have any problems with that at NI.

What’s the one thing you want people to know about you that doesn’t fit on your resume?

I love to share my passion for baking and cooking with others! I post short videos on my Instagram page whenever I make something of interest. Whether it’s baking tips, cocktail recipes, or just fun experiences, my followers are never disappointed!

How would you describe the culture and connections you’ve experienced with other NIers?

I would say that NIers truly live up to the company values—they are very kind and connectors. Whenever I reach out to someone for help, I’m always treated kindly regardless of how silly the question is. (Yes, that happens sometimes.) And if they don’t know the answer themselves, they will always point me to somebody else who can help.

How have your skills developed at NI, and what has been the impact of those skills on your work and life?

One important skill I developed in school was learning how to learn, and now I get to perfect it at NI. Every day, I have to learn something new, whether it’s a new codebase, technology, or concept. Knowing how to learn quickly and effectively is a great skill that I use both at and outside of work. Additionally, I get to improve my problem-solving skills when debugging and developing new software. This helps me immensely when analyzing and resolving some problems outside of work.

And just for fun: What is your go-to song right now?

“Beauty” by Wolf Colony has been my go-to song for quite some time now. I can even say it’s my favorite one of all time.  :)

 

At NI, we’re committed to taking social responsibility to help and support people in need and are opening EMEA job vacancies to Ukrainian refugees. The NI Restart program was created to provide Ukrainian refugees with the support necessary to restart their lives. We’ll do that by providing our resources, infrastructure, and communities, specifically in the fields of recruitment and onboarding, and by offering employment opportunities for those who meet the job requirements. To learn more, visit our NI Restart program page.

 

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