This PowerToFly Talent Manages A NYC Job From Her Home In Crimea
Originally published on December 4, 2014
Lika Nikanorov is a 24-year-old software developer living in Crimea. This summer, Lika landed a competitive New York tech job through PowerToFly. This story originally appeared on The Washington Post. Below is a snippet of Lika’s story, told to PowerToFly staffers from her perspective.
I live in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea. My husband and I moved here from Kiev after annexation to be closer to family and because the city’s infrastructure is more stable compared to some of the smaller towns nearby. Annexation was a total shock to me, and the situation is still very painful. Legally I’m now Russian, but in my heart I’m Ukrainian.
Every day we fear new bank sanctions and electricity outages, while the cost of living continues to increase. The main Ukrainian bank froze accounts and shutdown international transactions during the transition, so I can’t provide any financial help to my relatives in Ukraine. Even travel to the mainland is a struggle. I can’t visit Kiev because I’m afraid that border guards might take away my passport or kick me off the train. We’re paying more for food and rent. Clothing prices in Crimea have soared, and we no longer have access to clothes from Europe. Additionally, some important medication that was already scarce has became much more difficult to obtain.
These challenges haven’t prevented me from working as a front-end developer for the New York-based startup, Skillcrush, an interactive learning community that teaches women how to become developers. Find the rest of Lika’s story at The Washington Post.
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