What's my story?

Photo by Alfred Twj on Unsplash
Photo by Alfred Twj on Unsplash

The main goal of this post is to give you a short intro about myself. It should serve as an informal catch-up with those of you, who don’t know me that well yet 🙂.

Hopefully, this will give you a better understanding of the content I am going to put out and the ideas I am going to express.

The present in a nutshell

I am a 24 years old Hungarian from Romania based in Stockholm, Sweden. A lot of different cultures in one sentence, right?

Currently, I work at Relatable, a digital marketing agency where we turn influencer marketing into a global scalable media channel.

My main responsibility at Relatable is developing our product, mostly contributing with my coding skills, but there are times when I branch out and make some designs, have some sales meetings or just drive around cars around Sweden. to make the campaign puzzle work.

Thanks to not being tied to my desk all the time, I can do my work wherever there is a decent internet connection, given that I also have my laptop with me. This allows me to travel and work**remotely** at the same time, for which I am extremely *grateful\*. Don’t be afraid to come and say hi if you catch me in any coffee shop or co-working space. I am happy to chat most of the times.

How did I get to this point?

Originally I am from Kézdivásárhely, Romania, a small town with approximately 18000 people living there. After graduation from high school, I’ve moved to Clujto take my studies to the next level.

That’s where I’ve started tapping into the energy of big cities, even though the city seemed big only because I was coming from a tiny one. My perspective about the world widened a lot during the 4 years I’ve stayed there.

While living in Cluj, I realized the vast amount of opportunities the internet has created. It was exciting to discover that we can learn almost anything online, we just need to dedicate time and energy to it. From that moment I started to read non-fiction, consume more educational content and absorb tons of information about coding.

During my studies, I also got into exploring different countries and not being afraid of doing it alone. Everything started with a programming course in Bosnia and Hercegovina, organized by the local BEST group. On that trip, I was so inspired by everything I’ve seen and experienced, that I’ve decided that I want to have more of those adventures, much more.

Fast forward a couple of months and a lot of trips all over Europe, I graduated from university in the summer of 2017. I did not see the reason why I should pursue getting a masters degree, so I decided that now is the time to try living abroad and I’ve started to look for opportunities throughout Europe. Long story short, I found Relatable and relocated to the gorgeous city of Stockholm.

What about my free time?

I like to choose activities which add value to the world, be that to someone else or to me. I try to refrain from things which drain my energy, make me feel bad or does not align with my long term vision. I fail at this sometimes though, but I am trying my best.

I really enjoy reading, usually non-fiction, for example. If a book catches my attention, I will put it on my list, no matter the topic. However, my favorites are about psychology, business, self-improvement, coding, finance, history, and health. I like to read only one book at a time and learn about the given topic from a couple of different sources.

I also have a passion for photography. As I usually travel with only one backpack, I don’t have a professional camera. I am using mostly a phone and recently a drone to snap pictures and express my creativity. You can check out some of my pictures on Instagram, let me know in the comments what do you think about them.

Searching for new destinations to explore. Once I’ve got bitten by the travel bug, it is hard to go back. I keep finding myself on Skyscanner checking out flights, on Airbnb planning the next trip or just trying to find the best itinerary for a future adventure all the time.

Taking it easy. This can be anything from meeting up with friends, taking a long walk, reflecting back on life or just enjoying the JOMO.

Final thoughts

Want to know more about me? Don’t be shy and reach out to me on any of the socials listed on the homepage. I am always up for interesting discussions!

Thanks for reading! 🙏

Róbert Istók
A personal blog by Róbert Istók about coding, traveling, habit building, and much more (Psst... I am open to opportunities.)