Hello Denitsa! Shed some light on your life’s journey.
I’ve always been passionate about two things since childhood - math and gymnastics. My mother was a math teacher, and I still remember how I loved sitting next to her while she worked with her students. Even before I fully understood the concepts, I was fascinated by writing things down and trying to solve tasks. Later, I sometimes helped her students with exercises, which I only realized much later might not have been completely fair to them, but it showed how much I enjoyed math. I started school a year earlier than usual and joined a sports class where I trained in tumbling, which gave me discipline and persistence.
In high school, I chose a math-focused track, and that’s where I first encountered IT as an extracurricular class on algorithms. At first, I didn’t even know what a computer really was, but I quickly discovered that algorithms felt like an exciting extension of math - more logical, structured, and creative. That’s when the seed for IT was planted.
At university, I decided to pursue programming seriously. By my second year, I was already working as a Java developer, and once I made that decision, I knew I didn’t want any other job. Programming combined the things I loved most: problem-solving, logical thinking, and the joy of building something useful.
What is your professional background?
I am currently working at CodeAttest as a Dynatrace Integration Engineer, where I help clients integrate Dynatrace into their environments and make the most of its observability capabilities. My role combines technical expertise with problem-solving and collaboration, ensuring that each customer achieves reliable monitoring and actionable insights tailored to their needs.
How does Dynatrace fit into the picture, and what was the biggest challenge Dynatrace helped you overcome?
I have worked with both Dynatrace SaaS and Managed, depending on client needs. Before becoming a Dynatrace Integration Engineer, I spent nearly 20 years as a developer—mostly in Java, but also using Perl, Python, and Bash. I know very well what it’s like to be on the “other side,” where developers spend countless hours trying to reproduce issues and find root causes - often during long nights. At that time, I relied on custom scripts and basic observability tools, but nothing compared to Dynatrace.
After taking a short career break, I was introduced to Dynatrace by a friend, and immediately thought: “If I had this tool back then, my colleagues and I could have saved so much time.” That realization convinced me to make Dynatrace my next challenge.
Today, I help customers save exactly that time—time they can now spend on innovation and productivity, instead of digging into bugs. For me, Dynatrace is not just a tool, but a way to make work more efficient, meaningful, and rewarding for development and operations teams.
What makes Dynatrace Community important to you?
The Dynatrace Community is important to me because it’s the place where I can always find more to learn.
"No matter how much documentation I read or trainings I complete, there are always new questions - and the Community is where I find both answers and inspiration."
I stayed because it’s the best place to learn and give back. I follow discussions closely, and when I see a question I don’t fully understand, I use it as an opportunity to explore, study the documentation, and challenge myself before checking the shared answers. This way, I learn even more.
My advice for newcomers is simple: be curious, be active, and don’t hesitate to engage. Ask questions, share your thoughts, and use every discussion as a chance to grow—because that’s how the Community helps us all move forward together.
The Community helps me by exposing me to a wide variety of real-world questions and use cases. For example, I once came across a discussion about monitoring PeopleSoft with Dynatrace - something I had no prior experience with. By reading and researching through the Community, I gained enough context that when a client later asked me about it, I already knew where to start.
My career has directly benefited from this knowledge sharing. I’ve been able to help customers with topics like Anomaly Detection configuration, because I had already seen concrete cases discussed in the Community. This preparation gives me confidence, speeds up problem-solving, and helps me provide more value to clients.
Tell us something about you that most people don’t know. What is your biggest joy or passion in life?
My biggest joy in life is having the freedom and time to pursue the things I love. I have a 24-year-old daughter, and since she has taken her own path, I can now dedicate more time to my passions. Sports have always been close to my heart, and today I actively practice rhythmic and artistic gymnastics, ballet, and IPSC shooting. I also love music, and I am learning both singing and piano.
I enjoy challenging myself, so competitions are a big motivation for me. I currently compete in IPSC and in rhythmic gymnastics for adults - something I only started in March this year and I’m proud to have already won some medals. For me, discipline, passion, and continuous learning are not only part of my career but also part of my life outside of work.
A few facts you probably didn’t know about me: my motto is “I don’t want to miss a thing.” I have a university degree as a Kung Fu trainer - and just to be clear, I’m not violent! I was inspired by the Karate Kid philosophy: “I learn to fight so I don’t have to use it.” I also have a Paramedic education, which gives me a strong background in emergency care and helping others in critical situations.
My TO DO list:
🔹 Become a DynaMight
🔹 Obtain all Dynatrace certifications
🔹 Further education in Linux system administration
🔹 Start practicing street dance
🔹 Compete in an international rhythmic gymnastics competition
🔹 Sing “The Phantom of the Opera” from “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Memory” from Cats
🔹 Play Chopin’s Spring Waltz on the piano
🔹 Learn a flip flop on the balance beam
What achievement are you most proud of?
The achievement I am most proud of is realizing that everything is possible when you set your mind to it - and being able to inspire and convince others to believe it too. Whether in my personal life, learning new skills like gymnastics or music, or in my professional career helping clients solve complex IT challenges, I’ve seen how determination, curiosity, and teamwork allow us to grow and succeed together. This mindset has not only helped me achieve personal goals but also create a positive impact around me.
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