May 2026 marks a pivotal moment in my life. After more than seven years in the data world, including three years as a Data Architect, I am finally closing the chapter of traditional employment to dedicate myself fully to KajoData. It is a time for reflection, but also for doubling down on sharing the knowledge that truly shifts career trajectories. When I look back at my own path—from a junior analyst to an architect—I see one factor that is often neglected in technical tutorials, yet it accelerated my promotions by at least 50%. That factor is effective communication in English.
For today’s article and interview, I invited someone who knows this topic inside out. Wiktoria Sitko, the founder of hejhej.pl, is not your typical language coach. She is a former software developer who walked away from writing code to solve a real-world problem she witnessed firsthand in Polish development teams. We talk about why a “paper” B2 certificate often fails in the real world, how to trick your own brain into speaking, and why you should be recording voice messages even if you absolutely hate the sound of your own voice.
From Writing Code to Mentoring in Language
Kajo: Wiktoria, your story is fascinating because you didn’t come to the world of English from a philology background, but straight from the trenches of IT. How did a programmer decide that her mission was to teach others a language?
Wiktoria: It has definitely been an interesting journey. When I first entered the IT industry, I had the same assumption you did—that English is just a natural, obvious part of the landscape. After all, documentation is in English, YouTube tutorials are in English, and the entire terminology is built on it. I assumed that everyone working in a technical role simply knew the language.
The reality check came in my second job. I spent my first role working with a British client, where a high level of English was a critical requirement. But then I moved to a Polish team, and I saw that people didn’t necessarily need to speak great English to deliver high-quality code. The problem arose the moment that English was required for client contact or during a presentation. I saw a massive gap: people had the technical expertise, but they lacked the tools to talk about it. I wasn’t looking for a niche service just to make money from developers. I was looking for something I would have wanted to use myself—something that simply didn’t exist on the market at the time.
Is B2 Just an Empty Phrase in Job Offers?
Kajo: In job postings, we almost always see that “magic” B2 level requirement. However, I have the feeling that everyone interprets it differently. For some, it’s a list of vocabulary and tenses; for others, it’s a fluid conversation about microservices architecture. What do people usually come to you with? Is it a lack of knowledge, or something else entirely?
Wiktoria: It’s definitely the latter. Most of the people who come to me for help know the technical terminology perfectly. They read the documentation and watch technical videos. The vocabulary is there. The real issue is the lack of confidence and the immense stress they feel before speaking up during a daily stand-up.
If someone is truly at a B2 level and communicates fluently, they won’t have much trouble in IT—they just need to pick up some niche vocabulary. The real struggle starts with people who are theoretically at an intermediate level but have massive mental blocks. It’s not a lack of skill; it’s a set of beliefs about their own abilities. Their head tells them, “You don’t sound professional,” and that paralyzes them, preventing them from reaching what they could potentially achieve in their careers.
The Perfectionism Trap: A Career Killer
Kajo: Why is that? If someone can write a complex algorithm, why are they afraid to speak during a call? Logically speaking, if you know the words, you should be able to use them.
Wiktoria: I think it’s a bit of a cultural “perfectionism trap.” We are afraid of being judged, we are ashamed of our accents, and we want to be 100% professional. We set the bar absurdly high for ourselves. I see it regularly: Polish specialists, who are often a level above their international colleagues in terms of technical merit, stay silent in meetings because they are afraid of making a grammatical mistake. Meanwhile, colleagues from Spain or India just go for it—maybe no one understands them perfectly, but they speak, and they are heard.
Many developers want to sound like native speakers, even though in reality, it’s rarely about the accent. The biggest fear is the situation where they miss one specific word and feel like their entire argument collapses. They want to be seen as experts, and they feel like using simple language takes away from their professionalism.
Kajo: I have to confirm this from my own experience. My ability to use words effectively—which probably stems from the fact that I studied Polish philology before pivoting into data—helped me immensely. I sounded like someone who could be a Data Architect even before I officially became one. It’s a bit brutal, but in IT, you don’t just get promoted for what’s in your IDE; you get promoted for how you can talk about it.
Wiktoria: Exactly. I’ve seen people lose out on jobs or promotions solely because of a language barrier. And that’s when the panic starts—the request to “fix” their English in three months.
How to Learn (and How Not to)
Kajo: Right, the “three-month” deadline. Can you actually leap over that barrier in such a short time? Is it enough to grab a list of the 1000 most common words, binge-watch “The Office,” and hope for the best?
Wiktoria: It depends on how much time you can dedicate. Language levels are measured in hours. If someone can spend 30 minutes a day, three months is a great foundation for improvement. But the key is context. Learning a list of 1000 general words is a waste of time. You need to learn the words that actually appear in your specific team and your technology domain.
Learning things you’ll only use once every six months is pointless if you want fast results. If you don’t plan on flying a plane because you’re afraid of heights, why learn “at the airport” vocabulary? The same applies to English in IT.
Common Mistakes According to Wiktoria:
- Learning Without Context: We study just to feel like we’re doing something, instead of focusing on what we actually need at work.
- Textbooks: Chapters about traveling or kitchen furniture won’t help you in a meeting about database migration.
- “Fake” Learning: Choosing written exercises because they are easier and less stressful than speaking. It’s a form of procrastination—we do something that gives us a false sense of progress but doesn’t solve the communication barrier.
Can You Learn to Speak Without Another Person?
Kajo: What about introverts? There are plenty of them in IT. Can you learn to speak by closing yourself off with a screen and repeating lines from TV shows? Or do you absolutely need that stressful contact with another human?
Wiktoria: You can make progress on your own, but you won’t fully reach the goal. The problem with working with a tutor once a week is that the tutor quickly becomes a “safe person.” You feel comfortable with them, you joke around, but the moment you jump on a Teams call with your actual team, the stress comes back with a vengeance.
That’s why I focus on intensity rather than traditional once-a-week lessons. Going to a class once every seven days without any contact with the language in between is often just throwing money away. It’s like a sinking ship that sinks a bit slower just because you’re talking to a tutor, but there’s no real forward motion.
The Voice Message Method and AI Interfaces
Kajo: You mentioned the “voice message method” to me before. That sounds like a nightmare for someone shy. How does it work?
Wiktoria: We push our clients into the discomfort of recording voice messages. At first, the resistance is massive. People will record the same answer several times before they finally send it. I’ve had clients who, even while home alone, felt a total block just trying to start talking to their phone. But it works. You get used to the sound of your own voice and the necessity of formulating thoughts out loud without a prepared text in front of you.
It’s incredible that people who can handle seven levels of nested loops in code struggle to say three sentences. But we have to get used to it, especially as the interface of our work changes. More and more, we will be giving commands to AI agents via voice. Since code is in English, communication with AI will likely be based on that as well.
A Strategy for the Desperate: How to Improve English in 3 Months?
Kajo: Let’s imagine someone comes to you with those legendary three months. What is your advice for them to squeeze the most out of that time?
Wiktoria: First, consistency. 30 minutes every day is better than a whole Saturday once a week. Second, don’t do more than two hours a day—beyond that, the brain stops absorbing information effectively.
Third, activate the words you already know. Instead of learning new definitions, list the words you understand but never use when speaking. This is the fastest route because you don’t have to learn the meaning, just the usage in context. A great tip is to put 3-5 sticky notes on your monitor with words you must use during today’s meetings. If you use them a few times a week, they will enter your active vocabulary for good.
What About Recruitment?
Kajo: The job interview is another level of stress. Does the “just speak” method work here too?
Wiktoria: No, an interview is a specific process you need to learn, both in Polish and in English. Don’t memorize answers; learn frameworks. You need to know how to tell the story of your biggest technical challenge so that you aren’t stuttering or trying to remember the facts while you’re speaking.
My favorite trick? Record yourself on your phone answering random interview questions. Listen to the first attempt, and then the fourth. You’ll see what a massive difference it makes just to have the practice of saying those specific constructions out loud.
Kajo: Finally, I have to ask about the “talent for languages.” Does it actually exist, or is it just another excuse?
Wiktoria: You could say talent doesn’t exist, but the fact is that some people have an easier time with communication. Just like some have a knack for mechanics and others for code. But that doesn’t mean you can’t master a language without “talent.” You just need a specific plan and a goal. If you can’t learn “magically” from movies, you need to break the big task into small steps and consistently check them off. Everything is manageable—I haven’t had a single person who actually put in the work and didn’t reach their goal.
Summary
To wrap up our conversation with Wiktoria—English in IT is not a race for a Cambridge certificate. It is a tool that should allow you to collaborate freely and—let’s be honest—earn better money. As someone who is transitioning to run KajoData full-time, I know that investing in communication is the best-interest savings account for your career. If you want to develop technically, I invite you to check out my courses on SQL, Python, or Power BI within the KajoDataSpace, but never forget that even the best code needs a capable spokesperson.
If this article was helpful to you, please share it on your social media—on LinkedIn or Instagram. Let others know that their language barrier is just a temporary bug in the system that can be fixed.
The article was written by Kajo Rudziński – analytical data architect, recognized expert in data analysis, creator of KajoData and polish community for analysts KajoDataSpace.
That’s all on this topic. Analyze in peace!
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