Let’s explore an inspiring career journey: the transition from ERP consultant to ERP developer. Our new career interview with Maryna Vasiukovych will be especially valuable for career switchers and young professionals searching for their place in the IT industry.
Maryna is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central developer and ERP consultant with more than seven years of experience working with Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. For six years, she worked as a functional consultant, and for the past year, she has focused on Business Central development.
“Was ERP and Microsoft Dynamics a conscious choice or a coincidence?”
“My path into ERP and Microsoft Dynamics Business Central was more of a combination of coincidences that eventually formed a clear pattern. I started in corporate finance as a financial analyst, and that experience gave me a strong foundation for understanding business processes.
Later, I decided to move into a more technical field and became an ERP implementation consultant. My previous knowledge of finance, economics, and accounting proved extremely valuable there. Eventually, I wanted to dive even deeper into the technical side, and that’s how I transitioned into ERP development.
At every stage, the knowledge I had gained earlier helped me tremendously, so I see this journey as very consistent and logical.”
“What education did you receive, and how useful was it for your career?”
“I studied Transport Management and Logistics at the Faculty of Economics, Management, and Law at the National Transport University. Surprisingly, this education also proved useful in ERP, because ERP systems are comprehensive and include logistics modules as well.
In addition, we studied many economic disciplines, including accounting, which later became highly relevant when working with ERP systems.”
“What was the most difficult part at the beginning?”
“At the beginning, the most difficult part for me was learning Microsoft Dynamics Business Central itself. I had to absorb a huge amount of new information in a very short time.
On top of that, most of Microsoft’s methodological materials were in English and highly technical. The main challenge was quickly understanding them, learning the material, and applying it in practice.”
“Which implementation project do you remember the most and why?”
“If I had to choose the most memorable projects, I would highlight two of them.
The first was the implementation of an economic security management system for an agricultural holding company. The second was an international project for a tea manufacturer migrating from an older system version to Business Central.
At that time, Business Central was still a relatively new solution on the market, which made the experience especially exciting for me.”
“Have you ever seen ERP truly transform a client’s business?”
“Yes, definitely. The clearest indicator was the reaction of the users themselves. They could immediately see that the new ERP system was more modern, faster, and easier to use.
It processed data more efficiently and provided information in a clearer and more optimized format. That’s when it became obvious that the system was genuinely transforming the company’s daily operations.”
“How did you work with clients who didn’t fully understand what they wanted?”
“I would divide such clients into two groups.
The first group includes companies that had never worked with comprehensive ERP systems before. Their requirements often evolved during the process of getting familiar with the system. Once they started seeing the first results, they understood their own needs better and generated new requirements. Naturally, this could increase the project scope somewhat. That’s completely normal, but it requires flexibility from the implementation team.
The second group includes clients who are simply open-minded and willing to learn. They may not know exactly what they want in advance, but once they see the system’s capabilities in practice, they quickly engage and start using them effectively.”
“You spent six years as a consultant. What triggered your move into development?”
“At a certain point, I realized that I wanted to dive deeper into technical details, algorithms, and backend execution processes. That’s why I made the decision to transition into development.
Honestly, it wasn’t an easy decision. I’m very grateful to the management at Clarity Ukraine and to my team for supporting me and giving me the opportunity to try myself in a different, yet closely related profession.”
“Was it scary or difficult to change directions?”
“A little stressful — yes, but not scary, because I wasn’t changing industries completely; I was moving into an adjacent role.
Was it difficult? Absolutely, and sometimes it still is. But that’s part of being a developer — solving complex problems and making things work.”
“What from your consulting experience helps you most as a developer today?”
“What helps me the most is understanding the system from the user’s perspective, knowing its capabilities, and remembering examples of how certain functionality was previously implemented — either in past projects or in the standard system.
Understanding functionality and business processes is also extremely valuable. Overall, all my previous consulting experience plays an important role in my current work.”
“What excites you most about Business Central development?”
“What excites me the most is the moment when a problem finally gets solved.
To me, it always feels a bit like magic: something that wasn’t working suddenly starts working, or a feature that didn’t exist before is created and begins fulfilling its purpose. That process of creation is incredibly inspiring, especially when you finally manage to solve a difficult problem.”
“How would you explain the difference between a consultant and a developer to someone new to ERP?”
“A consultant is someone who works closer to the business and the client. Their role is to understand user needs, determine whether those needs can be addressed using standard Business Central functionality, and, if not, correctly formulate requirements for system customization.
A consultant also supports the client afterward by providing training, testing, and assistance during implementation.
A developer, on the other hand, focuses more on the technical side — implementing customizations in the development environment so that business requirements actually function inside the system. There is usually less communication and more technical work with code and validation of functionality.”
“What type of mindset is best suited for each role?”
“For developers, algorithmic and abstract thinking are extremely important. You need to break problems down into logical steps, understand how everything should work, and then implement it within the system.
Developers often work with fairly abstract structures while still understanding what real-world functionality those structures will eventually become.
For consultants, technical understanding is also important, but in addition, they need a client-oriented mindset. They must know how to listen, analyze user needs, help clients understand the system, and find solutions that benefit the business.”
“Do you remember a professional achievement that made you think: ‘Wow, that was amazing’?”
“I experience moments like that quite often, and they give me a strong sense of meaning in my work.
Sometimes it’s the completion of a large or complex project that finally goes live for a client — that’s when you truly feel: we did it.
But even in everyday development work, these moments are valuable to me. Sometimes tasks initially seem impossible to solve. Then, with advice from colleagues, persistence, and patience, a solution gradually appears.
That’s when the ‘wow effect’ happens and you feel like celebrating a small victory.”
“What does a successful implementation mean to you?”
“To me, a successful implementation is not when the system is simply installed at the client’s company. It’s when people genuinely use it in their daily work.
Users have transitioned to the system, rely on it, and it has become an organic part of their business processes.”
“Is there a book or resource that influenced you significantly?”
“I would mention two books that influenced me recently: Essentialism by Greg McKeown and Deep Work by Cal Newport.
For me, these books are about focus, priorities, and learning how to organize life and work more effectively.”
“What attracted you to the culture at Clarity Ukraine?”
“The word ‘clarity’ itself means transparency and openness, and that’s exactly what attracts me most about the culture at Clarity Ukraine.
There is open communication between colleagues and a genuinely friendly atmosphere. The environment is dynamic but supportive at the same time — you can always ask questions, and people are willing to help.”
“We are literally living through a history textbook. What helps you recover mentally and physically during times like these?”
“Surprisingly, the simplest things help me the most: enough sleep, physical activity — in my case, Pilates — spending time outdoors and in the sunlight, and communicating with close and pleasant people.
And most importantly: remembering that you’re not a robot and allowing yourself to rest when needed.”
“What advice would you give to career switchers or young people entering ERP consulting and implementation?”
“For career switchers, I would say: respect your previous experience and don’t underestimate it. In ERP consulting and implementation, knowledge from many industries can be extremely valuable — finance, logistics, retail, and other business domains.
Experience in those areas can significantly simplify learning ERP functionality and help you understand business processes faster.
And for young professionals, I would encourage ambition, courage, and willingness to take on challenges. A huge amount of learning happens exactly when you are not afraid to try something new and gradually figure it out.”
Maryna Vasiukovych is an excellent example of how consistency, curiosity, and a willingness to grow can open entirely new doors — even when your career path was never planned in advance. We are grateful for her openness, inspiration, and willingness to share her story. Conversations like this deserve to happen more often.