Interview with Irina Korobeinikova (irishka.rf)

Having a female member on the MQL5.community is rare. This interview was inspired by a one of a kind case. A slight variation of the line from a popular movie directed by Gaidai can easily be applied to Irina Korobeinikova (irishka.rf) - "a programmer, trader and a real beauty" from Izhevsk. She is currently the only girl who actively participates in the "Jobs" service and is featured on the Top Developers list.

A standard question. Irina, how did you get into trading?

It happened exactly one year ago. My father, a trader himself, asked me to help him look into an indicator. In the process, I realized that it would be impossible without knowing the language. That is how I started to learn programming, first MQL4 and then MQL5.

Do you trade? What was your most memorable trade?

At the moment I trade manually, or at least try to. I have started very recently as I only dealt with the development of EA's before. My most memorable trade was of course without a Stop Loss level and was slowly but steadily moving into loss, only driven by a blind hope. Eventually, the trade closed together with the deposit.

What do you like best in the trading business?

There are three things that I find appealing in trading: two days off, the fact that you can be independent and most importantly, the possibility of making good money, obviously not immediately, though.

In your opinion, what are the biggest misconceptions newbie traders have about trading in the markets and trading systems?

Most likely it is that all newbie traders are hopeful that they can avoid mistakes along the way and immediately proceed to profits. At the end of the day, a lot of them lose. And of course, many newbie traders rely on the Martingale system which nearly always leads to losses.

You have quite a few regular customers. Why do they choose you over others?

I have often wondered, too. I guess, the customers find it easier to deal with a girl but this is likely my pride speaking.

What was the most interesting order?

The most interesting ones were also the most challenging. Probably, due to the fact that I constantly had to solve new problems, group them together, add, correct and seek for new solutions. This is the way to get a deeper knowledge of a programming language. But I don't think I can name the most interesting order as all of them can be intriguing from a certain point of view. Development of indicators will always be my favorite thing, though; I have always been fascinated by their structure.

Have you ever failed to complete an order and why?

I have, and not just once. This is mostly because of the lack of knowledge and lack of experience. I believe this is common. No mistakes, no experience. In some rare cases the order cannot be completed because of the customer. It usually involves situations where after the agreement was made, you are asked to do extra things, again and again, which are not even related to the initial requirements specification, and that at the initially agreed price. This is very off-putting. In other cases, the customer may not like the final version. And it is not that the Expert Advisor does not comply with the requirements specification, but rather that it does not size up to customer's expectations. Some functions are simply impossible to remodel and reprogram. For example, the EA testing speed, if the EA is very heavy.

How do you handle so many orders? What was the most difficult long-term order you have had?

You soon get used to having a lot of orders and get into the habit of managing your time and capabilities effectively. But no man is wise at all times. I find it quite difficult.

I am still working on my most long-term order. The difficulty is that I have to constantly add extra filters and processing, bind them to the old material which is now so huge that it gets confusing.

What kinds of orders are more common? How much time did it take you to learn MQL4 and MQL5?

MQL4 orders are of course more frequent. These may include rather small EA's - grids with pending orders or EA's with two to three indicators. MQL4 to MQL5 conversion orders are becoming more and more frequent.

It took me about a month to learn the key features of MQL4, the rest was figured out along the way. The MQL4 Tutorial was very helpful. There are some details I still forget and often use it. It was much easier with MQL5. I did not study it as such and simply got to converting EA's guided by the tutorial which turned out to be much simpler than my first experience.

Is there anything lacking in the "Jobs" service and how can it be improved? Can it become the main source of income?

I do not have any complaints about the website. I think the "Jobs" service is very convenient and safe for both parties. It could be a good idea to add a few payment systems, such as QIWI and Yandex.Money, to attract more customers.

This service can be the main source of income but it depends on the person. It works quite well for me but I want to go further. Besides, I take it as a side job only, I am not looking for a day job at this point.

In case of arguments and disputes the "Jobs" service offers Arbitration - have you ever dealt with it?

I have, more than once actually. Once I had a customer who disappeared and did not show up anywhere. The second time it was my mistake because it took me too long to complete the order. The arbitration is always unbiased. I find it great that you can simply put your request into words and it will not go unnoticed.

Programming languages, trading, indicators... Do you get criticized for doing "a man's job"?

Nobody has ever said a word about it. Basically, everybody takes it the right way.

Why are there so few professional women in computer programming occupations? Will the situation change in the near future?

I could not care less about a developer's gender. Those who like it will do it no matter what. And I was never much of a predictor so we better not even try to foresee the situation.

Do you have a spare time for any other hobbies, studies?

Of course, I do. I do quite well in school.

Mathematics and programming must be your favorite subjects? Do they use any innovative teaching methods in your school?

You got it! I have always had the highest grades in math since elementary school. Innovative methods are not used. It is not a big school. It is either that innovations have not found their way to us yet or we have not noticed them.

Where are you going to study after finishing school?

I do not really know, I plan to continue studying to finish the eleventh grade so I have not given it a serious thought yet. I think I have plenty of time for it.

Why are you inactive on the forum?

I often read the forum but I do not have much to say as I do not have sufficient trading experience. Besides, I have only recently started to explore МetaTrader 5. My favorite topic will probably always be "Interesting and Funny".

Do you intend to take part in the Automated Trading Championship 2012?

No, I am not going to participate simply because I do not have a decent EA.

Do you see yourself in the future as a professional trader? What plans do you have in this direction?

In the future I hope to become a good trader but I am afraid it is impossible to make any sort of plans in this profession. At the moment, I do not have anything in mind about that but hopefully I will be on good terms with the market.

Are you going to connect your future life with mathematics and programming?

If I do not get to like anything else, it will most likely be so.

As a girl programmer to men programmers, can you suggest a good birthday present for a wife? What would you personally like to get?

This is the most difficult question of all you asked. I think I am too young to answer it but whatever the case attention is what is important. The present I would like to receive is Maserati GranTurismo.

Thank you so much for the interview! We wish you every success!