The first thing you need to know about Luka is that he is from Tivat. He loves the sea, he is calm by nature - a typical primorac, as we say here on the coast.
Valuable info when working with him: there is no amount of pressure that can break him, and no amount of stress you can serve him that Luka can't simply decline.

We love it. And we learn from it. But that kind of composure is born, not made - so we may owe this post to his parents.

He gives feedback that motivates you to work better and learn more. A true leader: cool-headed when the project is boiling, and gentle when it's time to step into the shoes of a mentor.
But enough about his soft skills.

The intern with potential

Luka joined Bild as an intern 10 years ago, back when the company had over 100 people - and with that came many good mentors who quickly recognised his potential. And not only the technical kind. Luka knew how to communicate, how to ask for help, and how to think about a product as if it were his own. He was a team player who knew how to lift his colleagues up while giving his own 100%.

When remembering his first steps in Bild, he mentioned mentors who were pushing them to the maximum and giving them responsibility that looked way above their skill level. His first production code came during the early stage of the mentorship program, and he remembers it as a moment he couldn't wait for.

I was thrilled. I couldn't wait to ship my first production code - that was the moment it all became real. And it only got better from there. Right after the internship I got my first commercial project, with full ownership. That meant learning a new framework on the go, and it gave me the chance to design a response shape solution for our API that noticeably sped us up. I was very happy and proud of that one - and big kudos to my mentor, who pushed me to turn it into a reusable piece of code instead of a one-off fix. I use the same method when teaching today: give people real responsibility, real ownership, in a controlled environment.

His technical knowledge was expanding day by day, and that didn't go unnoticed. Soon he became a favourite team member on almost every project. If Luka doesn't know how - he will learn it. If he is stuck - he will ask for help, and genuinely appreciate it.

Mistakes and questions are part of the process. At this point I'm grateful for all of the mistakes I made, because I've learned the most from them. And as for questions - they are the most important tool an engineer should know how to use. What really made a key difference is that I was always surrounded by people who loved sharing knowledge."

When project becomes his own child

Clients of Bild love when developers are dedicated to their project. They really appreciate technical advice and long term benefit thinking. That kind of relationship has many benefits - and for Luka, it was also one of his biggest schools.

I was extremely happy when I got the opportunity to interact with the product owner on a daily basis and start giving my own inputs and suggestions. It came with an important lesson: not every vision for the project holds business value. What I am really proud of is learning to understand that business value better and better - by listening to the product owner carefully, understanding their pains, and meeting them there. That is where an engineer's ideas actually become useful.

Ten years, every project

Since joining Bild, Luka has been part of practically every project - if not as a developer, tech lead, or solution architect, then as someone who simply wants to observe and learn.

My favorite project of all time was Ekhart Yoga. And I feel like picking a favourite child, but that is true. While working there I learned so much. I was given obligations above my skill level and the client trusted me. I started trusting myself since I collected so many little victories and realised how much I love what I do. That meant insane working hours, but in my mind I was earning a salary for 8h and working on a passion project for another 5h. I learned about balance eventually.

Ten years in, and he still treats every product like it's his own. We wouldn't have it any other way.