In this edition of HTEC features, we’re bringing into the spotlight our colleague, a great engineer, team leader, and rainmaker — Milos Ignjatovic, the Engineering Lead on one of our longest-running projects with a major Scandinavian company that is behind one of the world’s first solutions for the complete management of the remote workforce.
The rise of a creative genius
Although he was not always aware that he would one day become an excellent engineer, let alone an exquisite Engineering Lead, Milos Ignjatovic always knew how to use his creativity and genius to solve problems.
It all started when he was a kid assembling marble runs and following tiny glass balls as they overcame obstacles and slid into their designated places. The next step was DIY pinballs, from which a deep and curious love for different kinds of engineering evolved. The hardware part became no more than the output of his hands and mind, and he was getting to know the world of software engineering. Milos admits that he’s always loved and still enjoys discovering this new world.
Professional beginnings
Milos’s decision to finish the Course of Reserve Officers with the Serbian Armed Forces (after his university studies) probably affected some of his career decisions. He admits that it definitely deepened his love for structure and organization and encouraged him to explore his leadership skills in his already aspiring professional development.
Speaking about his beginnings in software development, he says, “I couldn’t just go and write some boring Java or C code. That wasn’t me back then! I liked being creative, and I loved animation (I still do) – enter Flash. Thank you, Adobe, for those fun years, and damn you for letting it go to waste!”
Parallel to evolving his animation skills through Adobe Flash, Flex, and AIR, he also worked on web services in PHP, which took him in a completely different direction, and finally brought him to where he is now. “I left a workforce management company and joined HTEC, and it’s like someone just didn’t want me to leave that domain yet. At HTEC, I started working on an amazing WFM project with a major SaaS Workforce Management Platform provider.”
Personal growth
Milos immensely appreciates the chance he got to work with some of the most experienced engineers in our company on a product which is extremely useful to the people who use it.
“It’s funny actually, that I, a guy who used to love Flash, have been participating in its end of life within this project,” he adds.
“As the team grew, so did my will to grow my skills in the areas in which I hadn’t had any previous experience. At one point, I was given the opportunity to take responsibility for the team organization and processes that will make all of us more efficient and ready for scaling.”
Milos became a Scrum Master, with his hands still in PHP code. Over the years, he has slowly moved away from writing code, but he admits he still likes to participate in debugging solution design and any discussion around software improvements.
Stepping out of the comfort zone
Having become a husband and father somewhat shifted his focus from technology to the people development on the project. However, he never stopped caring about the product they are creating because these two have to go hand in hand. “After more than a year of working as a Delivery Lead, I’ve been recognized by HTEC as a good candidate to take more responsibility for the whole project and all of its people. I welcomed a new role in my professional life, that of an Engineer Lead.”
Speaking of HTEC, Milos says he appreciates the chance he was given and the support to step out of his comfort zone over and over again. “What HTEC offers is an enormous potential for personal growth that goes hand in hand with the growth of the company. Also, one of the amazing things about HTEC is that we are able to work with the world’s most successful companies on shaping their needs into the products that make a difference.”
Enjoying the work
Milos says that all of the experience he has gained throughout his career has taught him that you have to love your job to excel at it. “‘Enjoy work!’ has become a mantra in my team, and it has proven to be a vital piece of the LIFE puzzle. So – Enjoy work, enjoy the moment, but make room for investing in your future self, so those future moments can be even greater.”
One of Milos’s must-reads for everyone working with people (and anyone else for that matter) is Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman. “This book reminds me to always think twice before reacting and has done wonders for me when it comes to taming my need to always say what I think without thinking it through.”
For anyone considering applying to work at HTEC, he has an important message:
“Be open-minded, look at the bigger picture, and challenge yourself. Be ready to jump on the opportunities that will be coming your way.”
Milos not only preaches this – he very much practices it and is eagerly waiting for all the future challenges that are coming his way as he continues to grow as a person and as a professional within HTEC.
