Celebrating ten years of dedication and professionalism at ProductDock

We are proud to continue our interview series, celebrating and honoring team members with ten or more years of dedication at ProductDock.

Dedication and professionalism highlighted the first ten years of our team lead, Miloš Brdar, at ProductDock. His commitment, effort, and team spirit make him an incredible mentor, colleague, and teammate.

What do you like most about your role?

I like the opportunity to constantly learn something new and develop my skills. Also, I love the dedication and professionalism in my project. And finally, I love working with the people at ProductDock. My colleagues are truly amazing, and I love working with them.

What is your biggest challenge as a Software Engineer at ProductDock?

I haven’t encountered challenges that I couldn’t overcome. These were mostly tight deadlines, or periods of slightly more intense work. A specific challenge integral to my job is working with large volumes of data.

How did you grow at ProductDock? Tell us about your journey.

My beginnings are similar to those of others who started programming during those years. I was happy to be doing something I loved and still getting paid for it. I started programming in my second year of high school, at 15. Throughout high school and university, I was constantly involved in programming. 

When I began taking an interest in Java, codecentric announced a two-week Java workshop. At the time, codecentric was the only software company in Doboj, where I was studying at the time, so I decided to apply. That workshop was the precursor to our current Rookie Boot Camp internship program. However, there weren’t many applicants back then because it wasn’t as popular as it is today. Nowadays, everyone wants to be a software engineer, but back then, it was mostly reserved for geeks – this was about 12 years ago.

I attended the workshop, spent two weeks there, and learned a lot of new things. At that time, I still had a couple of exams left to finish university, and we agreed that I would reach out once I graduated. That’s how it happened – when I finished university, I started working here. 

I started as a junior developer, and the projects back then were quite different from what we work on today, as were the technologies. Since then, I’ve worked on many other projects. I’ve also been a mentor in three Rookie Boot Camps, which has been a really valuable experience. Now, I am a senior developer and team lead, alongside my colleague Milan Janković, who is also a team lead on our project. I lead the backend team, and he leads the frontend team on our project.

What is your best ProductDock memory?

All the gatherings and social events have been wonderful for me. Wherever I went, I felt great because when you’re surrounded by such amazing people, it’s impossible not to feel good. I would single out one situation from the early days – our first office space, back when there were fewer than ten of us at codecentric. We were very close during that time; the equipment was worse, everything was more basic, but the atmosphere was great. We hung out, joked, and spent much time together, and those memories are truly special to me. I also have fond memories of attending conferences. Most of the events were interesting, and look back on each one with great joy.

What is the secret of staying in the same company for more than 10 years? 

Since I started working here, I’ve always given my best, and that effort is recognized and appreciated. The work environment is pleasant, and the people I work with or have worked with are respectful and professional. Transparency is a cherished value; everything is always as agreed. The company’s mindset is also something that makes me satisfied, as is the attitude towards people, our business, and personal commitments. There is no discrimination, and people and all their rights are respected.

Which book would you recommend?

“Microservices Patterns” is a helpful book for architecture. The book dives deep into the principles and best practices for building scalable, resilient, and maintainable microservices applications.

How do you like the projects you have worked on at ProductDock?

There have been different projects with ups and downs. My first projects weren’t the best – I’d rather not even remember them because everything was so outdated. Later, the quality of the projects improved. The project I’m currently working on is excellent. I’ve been working on it for four years, and everything is perfectly set up. The company we’re doing the project for is a software company that works in a similar way to us. They also develop features and receive funding from the parent company. They’re familiar with the processes of how a software company works; and their processes are quite similar to ours and codecentric’s. The software they develop is at a high level because they foster a culture of test writing, testing, and well-organized processes and planning. There is no pressure. They understand why it’s necessary for me to write tests – it’s clear to them, and I don’t have to explain anything, which is fantastic.

What do you appreciate the most in teamwork and why?

All developers are from Bosnia, while the QA, ProductOwner, and Business Analyst teams are from Germany. We function well as a team. I value transparency, reliability, and knowledge-sharing. Reliability is essential because if someone says they’ll work on a specific part and complete it, I know they will. I also like the relaxed atmosphere within the team; we are always on calls together, we joke around, and work well together as a team.

Which app do you find helpful?

Money Lover – an application for tracking expenses; I don’t know how to function without it.

What is your favorite video game?

“The Last of Us”. I love that genre,  zombie survivor games. I’m the kid who begged my dad to buy me PlayStation 1. He just showed up one day with a computer, and I immediately broke it. After fixing it, I became hooked on games and haven’t stopped since. Playing slowed down a bit after I had children, but now I’m back at it. Recently, I started playing ‘The Last of Us’ on the Sony I bought last year. “Red Dead Redemption” is also a game that I like to play.

What are the three things you like the most at ProductDock?

At ProductDock, I enjoy working with my colleagues, the relaxed atmosphere and pleasant work environment, great working conditions, and knowledge-sharing events like DevFriday and Friday Talks, as well as interesting and useful blogs on our website.

Have you seen any good movies lately you would recommend?

The series “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” – I love that universe. “Game of Thrones”, as well. The last series I watched and really liked was “Sugar” with Colin Farrell. I’m a huge fan of mysteries and thrillers. I would also recommend “The Chestnut Man” – the Danish series, and “The Fall”. As for films, “Side Effects” stands out.

What do you do to relax in your free time? How do you recharge your batteries?

That’s a  tough question. I am someone who’s never bored. My wife is very jealous of that fact. I move from one project to another, taking on all sorts of things. Some I finish, some I don’t.  I finish something, but I don’t finish something. Recently, I bought retro gaming consoles; I collected a lot of them. I prefer spending time making something rather than buying things. Lately, I’ve been getting more into playing music. I play the guitar and sometimes sit down to play drums, as well.

What was the best concert you’ve ever been to?

In 2008, Roger Waters, Pink Floyd group. The Wall tour. A great concert.

Is there any advice you would have valued hearing when you were beginning to code?

The best advice is to focus on one thing, rather than juggling a hundred things. The most valuable thing is having someone guide you, telling you to focus on this or that. I’ve done a lot of different things, learn a bunch of stuff, and in the end, it turned out that what I started doing in college is what I’ve stitch with.

What is your favorite place you have ever visited? 

Makarska. The place is not important to me; people are important to me. I enjoy traveling and vacationing with my family.

What does your break at work look like? 

Earlier, when there were fewer of us, we would go to lunch together. Now we order something, then go to a nearby cafe for coffee. When working from home, I go upstairs to grab something to eat and then come back down.