In the last month of this year, we had the pleasure of meeting Filip Kristo from the Republic of Croatia, a Software Developer and a Team Lead at Authority Partners.

Croatia is home to one of the oldest cities in Europe, Dubrovnik, as well as the smallest city in the world, Hum. It is definitely a place to be with 1244 islands and islets, untouched nature, and a pleasant climate with 2,715 hours of sunshine a year. 

Read on to hear more about Filip and Croatia, his role in AP; how does AP support your professional development and career, which cutting-edge technologies he is excited about, what makes a person successful in AP in his opinion, and many more.

AP: Hi, Filip, tell us more about yourself.

FK: Hello everyone, I’m a software developer living in Split, Croatia, born at 27. February 1990. When I first saw PC, I was very interested in that amazing combination of hardware and software that allows everyone to be creative. At age 16, I started to learn software development, which I really like, and after high school, I started to work professionally.

In addition to coding, my passion was heavy metal, so I used to play electric guitar in a band. After a seven-year break, I started learning the keyboard this year.

AP: We believe you could write a book introducing us to beautiful Croatia, but what would you stand out?

FK: Croatia is a small country, with a population of around 4M people, but it has a rich history. Here you can find the oldest city in Europe, 1244 islands and islets, and enjoy 2715 hours of sunshine a year.

On the other hand, if you are interested in beautiful nature, boat rides, visiting the mountains with many trails and opportunities for climbing, or maybe lakes and waterfalls, Croatia is a place to be.

Pleasant climate, accessible- relaxed people, and we are ahead in terms of alcohol consumption. Also, it’s no secret that the first mini-skirts and ties came from Croatia.

AP: What triggered you to pursue a career in the IT industry?

FK:  My mentor at high school, who is also a software developer. It was a very interesting period, I remember reading a huge book about C++ programming language, and I was so fascinated by the whole concept of programming languages and always trying to understand how applications actually work.

AP: What is your role in AP?

FK: I’m a Software Developer and a Team Lead at AP, both of which bring certain responsibilities. However, when you are surrounded by talented people who know what they’re doing and love what they’re doing, it makes your life and work so much easier.

AP: How does AP support your professional development and career?

FK: The AP has provided me with an extremely stimulating work environment that allows me to adopt something new every day. It also connected me with amazing people and put me in front of challenges that encouraged me to keep evolving and progressing.

AP: What is the one thing you are most grateful that happened to you in AP?

FK: I am grateful for the opportunity and the trust of the AP to be a team leader. This gave me the opportunity to improve organizational and communication skills that are useful to me in business and private life.

AP: What do you think would make a person successful in AP?

FK: In my opinion, flexibility and openness to new opportunities are key to unlocking your full potential. If you observe it like a game pushing the boundaries of comfort brings your personal and professional skills and self-confidence to a new level.

AP: What three qualities are most important for you in a job?

FK: Communication, commitment and curiosity. Communication to clients, colleagues, team, without it there is no organization of work or purpose of the team, no efficiency and understanding. It is also important to be committed to what you do to ensure professional growth and development and to be satisfied with the work done and yourself. This is followed by curiosity, curious people go deep into the business, they tend to research and analyze which is very useful in this area.

AP: Which new technologies you are most excited about.

FK: Since I’m .NET developer, focused on app development, I’m excited about .NET MAUI, a new cross-platform framework for creating mobile and desktop apps. Blazor is also a very interesting thing for me. Lately, Microsoft did a lot of improvements there. Also, I’m excited about improvements in the latest Android and iOS SDK.

AP: Thank you Filip!