At the end of 2023, during Walter Awards ceremony, we had the privilege of recognizing the extraordinary individuals within our company who exemplify unparalleled dedication and excellence.
Among them, Haris Starčević emerged as the embodiment of our highest ideals, earning the prestigious “The Ace” award — a tribute reserved for the most influential professionals who set an exceptional standard for all.
In our latest Walter Humans series, we present to you Haris Starčević, a shining example of excellence within our company.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into Haris’s story. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Haris Starčević — The Ace.
My journey at Walter Code company began 8 years ago. At that time, still a small company, it offered me the opportunity to join the team, contribute to development, and learn new things. Like many, I initially started with smaller projects, but very quickly I took on more serious projects due to my knowledge in both frontend and backend development.
Generally positive and friendly. Above all, we cherish human factors, and everyone is respected with equal regard and has the opportunity to showcase their abilities. What I can particularly mention is open communication, team spirit, and a social environment that results not only in professional development but also in deeper friendships.
My experience throughout my entire IT career has always been positive when it comes to communication and sharing knowledge.
I am always happy to help colleagues in the team, as well as others in the company, and this willingness to assist others often comes back to me as others are also ready to help me and others if there is a need. Positive energy cannot turn negative, and knowledge spreads as it is shared.
Professionalism, dedication, and seriousness in approaching work are key elements for successfully managing projects and achieving goals. A collegial and friendly relationship is certainly an advantage where I feel at home among colleagues. Overall, this results in better outcomes and more satisfied employees.
As technology advances, applications play an increasingly vital role in everyday life, serving serious business needs and entertainment alike. These applications must process and store growing volumes of data, which creates challenges for systems that lack proper optimization. We live in a fast-paced world where all information must be available to us instantly, and if we want to remain competitive, we must seriously address this issue. The quantity of data directly affects processing speed, which we try to compensate for by expanding hardware capacities, but this is not always effective as it directly impacts costs.
The project I am currently assigned to on a full-time basis is the GO+ e-learning platform, used by companies for internal employee training. The client, TicTac, comes from Sweden, so primarily Swedish companies use the client’s platform, but also companies from other Nordic countries, and recently even Germany. Some of the well-known companies using the platform include Mercedes, Philips, Volvo, Lego, and others.
Our collaboration with the client has been ongoing for a little over 6 years. Initially, I was the only team member from the Walter Code side, but later the team started expanding according to the client’s needs, and today we actively have 5 employees from Walter Code working on it
Currently, we are actively working on a newer version of the e-learning platform for the TicTac client, which adheres to the latest web standards and will provide better stability and support for a larger number of users. The older version of the application struggles with processing larger amounts of data, which slows down server response times and forces users to wait on the page for actions to complete.. We have completely moved this part of the operation to the backend, relying on the use of event-driven architecture. The process relies on the user providing the necessary information while the system performs other calculations in the background seamlessly. Furthermore, the user can continue using the application smoothly, which is an additional plus for the user experience.
In our application, we use ReactJS for the frontend and Laravel PHP framework for the backend due to its multitude of integrated options and project organization capabilities. Stability and performance are greatly contributed to by the NoSQL ArangoDB database, which enables writing microservices through NodeJS.
Every problem is solvable, even if it initially seems impossible to solve. If it’s impossible in the way we initially envisioned, then it’s very likely that there is another approach to the problem. This is where the benefits of a collegial environment and exchange of experiences come into play. Other colleagues can see the problem from different perspectives and may have their own experiences that can help us. Certainly, some seemingly unsolvable problems I perceive as challenges that contribute to my growth within the company and the expansion of my knowledge.
Definitely, AI is something new that is entering the market in a big way, and in a few years, it will surely dominate the web. It’s very important to keep track of this process so that we don’t fall behind if we want to stay up-to-date.
Although our job is related to computers, at the end of the day, we are all human beings. Above all, we should strive for what is natural for us and lies at our core, which is humanity, interpersonal relationships, support, and understanding.
For those who are just entering the field, I want to emphasize the importance of continuous learning and development because the speed of technological advancement does not tolerate stagnation. If we want to keep up with current technologies. To others, more experienced colleagues, I encourage them to be open to helping and understanding younger colleagues and to assist them in both hard and soft skill development.
Success in IT depends not only on technical skills but also on building positive interpersonal relationships, supporting one another, growing together as a team, and breaking boundaries.
In conclusion, Haris Starčević’s remarkable journey exemplifies the very essence of excellence and collaboration at Walter Code. His unwavering dedication and commitment to our highest ideals illuminate the path for others to follow.
As we reflect on his outstanding contributions, let us collectively applaud his achievements and celebrate the spirit of excellence that he embodies. Join us as we continue to celebrate remarkable individuals like Haris.