A Journey to Becoming a Web Developer

Nikica Maksimovski is a 27-year-old Front-End developer at Melon, part of Kin + Carta in Skopje. To mark his first year with the company, he shares his adventure of becoming a web developer.

In 2016, Nikica was studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Skopje but was not performing very well. Not satisfied with his education, he checked out the current job opportunities and discovered that none of the skills he had acquired so far were relevant to the trending job positions. “From that moment, I knew that I must learn how to code. But how?”

Java, Python, C++, PHP, and JavaScript were all popular programming languages at the time. Nikica wasn't sure which one would be best for him, so he tried PHP, which he eventually dropped since he didn’t enjoy it. In 2017, Nikica attended a Career Launch event. It helped him build confidence and introduced him to various businesses and startups in North Macedonia. “I said to myself: I must do this,” he says. 

Soon after, he joined an online coding Boot Camp, and after nine months of hard work, he became a certified Full Stack JavaScript Developer. Between 2017 and 2021, Nikica had over 20 failed job interviews. It was upsetting for him because he did not do poorly, but employers were looking for more experienced developers rather than self-taught ones. “Interview by interview, I was just dropping in confidence, and after many failed interviews, I finally gave up,” Nikica says. 

He regained his spirit and motivation in the beginning of 2021, promising himself that this year would be different. Nikica applied to every job posting on LinkedIn, regardless of whether it was a junior or senior position. He received an email from Melon after a few days. “We arranged an interview, and I passed this time. I was waiting for this moment for so long, I was utterly happy to begin my journey at Melon,” Nikica says. 

Throughout the next year, Nikica learned a lot and met some remarkable people who changed his life forever. He says that he grew as a software developer, and also improved his communication and interpersonal skills. “The people here are amazing because they really want to help, know how to listen and offer suggestions and advice, both professionally and personally. I feel like I have friends at Melon rather than just coworkers.”