At Cosmic Development, our employees determine our success day in and day out. Our Employee Spotlight series provides a peek behind the scenes of the unique individuals who work hard every day to create the best possible experience for all our clients. 

Today we chatted with Milan Andreev, a front-end developer. He joined Cosmic Development in 2017 and is currently a front-end developer for our loyal client, Bookmark. Milan is a performance-driven developer who is unafraid to take on challenges and give outputs that impact our company. His positive attitude, collaborative spirit, and love of learning are just a few character traits that make him a beloved member of our engineering team. In addition to his love for technology, he enjoys connecting with nature at any chance he gets, whether by running, rock climbing, mountain biking, or kiteboarding.

In today’s interview, we discuss his career journey to date, what he does daily as a front-end developer, and what he enjoys doing besides work.

First, we would like to congratulate you on your 5th anniversary at Cosmic Development. How did it all start?

Thanks. It is my pleasure to work with all of you. It all started five years ago. I worked remotely for more than ten years in many companies before Cosmic. They were small companies with two to five employees.

However, with no project management to handle tasks, the workload was hefty, and the pressure was high. And that is why I decided to start fresh in a new big company. When I got the job at Cosmic Development, I felt free, happy, and fulfilled after a long time. I am motivated, the work is always done, and there is always time to catch up with colleagues. I have the best time.

What does your average workday look like?

I am a morning person. I get up early, at six or seven, depending on the season. My day starts with a cup of coffee or tea. Then I put on my headphones, play some chillout music, and head for a run or bike ride. Sports activities and watching the sunrise give me a lot of energy for the rest of the day. Then my work day starts. In the morning, I feel the most creative, so I work with clarity at a fast pace. The first thing I do is check the task manager and organize for the day. We often have daily meetings where we share information about progress and future tasks. As the day passes, my concentration drops, which is a lunch alarm. After lunch, another fast pace coding session, a meeting with the colleagues, and the day is over. The best thing about my work is that there is no pressure; everyone is doing their work and helping each other. Cosmic is an environment that is too good to be true.

Can you tell us about your background? When did you decide you wanted to build a career in front-end development?

I started working in 1998. My first website was a fun page for the gymnasium Orce Nikolov, the high school where I went. Next, I started working on a project named Autoinfo – an application for listing cars for sale, the first of its kind at that time, and also my first dynamic website built in “ASP.” That is how I fell in love with creating websites and applications.

I graduated in Computer Science and carved out my career in that direction. There were many projects along the way, requiring different skills and engagement, but eventually, I ended up being a front-end developer. There is no particular reason why I chose front-end development; it came naturally. When I worked on full-stack development projects, and we split the work between colleagues, I felt more comfortable working on the front end.

You mentioned that, at the moment, you are working on design implementation. Can you tell us more about it? For example, what makes a good design implementation, according to you?

For good design implementation, you need a solid understanding of HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Use as little code as needed, write clean, high-quality code, and read the designer’s intention. They often work in strict dimensions, so you need to code the same design in relative dimensions, so the design is responsive on all devices. And that’s it; it is very straightforward.

What is the most exciting part about being a front-end developer?

Front-end design is not very exciting, but it is rewarding. The best part is when at the end of the day when I feel fulfilled that I’ve finished the work as best as I could. The more I accomplish, the better I will feel about myself. 

And finally, who is Milan out of the office? Any outside hobbies or interests?

An introvert who finds peace and joy in sport and nature. I have a lot of hobbies that are my driving force in life – sports hobbies. I want sports that need a long learning curve.

For example, I started rock climbing many years ago. With rock climbing, you must learn about security, working with the devices for ascending and descending, working on the movement technique, and training endurance and power. The progress is very slow, and that’s why I like it. Also, I ride a road and a mountain bike. I want to be closer to nature and enjoy the views from the top of the mountain! I run, too. Although running seems like a basic activity, it isn’t. There are also running techniques involved, training for endurance and training for speed, and the progress is also very slow.

I also started kiteboarding, which is the hardest to learn from all of the above. You need to learn about wind windows and direction, controlling the kite, safety, and riding a board – all at the same time. It is very fun and enjoyable. And in wintertime, I ski. In every season, I switch between these sports. Sport makes me an enthusiastic and productive developer. 

It is a great way to unload and restore my body and mind. It gives me the tools and skills to succeed not just in the workplace but in life too.

If you’re interested in working with colleagues like Milan, check out our careers page. Cosmic Development offers a unique and exciting environment where you can have a significant impact daily and deliver real value for our clients. 

The post Different Approach To Making Results: Meet Milan Andreev, a Front-End Developer with a Passion for Sports appeared first on Cosmic Development.

At Cosmic Development, our employees are at the core of everything we do. We believe that the people-first approach is the foundation of a client-centric organization. We foster a culture of trust, confidence, and commitment and take the responsibility of creating the conditions that allow our employees to thrive.

Our “Employee Spotlight” series highlights our talented employees who bring ideas to light and make this company incredible. Next on our list is Bojan Angjelkovski. Bojan is a senior front-end developer and Angular specialist who adds to our fantastic team of developers, and we are very lucky to have him. Read on to discover more about Bojan and our software development team.

You are one of the newest additions to the Cosmic Development team. Could you tell us how your Cosmic journey began?

I embarked on my career journey with Cosmic Development about a year and a half. It all started on LinkedIn. The conversation there led to a video interview, and the whole process resulted in me getting hired as a senior software developer.

I like my Cosmic journey so far, and most of all, I enjoy the freedom and flexibility the company offers. I’ve got a lot of support from the team, and I can’t wait to meet everyone in person soon.

We would like to know why you opted for software development and why Angular exactly?

Software development is not always easy, but it is rewarding, fun, and engaging. Building software is more than writing code – it is providing solutions for users’ problems, and therefore it requires creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills.

I like the feeling of achievement when I come up with solutions, and I am never bored when I work. Also, I love the potential of teamwork in software development. Being a part of a team and combining different points of view, experiences and skills lead to practical solutions to problems. We learn a lot from each other. I’ve learned a lot through indie development, where you go on your own, build something, and sell it to the world. So, I guess the vast potential for creative expression, sharing ideas, and collaboration with other developers, and above all, the passion I have for development, were essential to why I chose software development as a career.

And to answer the question about Angular. There are many reasons behind choosing Angular for web development. It offers a variety of features, programming styles, good documentation, google maintenance, package ecosystem, developer tooling, fast performance, stability and compatibility, and a learning curve.

What were the biggest challenges that you faced as a software developer?

We are working in a highly complex, vast, and dynamic industry, and software development is an essential part of that industry. Several factors are determining it, including growing complexities, market conditions, changing technology trends, and expanding software development challenges.

Of course, the challenges may vary. For example, most of the projects are now increasingly ruled by the “build once, deploy everywhere” paradigm, which means that a single application can run across multiple platforms. Integrating different programs and maintaining support complicates this issue even further.

However, for me personally, being up to date and not becoming obsolete is the most important thing to do in order to rise up to the challenges the industry brings.

What are the crucial things a software developer shall do to stay ahead of their game?

One shall face all obstacles without giving up. Persistence, positive mental attitude, and passion distinguish good from great software developers. Having endurance keeps your discipline, optimism and helps you persevere through difficult situations and challenges. Also, you have to be naturally curious, love to learn new things, and work hard. I believe that self-learners make the best programmers. Other vital traits I would mention are attention to detail and accepting feedback. Positive criticism is essential for growing, learning, and improving.

While we are discussing staying ahead of your game, can you tell us what your favorite books or podcasts on software development are?

I will start with books, and my first choice would be Eloquent JavaScript by Marjin Haverbeke. Eloquent JavaScript is a book that really stands out in a market saturated with programming content for developers. Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend it to beginners. It has some specific parts that require a few years of coding background to understand.

Next, I would list JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford. This one helped me “think in JavaScript” and helped me understand how to use the best parts of JS and bypass the bad parts.

For podcasts, I will mention JavaScript Jabber – one of the best-established JavaScript podcasts. And one of the must-see episodes is the interview with Brendan Eich, the man behind the JavaScript programming language.

You recently represented Cosmic Development at the DIGIT event organized by the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering in Skopje. Can you tell us a bit more about that experience?

Yes, I was part of this year’s DIGIT- Angular 2021. It was a fresh experience for me, and it is a great idea. However, I believe there is much room for improvement, and the best way to do so is through getting constructive feedback from all sides.

Generally, it is an excellent way for the students to gain a realistic idea of what it is like to work on real projects and share ideas and solutions to a given problem, of course, with our help, as mentors. There should be more such events.

The post Employee Spotlight: Open Talk with Bojan, Senior Front-End Developer appeared first on Cosmic Development.