Matija's most successful relationship
Much like a relationship with a dog. It only has ups. And then some more ups.
When I came to Human which was more than 10 years ago, there were just a few of us. Back then, Mikić was probably crying for his mother to come wipe his ass, and Paula was begging her older brother to buy her some candy at the grocery store.
Immediately, I fell in love with all of it - complex projects, “very optimistic” deadlines, long hours and beers after work, all the knowledge that whooshed in my head, all the problems I needed to solve, one after another. Every day brought a new adrenaline rush. It was like I’ve been watching my life in a timelapse while jumping off the cliff, not knowing if I even have a parachute on my back. That ugly thing on top of my body felt like it was going to explode any second. My inner voice was screaming.
And it felt great.
A few months later, the parachute opened. Suddenly I’ve got this project in front of me, an enormous sitemap of coolinarika.com, printed on sheets of paper and stitched with some scotch tape.
“Yeah, about this one... we need to plan a new website. And then develop it. You will do it with me”, Vanja said.
Six months of planning and a year of designing and coding. Launch. Next project. Repeat.
“How and why the fuck are you still with the same company?”
I get that question a lot, as if that was a bad thing. Let me tell you - it’s not. And if you think long term commitment is bad, ask your wife/husband/partner how they feel about it.
During those 10 years I got to wear a lot of different hats. I was a frontend developer, designer, planner, project manager, production manager and UX architect. Sometimes all of that at the same time. When I got into web back in 1999 it was possible to be a designer, frontend and backend developer (remember “webmasters”) because each specialization was small enough. I worked hard every day and with years came experience, numerous projects, tasks, planning sessions, coding sessions, workshops, wireframes, deploys, you name it. Another benefit of staying with one company.
Last and most important one: atmosphere and people. I know it sounds a bit cliché but going to work every day (well, not every every day) with a smile on your face, working from any place you want, having a dog by your side, making pranks or just reading or thinking about that beach where you saw that girl. Taking a break when you’re not in mood for work... Drinking beer and having lunch with your colleagues, having birthday parties, barbecue parties, welcome parties. A lot of parties. All those intelligent, curious and interesting people you spend your days with, working on the most advanced technologies and projects, learning from them, mentoring younger ones, meeting new ones all the time. People who help you grow while you watch them do the same.
It’s not a cliché, it’s real, meaningful and important.
Paula is now a digital strategist. Sharp, smart, brave, funny, willing to take a risk and to get the job done. Mikić is head of our creative department. That guy... he is a fuckin’ mental animal. Even Kaii loves him and begs her way into some cuddling-time each day. Okay, his clothing combos look like his mother still has a say in it, but that’s another topic.
I’m still cruising with that parachute and a smile on my face. It’s not just a relationship, it’s an ongoing process, a part of who I am now.
And I am still loving it.