From a student to a development rising star

Jaka Stavanja

Development Engineer in WEB development

You were serious about your career development from your early college years. Why did you choose Oryx?

Yes. I was always that kid, that was fond of having a little bit of extra responsibility to make a positive impact and leave a mark on something that I could be proud of.

I chose Oryx because the company was quick to reply to my e-mails and was very engaged in our correspondence, invited me to come to the office and hang out. It was the company that showed the most interest in what I was willing to offer without asking too many questions and adding to many conditions and “gotchas!”.

How did you develop professionally during your years in Oryx?

Since this was my first more significant programming job, I managed to apply my technical skills in a real environment for the first time. That provided an exceptional opportunity to perfect my programming abilities to the very details and as well gave me the chance to learn what matters in the real world and what is more of secondary concern. Also, I learned a great deal about how to onboard people and how to keep the team spirit as high as possible by teaching newcomers how to develop our software.

And personally?

Oryx gave me the opportunity to meet many like-minded people, which means that I have made many friendships along the way. Also, the fact that constant communication about our work is necessary for day-to-day conversations along with organizing different aspects of work. I have learned a lot about how to convey my ideas in a way that everyone can listen to them.

Do you have a mentor?

I had a mentor to help me when I first joined Oryx Gaming. He curated my assignments to make me adapt to the software quicker and helped me fit into the team easier. After three years, the mentorship for me now exists in the form of the whole team. When software grows, nobody can know all the things about everything. That is where anyone from the team comes to the rescue and helps me learn new things.

What is the best part of working in Oryx?

Personally, the company vibe and the friendships I made in the company play an immeasurable role. We constantly strive towards a good atmosphere in the company and the teams themselves, and that plays a huge part since I look forward to going to work every day. Professionally, I think we have some of the best experts in our field of work, from marketing to programming. That fills me with excitement and makes me able to get an insight on how to make a company work and succeed.

How do you see your life and career evolving from here?

I would like to take upon more tasks that would make an impact on the things we do. I think there is always room for improvement, and Oryx is good at listening to propositions. I see myself staying here and trying to contribute more to our products and our company as a community of like-minded, happy people. As for my life, I would like to maintain the friendships I’ve made here, and I wish to make more new friends as we go. Oryx allows for a very flexible life besides work and knows how to care for employees. Apart from my professional life, I think I will have no problem with growing as a person since I have all the necessary room and freedom for that.

What would be your advice for young web developers?

Build things. Put them online. Try and seek job opportunities to get an insight into what matters in the so-called real world. This profession is one of the best ones you can have, since we’re always learning and mastering our craft, meaning that it’s rarely boring.