Interview with Jure, Onboarding Academy Owner

Jure, you have worked in Comtrade for 20 years and in that time you have grown from Junior Developer to Senior Lead Engineer. How hard or easy was this career growth for you?

For me, the journey was and still is organic. I was never a ‘man with the plan’ but I rather have a well-defined set of personal likes and dislikes, hence I felt right at home with Comtrade. The company allowed me to develop in my comfort zone, supported by people to whom knowledge sharing is innate. In short, there was a lot of effort involved, but the overall experience was and still is enjoyable because of the people I work with.

What was the greatest lesson you have learned during your career as a Developer?

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But on a serious note, in general, there are no perfect solutions that are practical, and there are no practical solutions that are sufficient. To find the right balance is to take pride in your work but not treat it as art.

What inspires you the most in your working environment?

My professional path has been very eclectic, so if I was to extrapolate, I would say the common denominator are the people I work with. From their capacity as teachers to their aspirations as pupils, but mostly as my crew who has my back and I have theirs whatever happens. A close second is my organization, Comtrade Gaming, which at a people level nurtures a culture which allows all of us to be what we want to be, by understanding our needs, abilities, and desires, and then how to best utilize those to benefit both.

Now you are working on a new project called Onboarding Academy for Developers. What is the mission of this Academy and why is it so very important for our new colleagues in the Development team?

Every organization defines what it does, but only a select few consider how they do it. The Onboarding Academy is an attempt to cover both of these aspects, by providing technical support and mentorship to newcomers to obtain essential skills to carry out their work. But equally important it attempts to impart the company’s culture with the aim of building and enforcing internal social network and peer knowledge transfer. In essence, the Academy’s long-term goal is to help maintain a healthy working ecosystem, which is enjoyable for all employees and which subsequently manifests itself as the company’s overall success.

What are the main principles of Comtrade Gaming that you would like to transfer to our newcomers?

In a word: “Be what you want to be and we’ll make sure that you can be the best version of that. You are a person with needs, wants, and aspirations, but this is not perceived as an obstacle. Rather as a source of your qualities needed and wanted, for us to keep moving forward as a company. Learn and grow today, tomorrow you will teach and nurture. You are not part of a team; you are a part of the team’s identity and culture, and the company’s by extension.”