Nena Kruljac: Staying on top of tech in the automotive industry

Nena Kruljac made her way from Slavonija to Varazdin to pursue her studies at the Faculty of Organization and Informatics. Graduating in the early 2000s, she landed her first job as a developer at a small freight company in Zagreb. A few months later, she was invited to interview with the Croatian branch of a major banking group. She joined them as an app developer and remained there for 22 years! Last year, Nena decided to make a career change, which led her to join our team at Emil Frey Digital.

"What I noticed before I got the job, and what I see now that I am a part of the company, is that everyone is giving their best. That must be something that yields results."

Throughout her career journey at the bank, she developed applications within a larger platform, composed of many services. In 2017, she began working as a Jira project manager. Later she moved to the admin role. This proved valuable when she applied for the Jira administrator position at EFD. - It is a newer technology and I am thrilled to be working with it. Since I started here six months ago, I learned a lot about cloud hosting. There are so many details that make it different from the server hosting that I worked on at the bank. Although I was already familiar with Jira, there were many things to learn about the new hosting environment and new apps, Nena said.

"I have always enjoyed learning, and I still do. The only thing that can be challenging for me is time - it always seems to be in short supply."

Curiosity and consistency are important for growth

- Sometimes, people would be surprised at my staying with the same employer for so many years. And really, these days it is less and less common. People change jobs every few years, or even more often than that, she said. My professional experience in those 22 years was both dynamic and diverse. We’ve been through technical, organisational and people change, we developed software for all parts of the company and interfaced with different application systems. Sometimes you can undermine your longer-term progress and earning potential, if you don’t stay around long enough to build rapport and make an impact in an organisation, Nena remarked.

What ultimately led her to leave was an interest in new technologies - a desire to stay on top of the developments, and join a strong R&D center. She set her sights on the automotive industry. Switching to a new industry was a bold move, but she felt it was necessary to continue growing in her career. - Although EFD is a smaller company compared to the bank, it has a huge system behind it. So, I am still a part of a large organization, but within a smaller company, which gets me the best of both worlds, she said.

Davorka, Marina and Martin

- I studied with Davorka, who has worked here for three years. She told me about the company, what it is like to work here, and how she decided to join EFD. In the interview with Marina Biro and Martin Spernjak, we touched on many topics, to get a better understanding of each other and the job requirements. I think that is important. Martin also gave me tasks to complete. They convinced me that it was a good idea to accept the job offer (laughing). I live in Zagreb, so I work in the office three days a week. During the COVID pandemic, we worked mostly from home, so it's been a change for me to be in the office more. Working from home has its perks; I don't have to rush or worry about being late for work – I just turn on my laptop and start working. Of course, it is nice to be in the office with colleagues. It has its benefits, but time is always tricky when you commute. Sometimes traffic jams can be horrible. If a foreign president or state delegation happens to visit Croatia, it can take you two hours to reach Varazdin from Zagreb. The day never seems long enough for everything I want to do!, she said.

"They convinced me that it was a good idea to accept the job offer (laughing)."

A question to ponder - how do you stay in business for 100 years?

- Despite being relatively young, EFD has grown and expanded, and that’s not easy to do in a few short years. What I also find remarkable is that they managed to integrate themselves into the Emil Frey Group, a huge system that’s been around for nearly 100 years. A long time ago I went to a workshop where they asked us: "How many companies do you know that have been in business for over 150 years?" When you think about it, you need to wonder how they did it. All these challenges we face today - technology shifts, pandemics, and even wars - all these problems existed in the past, too. And yet they not only survived, but have been thriving for over a century. Finally, it is a great success that EFD has merged into such a large system during turbulent times. What I noticed even before I got the job, and what I see now that I am part of the company, is that everyone is giving their best. That must be something that yields results, she observed.

Starting off on a good foot

She believes that learning by doing is perhaps the best way to master a job, especially if you already know the system. She was familiar with the concept of a large company, which made the transition easier. - My mentor and colleague on the team, Martin Spernjak, played a big role in what I see as a good start. He would first give me a broader overview of the system and the reasons behind what, how, and why we do something. Then he would assign me a task in Jira, which was a great way to learn by doing. I would always have tons of questions. I found that logical connections and stories helped me learn the names of colleagues and systems. Memorization alone never worked for me, even when I was in school.

"I found that logical connections and stories helped me learn the names of colleagues and systems."

- Currently, I work on administering and configuring the Atlassian suite. Jira and Confluence are huge, with lots of different plugins. They open up a lot of space for learning and development, in many directions. With constant changes and updates, the work is dynamic and fulfilling, she explained.

Passion about IT since my school days

- Ever since my school days, I have had a passion for IT and computers. Computer science was not given much attention back then, but as it grew it became clear that it would be in high demand, and that it could lead to a rewarding, fulfilling career. 

Nena never rests still. She invests in her knowledge, and is doing her best to keep up with technology trends. And that is no easy task. She deeply values time spent with family and friends. Foreign languages, culinary pursuits, and spending time in nature are things that make her happy, too. - These days ChatGPT has captured everyone's attention, and I can’t say I haven’t been interested in learning more about how it could affect our lives and work in the future. When it comes to languages, I learned German during my studies and later at work. To maintain and enhance my proficiency, I read online news and LinkedIn content in German. Also, you might see me using a mobile app to learn Italian and French while on the go or while waiting in line. I enjoy cooking and baking, a passion that was easier to enjoy while working from home. I like to have flowers around me. Travel is a source of joy, as well as staying active outdoors, so if the weather is nice I will go hiking. I try to walk five kilometers per day to counter the effects of long hours in front of the screen.

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it

- As I am a Jira administrator, my colleagues are my users. In roles like these, it is important to keep your internal customers in mind all the time. I am trying to help to the best of my ability. This means taking time to ask questions, guiding colleagues as they identify their needs, and working hard to deliver the best outcome. Depending on the complexity of the request and the current setup, this process can take some time, but it is key to achieving results. I also do some development, mostly involving configuration. The work is really interesting, there is a lot to learn and understand. There is always something new happening, which keeps it a dynamic and interesting field to work in, she explained.

- Giving and getting feedback is an integral part of their team culture. It's incredibly valuable because it helps me to understand what is good and what is not. It is important to acknowledge when something is good, so that I don't waste time trying to fix something that is not broken. Instead, we need to focus on areas that need improvement. When I do not get feedback, I will ask for it. In the initial mentoring session, Ivana Ratkaj advised me to ask for feedback, and I realised that I am now doing it more than I typically would. It is valuable when someone tells me "This is great!" or "This needs improvement." But what really takes it to the next level is when I get to hear why it is great or why it needs to be improved - it really helps me retain and apply the feedback in future scenarios, she concluded.