This summer, the Softhouse Balkans team is joined by Neira Čaušević, a computer science student at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Taking part in a major project at the company, she will have Emir Mehić as her mentor – one of the most experienced developers in the team.

“I have always wanted to stay in Sarajevo for a longer period, doing something beneficial both for me and for my surroundings,” says Neira Čaušević – born and raised in Sweden, but with Bosnian roots. With one year left to graduation, Neira is eager to increase her knowledge in fields related to her computer sciences studies, more specifically in web-application development. So when she found out that Softhouse has an office in Sarajevo, she couldn’t wait to create a connection. “I came in contact with them in spring,” she says. “During a stay in Sarajevo I got to visit the office and meet the team. After some time, it stood clear that I would join the team for two months during the summer.”

Contributing to the project team

Before her arrival in Sarajevo, Neira and her mentor Emir Mehić established contact and began the preparations for her summer employment. She started learning about tools and programming languages that are used in web application development, e.g. JavaScript, HTML and CSS. “It was incredibly reassuring to know that there was going to be someone with great knowledge to guide me and provide help if needed,” she says.

Her employment started with an introduction period, consisting of online courses. This facilitated the process of joining one of the projects that the team is currently working on. Continuous follow-up meetings were held to make sure that everything was going according to plan. Quickly after the introduction, Neira got included in activities such as daily scrum meetings, sprint-planning, demos for clients and more. It is valuable for both parties that she has been engaging not only in the technical aspects of the project, but also in the agile principles that are implemented by the Softhouse team. “I think that Neira’s summer employment is something that has benefited both the team at Softhouse and her,” says Emir Mehić. “Through her intensive preparation and pair programming, she has been able to contribute to the project team’s success in no time.”

Combining Bosnian and Swedish potential

After almost two months of work Neira has gotten a full overview of how the project works both in theory and practice. Her on-boarding has included tasks regarding front-end development. One example is adding features to views in the web-application that the team is working on. An other example is developing a new architecture that the team is applying to the project. “I have learned a lot about creating code that is effective, adaptable and testable,” Neira says. “Thanks to my on-boarding and with the help from my colleagues I have also learned to write unit tests and find ways to optimize existing code. That is particularly valuable for me since I’m now ahead in my studies for the last year of my education.”

For Softhouse Balkans it is a natural part of the business to work remotely and include young talents regardless of where they live. “We see that the meeting of different perspectives and experiences enriches our working environment and delivery,“  says Vernisa Rejhan, COO of Softhouse Balkans. “As we are part of a Swedish group, it is natural for us to bring out the best of combining Bosnian and Swedish potential; Neiras work at Softhouse is a token of this mission!”

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Interview with Neira on kth.se (In Swedish): “Vi blir verkligen guidade från första raden kod”