Meet Mia Petkovic, an experienced software engineer who has been working at ENTER for almost eight years. Her journey began ten years ago when she moved from Serbia to the Netherlands for a post-master's program at TU/e. Since then, she has grown into a versatile professional with a passion for both technology and adventure.
A good start in the Netherlands
“I first studied in Serbia where I completed my master's in Software Engineering and then moved to the Netherlands for my post-master's program. I really liked the program that was offered at the TU/e. It was a bit unconventional — it's at a PhD level, but much more practical and only two years long.” This practical focus turned out to be the perfect match for her. “I thought it was good match because you actually apply your knowledge, and you are constantly working for the industry.”
While completing her post-master's degree, Mia came in contact with ENTER. “I first came in contact with ENTER through an event at the TU/e. I honestly don’t reminder which event it was. But they were at TU/e for sure. At that event I talked with Koen for a while”. And that turned out to be a good conversation. “I went on several interviews at different companies. I mostly went to consultancy bureaus because I really liked the idea of trying out different projects, different companies, different industries. Rather than working for a single company for many many years. So, I went on several interviews at a couple companies, and I was accepted by all of them. But ENTER was my first choice because of the projects they could offer me. They proposed a concrete project rather than something vague. That is what I really liked. And also the conditions were the best at ENTER. Which is also important.”
A career full of impact
Mia has worked at ENTER for nearly eight years and in those eight years she has had the opportunity to work on many interesting projects. Her first project still stands out to her: “My first project was with at a big electronics concern in the healthcare industry.” Mia was part of the positioning software team, responsible for controlling the movement of X-ray machines. “I really liked working there for many reasons. I contributed to developing impactful software which was used for Azurion X-ray systems. In hindsight, the engineering culture was the best there. The colleagues were great and the environment was really nice to work in.”
Her most challenging project was at a semiconductor company where they make pick and place machines. Mia took ownership of an Angular-based user interface that initially lacked support within the team. "It was kind of a hot potato — no one wanted to deal with it. So, I stepped up and really tried to improve its quality and regain trust in the technology. Which meant that I was responsible for all the decisions that were made. During my time there I also worked on integrating a new kinematics component and I led the design and implementation of a full-stack solution to modernize the machine’s user interface."
Balancing work and life
In addition to her work as a Software Engineer, Mia enjoys doing yoga and bouldering. “I have been doing yoga for about 12 years now. Specifically, ashtanga yoga which is like a very powerful and dynamic way of doing yoga. A few years ago I also really got into bouldering and climbing. I like climbing indoors and outdoors. Climbing outside is amazing. The views you get and just being outdoors are really nice, which is why I prefer climbing outside. It can be scary, but it is totally worth it, it is really beautiful. I haven't climbed outdoors in the Netherlands yet. I don't know if it is possible actually. There's nothing to climb here”, she explains laughing.
Mia had to put climbing and bouldering on hold for a while: “I’m currently pregnant so climbing is on hold for the moment. I had to tone down with the activities.” Together with her fiancé, she expects to welcome a little girl next summer. “We haven’t planned the wedding yet because of the pregnancy. But it will happen after the baby arrives. We are so busy now making sure that we have everything ready once she comes which doesn’t leave much room for other things. I try to be mindful and enjoy this wonderful phase of life as much as possible.”
Great things are coming for Mia in her future. She herself is also very happy with how things are going at the moment. “Personally, I'm quite satisfied with how things are going right now. My main goal for now is to meet my baby and embrace my new role of motherhood. Careerwise I’m busy with some personal development and a lot of different topics. I have decided to dive more into cloud technologies and I have just obtained my certification in Azure Fundamentals. I am also investigating the current state of AI driven development in the context of web programming. The versatility and flexibility of my current work is giving me a lot of joy.”
In addition to her normal work duties, Mia is helping Perjan and Koen organize a Software & Socials event that is coming up soon. During the event, Carlo Klerk will be the guest speaker and he will talk about From Disruption to Integration: Security in Software Development.