Post by Milica Ćurčić 
August 5, 2022 | 
When we started #InsidePeople one of the things we had in mind was to show how people inside BlueGrid are all unique not just by their roles, but also by their personalities, interests, career journey, and so many other things. Therefore, today you are going to meet Kristina Butković. From law and journalism to programming Kristina shared her path with us, and how she connects her love for books and coding.
Also, we all know that life is full of surprises, and she confirmed that by sharing a fun fact related to her passion for tennis. While reading you will learn what working in a team means and feels like and when it comes to being a team leader as Kristina said: “Trust and authority are earned, not given.”
Pour yourself a tall glass of your favorite cold drink and enjoy Kristina’s interview! 🙂
You started with law, switched to journalism, got a degree in journalism and you became a programmer. Can you tell us more about your career journey?
Kristina: I’ve studied law for two years and realized I do not want to be unhappy or do something I don’t like every day until retirement. So I quit law and switched to journalism, which has been a passion of mine since high school. After I graduated, the political climate changed in our country and I ended up realizing asking questions as an independent journalist was not an easy thing to do in this kind of environment. At that moment, my brother came to me with this IT pre-qualification program that was funded by UNDP, I applied, passed the tests, and got into a 3 months frontend Bootcamp by BIT. I discovered a whole new world and fell in love with JavaScript and programming. Five years later, here I am at BlueGrid, working as an Associate Engineering Manager.
When it comes to reading, I know that you are the person to ask for a good book recommendation. Can you tell me how your love for books developed and if there is a connection between books and coding in your life?
Kristina: I was about seven years old and played chess with my grandfather. He beat me easily, to say the least, and when I asked him how come he is such a good chess player, he showed me this huge old book in Russian that contained drawings of a chess board. It was the biggest book I’ve seen and thought it contained all the secrets of the world in it. I got intrigued and I’ve been reading since then. I would say there is a connection because you have to be open-minded, patient, persistent and detail oriented when reading a book and coding.
As a team lead do you remember some of the most challenging situations that you experienced and what did you learn from them?
Kristina: There are a few things I’ve learned along the way. Not everyone will like you and that is fine, you have to know when to say “No”. Trust and authority are earned, not given.
I would like to ask you another team-related question – What do you enjoy about working in a team? What makes the team successful?
Kristina: I enjoy the team spirit and our Friday office gatherings.
It’s a complex question, so please bare with me 
- Develop and nurture trust among team members
- Act on what you say, but also listen and learn
- An environment that encourages challenge, questioning, and innovation, even mistakes, as long as they are learned from
- Clearly articulated what the goals/vision/purpose are, or needs to be.
- There is genuine team ownership and accountability, and the team celebrates success
Sports news! I heard from your team that you are an excellent tennis player. Any fun facts about tennis that you would like to share?
Kristina: Nowadays I watch tennis more than I play.
I remember Davis Cup 2010, we were playing against France (we won). In the deciding match between Viktor Troicki and Michael Llodra, after the match point, Viktor Troicki won, I gave a ball girl a Serbian flag, so our tennis players could sign it. I ended up having Lepa Brena’s autograph on top of theirs. If you’re wondering how Lepa Brena ended up there, she was sitting in a VIP lounge next to the court and when she saw the flag, she just couldn’t resist signing it! 🙂
When we started talking I asked you about your career journey. Can you tell us what is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says BlueGrid?
Kristina: People, Friday gatherings, and playing Fifa on PS4. 🙂
Thank you so much for your time, Kristina! I have one more question for you – Imagine that you are in a situation in which a person entering the IT industry asks you for advice. What would you say to that person?
Kristina: Work smart, be curious, be confident, be persistent and never give up. Even if you fail, learn from it and be better next time. And have fun along the way. Be kind to yourself and others as well.
