I have been employed for 2.5 years at Logoteam as a European project manager. My professional path began during my undergraduate studies, when I was engaged in the marketing department of Novi list on ancillary jobs and the preparation of special projects. I stayed there until the end of my graduate studies, after which I was accepted as an intern in the Administrative Department for Regional Development, Infrastructure and Project Management of the Primorsko-goranska County. Since I completed the study program Economics of the European Union, I was immediately focused on activities related to the application and implementation of projects funded by EU funds. After completing the internship, I began working at the Parliament of Grobinšćina, where I spent a shorter period of time working on organization, implementation and promotion of local events. A competition for a European project manager at Logoteam d.o.o. soon followed, I applied and soon started working in my current job. In addition to leading EU projects, as an expert associate of the Faculty of Economics and Business for the last two years I teach European project management within the Career Week, while for the last three years I am engaged in the course Advanced Microeconomics where I teach Game Theory.

What particularly motivates me in my work is the wide range of activities and skills needed to successfully manage projects. It is a very dynamic area that sharpens analytical, communication, IT, entrepreneurial and creative abilities. I would especially like to point out that this is an area that includes certain components of areas outside the economic domain, such as law, ecology, etc. Project management is not a routine job, it is very responsible and requires a high level of conscientiousness. But all of the above corresponds to my analytical and research character, which is why I found myself in this job, and its dynamics motivate me to continuous learning and improvement.

Since I work in the field I studied, the theoretical knowledge acquired during my studies greatly facilitated the application of the acquired knowledge in practice. This is especially true for graduate studies, because the adopted material helped me a lot in preparing the state professional exam and better understanding of the entire system of functioning of the European Union from the highest to the lowest level, which is crucial in my work. Nevertheless, I would like to emphasize that working during my studies was of great importance for my professional development. Although it is a combination that requires a lot of time, sacrifice and will, in my case it turned out to be a winning combination, because I could immediately apply the knowledge I gained in college in practice, and on the other hand, the skills acquired in practice helped me in better understanding of the material in college. Therefore, I especially welcome the efforts of the Faculty of Economics and Business to improve the system of professional practice for students, because it will provide them with an insight into the functioning of the business world and will make it easier for them to enter the labor market.

I am glad that there is such a form of community that recognizes the potential of former students and thus strengthens ties with the economy. This is not an easy task, a large number of graduate economists graduate from the Faculty of Economics and Business each year and have yet to find their place in the business world. As a former student, I am especially glad that my work has been recognized through my participation in ALUMNI EFRI activities, because it is a great recognition when we are recognized by those who, in a way, created us. In this way, I also stayed up to date with events and changes at the Faculty, and I am happy to see numerous activities that improve both the study itself, but also cooperation with the economy. Here I would like to emphasize the organization of Career Week, in which students can really learn a lot about the functioning of the labor market, hear many experiences, gain insight into the functioning of several economic areas, and thus discover their business preferences.

I can only tell the current ALUMNI that it is important to be available to students who are interested in our field and who want to know more, because in this way we help them to replace the fear of entering the labor market with the will and motivation to work and acquire new knowledge and skills. which will one day make them successful business people. I would like to tell future ALUMNI members, ie current students, not to lose faith in themselves at any time and not to give up on obstacles. All beginnings are difficult, there will be moments when they will want to give up everything, but is better to make such situations motivate them to do their best and to rise even stronger, because such situations build self-confidence and strengthen business skills.