We present to you Kristijan Karanfilovski, an alumni student from the programming academy , who became an assistant at SEDC after completing his studies. Ambitious and dedicated to daily improvement, he is currently building the next successful group of students.

Below, an excerpt from our conversation with Kiko.

What made you enroll in the SEDC programming academy ?

The desire to change my career in a completely new direction was my main motivator to enroll in the academy . I have always had an interest in programming, so the academy was a logical and correct choice to take the first step towards achieving my goal.

How much time did you devote to learning outside of academy activities?

– Success is guaranteed if you dedicate yourself to studying outside of the time allotted for classes. I was maximally dedicated in continuously solving homework and projects assigned by our mentors, but equally dedicated to independent learning, research, practice and solving certain problems. I devoted a large part of my free time and weekends to upgrading and increasing my knowledge.

How did you come to be a mentor/assistant at the academy?

– The position of assistant at the programming academy was offered to me by SEDC before the end of the school year, and I accepted it at the same time. It is an excellent chance for a professional start in the profession, friendship and cooperation with colleagues and students, as well as additional motivation for every student who has ambitions to succeed, to have an open opportunity to get an assistant/mentor position.

How do you encourage students to learn more effectively/improve?

– The main key to a successful relationship between an assistant/mentor and a student is primarily successful communication outside of class and successful mutual interaction during class. Together with the mentor, we try to be there for the students for all their dilemmas, questions and ambiguities regarding the subject. I am available to students at any time to analyze their homework and ongoing projects, but it gives me the greatest pleasure when I praise them for the result they have achieved. I advise them to be persistent and patient in what they do, to have a clear goal and to step towards success slowly but surely.

What would you single out as the most interesting part of working with students?

– As a former student of the academy , it is interesting to see the moment when a student encounters a challenge and tries to overcome it while solving a similar task as I did when I was a student. But after a year it feels good to know the solution and to be able to help and guide him to get there.

Where do you upgrade yourself and learn new things every day?

– I consider working with students as a repetition and confirmation of my already acquired knowledge, but also as an employee of a software development company, I work on projects from which I daily draw new knowledge and new experiences that offer me career growth and development in the field.

Christian exemplifies the academic transformative power we foster at SEDC. Ambitious, dedicated to daily development, active in and out of class, he managed to make a career change in one year and grow from a student to an assistant.

If you share the same characteristics and have an interest in web design, take a look at what our Programming Academy has to offer.

At our academies, you learn practically, through real projects for companies, under the guidance of mentors proven in their fields.