It's not easy being a small to medium IT firm in an extremely competitive world. There will always be a company that can out-bid you on money, comfort, or benefits. Engineers — good ones, at least — are people who don't lack money, who don't need movie nights on Wednesdays, or parachuting trips on their birthdays. So, what CAN you offer them?

So far, you've had the chance to read about our clients' experiences. This time, we wanted to give you something extra — a peek behind the curtain, if you will. A story based on real events, told from the perspective of someone with an in-depth view of life at BDIT.

What really drives engineers at BDIT?

This is a story about what we believe drives an engineer who's looking for a new opportunity — a job that will thrill them and challenge them.

BDIT started out working in big data. Today we offer a lot more than that, but back at the very beginning, few IT firms in Serbia were working in big data — a handful, here and there, mostly in Belgrade.

At the time, BDIT was just starting to invest in its branding and expansion. In those early years, there were about 5 engineers, sitting in an apartment, each with a laptop. There were no cinema Wednesdays, no Happy Hour Fridays, no lounging with a PS4 for hours on end. No fake corporate talk about being "one big happy family." No one expected you to go to dinner after work or make endless small talk in the kitchen — and yet, it felt right. For BDIT, what matters is that people love coming to the office. Not because they have to, but because it feels good to be there.

Less playtime, more challenges

Sure, some engineers would devote their whole life to work. But like most of us, they have family and friends, and it's essential for everyone to have the flexibility to use their time as they see fit.

Still, work is a huge part of all our lives. To an outsider who doesn't know or care much about this line of work, it might look like software engineers just sit in a chair, typing away at who-knows-what. But from an engineer's point of view, a good salary is something you come to expect. The real value and benefit of the job is learning, growing, and being challenged — working on different projects that push you out of your comfort zone and into a whirlpool of trials and challenges.

Freedom to speak your mind and be heard

Here's a little anecdote:

A few years ago, one of BDIT's employees came to Sinisa and said:

"Look, I feel like I could be doing more. I'm giving it 80% instead of 100%, and I don't think that's fair to anyone. I've noticed the project I'm working on isn't pushing me to learn anymore. I'm not progressing as much as I want to."

At most other companies, an employee might dread having that conversation with management, let alone the CEO. Not at BDIT. Sinisa started looking for a project that would suit the engineer better. The result? A project that made them want to give even more than 100% — working with a company from San Francisco, with all the latest technologies, learning and growing at a pace they'd previously only dreamed of.

Knowledgeable coworkers who'll help you grow

Another thing BDIT prides itself on is the caliber of the people who work together here — coworkers who are a goldmine of knowledge. Engineers often end up talking about things completely unrelated to their projects, and still walk away having learned something new. We like to foster that kind of inspiring environment, and it's another reason our employees enjoy working together as much as they do.

When you spend that much time working alongside someone, they need to be not just great at their job, but genuinely good people too. That's possible thanks to a careful selection process and a strong management team, who together with Sinisa, have a real knack for finding people who fit well with the rest of the team.

So, what truly matters to an engineer?

Reading through all of this, it becomes clearer what really matters. Not the salary, not free lunches, not a gaming room — for most engineers, it's being valued as an employee and as a person. Being recognized for their talents, and being heard when they need to be. Growing, learning, advancing, improving.

So, we'll end it with this: like any company, BDIT wants to grow and win new clients and projects. But we can say, as a matter of fact, that BDIT would never let its engineers stagnate or go unsatisfied.

It's one thing to talk about culture. It's another thing to actually live it.

And BDIT does.