Our dear colleague Milica Aleksic is a software engineer who has been working in Badin for almost 5 years now. Also, she is a Tech Lead in Badin Soft with experience working on React and React Native apps. When she graduated from the Computer Science Faculty of Science and Mathematics, she started working in Badin as an intern.  

Early last month, she had the opportunity to be one of the 24 speakers at the React Native EU conference, and says it was a great experience. The topic of her talk was React developers in a wild world of native apps. A few days ago, we had a pleasant conversation in which Milica gave us more details about the event and her talk. Therefore, below you can read what Milica told us.

Last month, you had the opportunity to be one of the 24 speakers at the React Native EU conference. Can you tell us how it came about and what prompted you to sign up?

I follow conferences, especially for React and React Native. Conferences are a great place to learn and keep up with technology. I saw on Twitter that React Native EU is organizing an open call for speakers, and I registered my topic React developers in a wild world of native apps because I wanted to share my experience with others and to help developers who are also transitioning from web to mobile world. 

What could you tell us about the React Native EU conference? 

React Native EU is the first community conference in Europe that focuses exclusively on React Native. This conference is a great place where React Native developers can expand their knowledge, hear new ideas right from the Core Contributors and top leaders. Every September, since 2017, those interested have had the opportunity to participate and follow the RNEU conference. It has been held online for the last two years due to the situation with Covid-19. 

React Native is a relatively new mobile app framework. Why would you recommend it to colleagues? Can you tell us in a few sentences why it is well-received? 

React Native is a framework for developing cross-platform applications. It was created by Facebook and allows the development of cross-platform applications for mobile devices. Specifically, it is possible to develop fully functional applications for both iOS and the Android platform, in the shortest possible time, using only one programming language.  

We don’t need to have special native knowledge that will specifically create iOS and Android applications. With single-based code, we get a native-looking application for both iOS and Android. Also, it has great performance, fast development, and has a very large community. 

What are your impressions? Can you tell us what it all looked like from your perspective, what was your biggest challenge? 

I am thrilled to have been a part of a conference like React Native. It lasted for two days, and there were exceptional speakers with great topics. I was excited because I was attending the conference with such big names in the industry, and I was one of the speakers among them. I wanted to present myself and the company I work for as best I could. I am happy that in the end, everything went well. This conference is one great experience for me that I will never forget. 

What do the preparations for the conference look like? 

The topic I chose was React developers in the world of native applications. As someone who transitioned from the web to mobile apps, I wanted to share the challenges that I faced during the journey from React to React Native apps. 

Starting with React Native comes naturally for React developers, but there are some significant differences because mobile development is a different adventure. Besides sharing my experience, I pointed out some risks and challenges and how I overcame them. I also gave some advice on what people should pay attention to when switching to native applications. 

How did you feel that day? 

I had a little stage fright because this was my first time speaking at such a big conference. However, when it was all over when I saw that I got positive feedback and that people liked my presentation, I was happy because everything turned out as it should. 

Did those colleagues from work support you? What feedback did you get from them? 

I have to say that I have great colleagues. I had great support from them all the time before the conference and during the conference. They were all supportive, and I was happy that they liked my presentation. 

A couple of colleagues were with me in the office, we followed the conference together, and the others supported me online. Everyone later shared positive impressions. 

What advice would you give to younger colleagues who are at the beginning of their careers? What is it that they need to pay attention to or do to achieve their wishes and goals? 

I would tell them to believe in themselves and never stop learning. They should not be afraid of failure or mistakes because they will learn a lot from them because they are just part of the learning process. In the end, everything turns out good. 

During the conversation, Milica told us another interesting detail related to the conference. After the conference, in episode RNR 212 – React Native EU Roundup of React Native Radio podcast they ​​talk about what piqued their interest and what you should know about this React Native-focused conference. They also mentioned her talk there. This is certainly another ideal example from which Milica did a great job! 

After attending the React Native EU conference, Milica actively continued to participate in conferences. On October 5, we had the opportunity to hear her topic again on React Day New York Online. We are proud of Milica, and we can’t wait to see what her further plans are!