Mateo Perčić joined the 14 Oranges team at the beginning of May 2023. Mateo initially impressed me with his solid grasp of mobile development. His desire to learn and grow confirmed he would be a good fit here at 14 Oranges.

But there’s more to Mateo than just his coding skills. Mateo has an interesting story that brought him to join our team earlier this year.

The Journey to Canada

Mateo’s story begins in Croatia, where he embarked on a life-changing journey to Canada.
“I wanted a change, to experience life in a bigger city, and explore North America,” Mateo explained.

When I asked why he chose Canada over our neighbours down south, Mateo replied with a grin, “The States just seemed a bit too hectic for me.”

I think Mateo has definitely adjusted well to life on the West Coast and truly embraces all that his new home has to offer. He told me he loves that he can live in a big city but is still close to everything nature has to offer.

“I once went on a morning hike while there was still snow on the ground. And then in the afternoon, I went to the beach to enjoy the sunset. There aren’t many places in the world where you can do both on the same day” he shared.

Discovering 14 Oranges

Mateo discovered 14 Oranges through a LinkedIn job post and when I asked him what drew him to our company he explained, “I was applying to various opportunities because the job market was tough. What attracted me to 14 Oranges was the small company feel, which reminded me of my previous workplace. I felt it would be a good fit.”

His last job had a team of about 40 people, with his team consisting of five to six individuals. Mateo appreciates the dynamic nature of smaller companies.

“I’m not a fan of big corporate environments. In a small company, you’re more involved, and your voice matters. You can discuss things, and there’s a chance for change. In big corporations, you usually receive tasks to do, and that’s it.”

A Bright Future

The opportunity for our employees to actually have a say and make an impact is something that is very important at 14 Oranges, so I think Mateo has landed in a place where he can thrive. So far, it’s been fun to see how Mateo tackles the inevitable challenges that come with this job. He is meticulous about adapting new code to fit with existing code in a seamless way.

“That is the most challenging part, but it gives me the opportunity to learn from the code that people who worked on things before me.” Mateo said.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Mateo continues to grow and contribute to the team in the coming months and years. If you’re interested in a dynamic and rewarding career in web development, check out the 14 Oranges Careers page for our open positions.

Sylvain Marcotte is CEO and President of 14 Oranges.