I get once in a while – more often than not – requests from family and friends who want that I employ their relatives who live in Kosova, North-Macedonia, Albania or Serbia.
The position doesn’t matter to them – important for them is just that “they work something…”
In most cases, those are 16-20 year young boys or girls with almost no experience in anything and just expect to get everything ready served.
How I help and then decide who really deserves the help.
I meet ‘Xhepa’ and talk to him in person to understand where he stands.
- What books did you read recently?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your goals?
- What do you want to become?
In most cases, I get very unclear answers and none of them reads – instead, they waste 10 hours daily on their smartphones.
Pretty sad, but come on, they’re still young and who am I to judge them – I didn’t know better myself…
So, that’s the starting point, and ‘Xhepa’ says he wants to become an engineer (because he heard that’s good and they make a lot of money).
So, what I do and what you can do in a similar situation:
- Create a Gmail account (because some of them don’t even have that or don’t know their logins… true story)
- Create an Udemy account + download the app on their smartphone
- Get some free classes on programming for super beginners
- Create an account on babble or Duolingo so that they can improve their English skills (needed to learn on Udemy)
- I send then an email from the new Gmail account to my own email (Just a short “Hi”)
- Then I agree that they will send me their progress by email.
- After 2 weeks I ask regarding the progress that they made in learning English and programming.
Normally I either don’t get an answer or there is no progress at all.
It’s sad – but that’s part of the Balkan mentality I experienced in my own circle.
They look for the easy way, and even if you show them exactly what to do and what to learn, to start that new path – they won’t.
In such cases – I close the case and wish them good luck.
In 10 years since I am doing business in Kosova, I have had only one successful family member that I helped and is still working with me:

Vigan Myrtaj
He started as an intern an MIK Group, became a graphic designer, later ‘Head of Design, then changed to my other business dua.com, where he is currently the Head of Web & Graphic Design.