This is the hardest page to write – something about myself. Something interesting and relevant ?

Well then, since you’re here already, hi ??! My name is Denis, and I am a Croatian based developer. In the past, I used to say that I’m a failed physicist. But the more accurate description is that I’m a physicist that decided not to pursue the lure of science.
Still love it tho.
It’s not like Neil DeGrasse Tyson makes it seem. Sure stars and the universe are fun, but writing long equations and racking your brain figuring out many dimensions is less fun. Except for the occasional AHA™️ moments :D I do enjoy these still. But in a different field.

Some five+ years ago, after graduation, I decided that I’m going to be a big playa and work in a bank and make bunch of moneyz ?
Turns out, nobody wants to hire you when you don’t have job experience. Pfft. Lousy job experience (in Homer Simpson’s voice).

So I looked elsewhere. Since I had some experience with web development, I applied for a WordPress developer job. I never touched WordPress before. But since it was a startup, and I’m a quick learner, I got the job. I learned a lot about WordPress and it’s community during that time. I even started talking at meetups. And then I got a big break at Infinum.

Much to my surprise, they needed a WordPress engineer. I solved the task, aced the interview, and got the job. That was back in April 2017. Now I have my own small business trade. I focus on the backend code (for the most part). I love to push myself further, so I read a lot and try to apply all that interesting knowledge to my projects.

When I’m not working for clients, I like to work on open-source projects. I’m a member of the coding standards team. I try to (whenever I find the time), help better the coding part of WordPress. I used to work on the Theme Sniffer plugin, but I kinda have a lot on my plate. One of the focus I’d like to see through is moving the review from Trac to GitHub. Again, with everything I need more time.

I guess the main problem I have is having all these interesting things that I’d like to do, but don’t have the time. I’m trying to figure out how to make a day last 48hrs. That would definitely help ?.

I’m also organizing meetups at Zagreb WordPress meetup. I hope that I’ll be able to organize a WordCamp one day. We planned on having one in 2020, but… yeah… 2020.

I love the WordPress community, which is why I love to help and contribute any way I can. Part of having this blog (besides self-promotion of course) is helping out. It’s a small way of giving back to the best community on the planet. Writing tutorials was a great way to challenge myself, and learn new things. Plus I kinda like to write, so it seemed like a good fit.

As I’ve mentioned, these days I’m all about backend PHP – applying clean code and SOLID principles, writing tests. Trying hard to work TDD into WordPress, which is a struggle. Learning new things like Symfony and Laravel (both are awesome frameworks). Working with AWS, and other lovely services.

When I’m not coding – and it sounds like that’s all I do – I’m usually either on my bike or in nature. I also LOVE to travel and hike. There is something calming about being in nature. I’ll share some photos below. There are tons of them, and it’s hard to pick because they all bring back nice memories.

I’ve started this blog back in 2016, and at the time I only wrote about WordPress. With this new redesign, I plan to write more. Not only about WordPress or programming but about anything that comes to mind. I kinda think that it’s good to have a place you can express your thoughts. And this little corner of the web is mine :)

If you’re interested in my work feel free to check my social networks and my GitHub profile:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/made_by_denis
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-%C5%BEoljom/
GitHub: https://github.com/dingo-d
WordPress profile: https://profiles.wordpress.org/dingo_d/

Have fun coding!