Veljko from Užice worked in America for 13 years, then had a bright idea: He returned to Serbia and created a free app that strengthens Serbian identity!
Veljko Miljanić (46) from Užice lived and worked as a software engineer in America for 13 years, and then had the idea to create a free app for learning the Serbian alphabet. After that, he made the decision to move back to Serbia and raise his three children in his homeland!
He spent just as long working on the development of the app itself, which is intended for children aged four to seven, and into which a great deal of effort was invested. The idea was born after the Church of Saint Sava in Seattle, where he lived with his family, organised a Serbian language school, which was a significant event for Serbs in Seattle.
Important for Serbian children around the world
“My two daughters started attending that school and I thought how convenient it would be to find an app where they could learn. At that moment there were only a few apps, very basic ones, and I couldn’t find anything that would really suit them. I saw the need to create something meaningful for all Serbian children around the world, but also in Serbia. This is important for preserving our cultural identity, because Cyrillic is the primary Serbian script and is generally significant for our culture. It really did seem like a good opportunity,” Miljanić explains for Kurir.
He set high standards and aimed to match English-language learning apps developed by serious companies.
“The development lasted three years, with breaks, because there was also the move, so it stretched out. It wasn’t simple at all; it took time because the app itself is at a high level. I wanted attractive graphics, professionally recorded voice-overs — all of that is actually quite demanding,” he tells us.
Veljko invested €1,500 in the app and its development, while the biggest cost was the time he put into it.
“During that time I could have been earning a salary, but I felt this was important and needed to be done. I did the best I could. There may be around ten apps intended for learning the alphabet and Cyrillic, but this is the only truly serious one,” Miljanić says proudly.
The app “Učimo azbuku” aims to help children learn Serbian Cyrillic through play, both reading and writing. It consists of a variety of mini-games and tasks that include letter recognition, letter writing, identifying the initial letter in a word, connecting letters into words, and reading and writing words.
Free and accessible
Users are generally satisfied, says Veljko.
“I often receive great comments, and I especially love hearing feedback from children. They like it and ask their parents to play, while at the same time learning; many of them are also curious about what’s at the end of the map. I’m happy with the reactions and I think this is a successful project. The idea was for it to be accessible and free so that as many users as possible could play and learn. I wanted people to see that someone is willing to do something high-quality for their own people — that was my goal. My children like it; my youngest daughter played it, and through the app she learned the alphabet,” emphasised Miljanić, who returned to Serbia three years ago after 13 years working in the IT sector in America.
He decided to return to his homeland because of his family and friends, and he has no regrets.
“It was important to me to raise and educate my children in Serbia, and on the other hand, our parents are getting older and need care, but also want to see their grandchildren. I see myself here in retirement. Many people are returning; it’s not a rare case. As far as income is concerned, I was satisfied there, and I’m satisfied here as well, because salaries in the software industry are good,” he says.
He adds that there are greater opportunities for career advancement in large companies in America, but that objective considerations tipped the balance for him and his wife to move with their children to Belgrade.