Johnny's WoW Factor: From Raiding Icecrown Citadel to Supercharging Flow Ninja's QA Processes

Nikola Nikolić is the leading QA Engineer at Flow Ninja. Nicknamed Džoni (Johnny), he has been in charge of our Quality Assurance team, which ensures all our projects are error-free.

But his road to Flow Ninja was somewhat bumpy.

Having attended a “technical” high school, Johnny’s official title was “road traffic technician.”

“I am not really a fan of driving, and my only option was to become a driving instructor,” said Johnny. A bumpy road, indeed, but not the one he’ll be willing to travel in the driver’s seat.

Yet, he had another passion in high school: coding. “I was an avid gamer, and my interest in coding followed.”

He admitted to being a World of Warcraft addict, where he perfected his English but also developed many other skills that helped him later when he joined Flow Ninja, including management, problem-solving, and collaboration.

“I wanted to study electronic engineering after high school, but my budget was limited. I decided to work part-time as an online ESL teacher to earn for college.”

Teaching English became a full-time job and his main focus for a few years. After that, he started working in a local factory in the quality control sector.

“I thought I landed a dream job, but I hated it. Plus, the salary was low.”

Luckily, Johnny found a way out — a reputable IT bootcamp. He got in and waved his factory days goodbye, opening a new chapter in his life. The one that brought him to Flow Ninja.

Nikola and Flow Ninja: A High-Quality Friendship

Johnny decided to become a QA professional. It seems all that he did and the skills he gained along the way led to him becoming what he is today: the World of Warcraft experience, ESL, and factory work.

“I already had some experience with coding. I’ve been watching YouTube videos and working alongside my best friend-turned-best man. This gave me an upper hand when I started learning about QA.”

Upon completing his QA education, Johnny had a chance to attend a Flow Ninja presentation. “I really liked that it was a young firm with plenty of room to grow.”

He and his five other colleagues from the QA course applied. Johnny was the only one to pass all the interview stages.

“The funny thing is: Tamara invited me to sign the contract and show me around the office. The plan was to see the working space, get acquainted with other team members, and then grab coffee with my friends in Niš. I ended up working a full shift on the very first day. I told my friends not to wait for me.”

Johnny was thrown in at the deep end, but he stayed above water. Moreover, he quickly rose through the ranks and became Flow Ninja’s QA lead in no time.

How’s It Going at Flow Ninja, Johnny?

“I was proclaimed employee of the month on my very first month. For the first time in my life, my work was recognized by others, and that felt great. That moment, I knew I wasn’t just an employee but a family member.”

Johnny created the QA process from scratch, and thanks to him, everyone saw significant improvement in the company. “I had a great time when I started working for Flow Ninja. I still do. When you have the right team beside you, anything is possible.”

A Round of Rapid-Fire Questions for Johnny

Johnny answered a couple of fun questions. 

What’s your favorite remote work location?

Leskovac, my hometown. Since we started with the hybrid work model, I have enjoyed working from a place where everything is within reach of my hand.

Which activity should everyone try?

Playing highly-competitive video games, such as World of Warcraft, Dota 2, or CS:GO. I believe these are truly important for developing a competitive spirit that can help you in life and work.

Which global attraction would you like to see?

Two things come to mind. First, I would like to visit the football World Cup or Champions League finals and experience the atmosphere where tens of thousands of people support their teams, chant, and have fun.

Second, like every other anime geek, I would like to visit Japan during the cherry blossom season in the spring. It’s one of the most impressive natural phenomena in the world.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be as an adult?

I am not sure. Like every gamer kid, my motivation and attention were all over the place. All I knew was that I wanted to do something with computers. Best case scenario: make a living by playing games. Of course, back in the day, that wasn’t possible, so coding was the next best thing.