My brother played a crucial role in making me enrol in FSB. Not because he tried to talk me into studying mechanical engineering. On the contrary, he kept trying to talk me out of it. He would say how hard it was to study at FSB and that I would surely have rough time completing the study.

But the 3D models displayed on the screen of his computer during his studies made me more and more curious about the field. Of course, I did not follow his advice, and, of course, he was completely right. I have always been interested in engineering. My dad often speaks about how closely I would look at model railway points we used to play with at home. When he was young, my dad would often get engaged in car repair while my brother and I would be helping him. Mum was the one who taught us how to be neat, organized and enormously persistant.We started with our own inventions from an early age. So, once we designed a loom with our Lego building blocks because my Barbie dolls needed special clothing fabrics. We also made a wheelbarrow with a wheel made from firewood, fixed with two nails on both sides of the wheel. We also had some designer products, such as high-heeled shoes or crinoline dresses and corsets we made using only paper and half a liter of Drvofix (wood glue). When I was in high school I used to spend summers with my granny in the country. Everybody in the village heard about that girl who sand-papered and painted her grandma's rusted metal fence. On rainy days my grandma and I would read books or do handiworks. It was never boring.

Contrary to my brother's predictions, I had no problems with my obligations at the faculty. A big change in my perception of this profession and my whole mindset took place during and after completing the EGPR course (European Global Product Realisation Course). It was an ultimate test for me - to create something, to develop a product we knew nothing about, trying to meet a deadline and working in a multinational and multidiscipinary team. It was great to communicate with our colleagues coming from various universities, who were involved in different disciplines and possessed different kinds of knowledge. In addition, it was great to communicate with contractors from abroad. After having dealt with all the theory that I, honestly, didn't find very useful in practice, I realized that, however, I had good knowledge. I became especially aware of this fact when we started developing a real product. Although nobody believed that we would succeed in completing the task, it took us only three months to create a prototype. For the first time, our aim was not to get a good grade but to develop a product that meets all the requirements.

For me, studying was more than gaining knowledge and experience. I met my husband at the faculty. We have two children. What is really good about our marriage is that we do understand each other so well. Marko graduated in Medical design and is still concerned with linking engineering to medicine. He started his career as an engineer at Zrinski AG d.o.o. where he worked on the development of osteosynthesis implants. As from the very start he was more focused on fieldwork and spent a lot of time with doctors in operating theatres and on their congresses, his task often was to inform his colleagues in the development sector on the requirements in the field of medicine. Eventually, he became a product manager for osteosynthesis products in medicine and veterinary medicine. He again had to educate his colleagues in the development sector about the specific features and the way of using these products. The experience he gained linking engineering to medicine led him to 'sales'. So, he joined Medtronic Adriatic d.o.o., a company that sells high-tech neurosurgery and otorhinolaringology equipment and provides regular medical staff training programmes.

Today I am sure that studying at any other faculty would not have made me any happier. I am really grateful to professors teaching at my specialization for helping me get focused on the area that defined the first 10 years of my career – alternative model design. So, at Končar D&ST d.o.o. I left behind my models, currently used to design medium power transoformers with a wide range of power ratings. Owing to our research team, a new research department, primarily concerned with the development of computing methods for improving design in the SET Technical Department, was started. After having spent 10 years in a stable company such as Končar, I decided to take a risk and together with my husband start a company, which we called Simon Innotech. We develop and design high-tech products.The beginning is always the hardest. Still, we are both sure that, sooner or later, all our effort will pay off and our vision will come true.