Interview with the NIT Academy instructor Miodrag Djukic

Today we spoke to professor Miodrag Djukic, one of the instructors at NIT Academy who’s got more than ten years of experience in both industry and academia. Miodrag is an avid fan of programming languages, and his biggest passion is system software. More precisely, building software tools for embedded systems.

Miodrag teaches mostly courses related to C programming language at NIT Academy, but we didn't want to speak about the implementation of this knowledge in this interview. We wrote a specific article which will explain where is C++ used in the industry.

So, let's find out more about Miodrag’s and see why we are so proud to have teachers like him here at NIT Academy. We spoke to him about his education, his students, learning Chinese, and the advantages of enrolling in NIT Academy.  

 

Can you tell us something about your educational background?

 

I studied electrical and computer engineering at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, where I got my BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees. My PhD thesis in 2015 focused on the study of new compiler infrastructure solutions for embedded processors. Now I teach computer engineering classes at the same Faculty.

 

You have been working at the Faculty of Technical Sciences since 2007, and you are a meticulous teacher. What is it that you love about teaching? 

 

I wanted to get into teaching very early in my career, even before enrolling in the Faculty of Technical Sciences. When I was still a student, I was very thankful to my professors when I heard something new from them, understood it, and then that further information helped me look at things from a different perspective. I always loved that kind of learning, which truly inspired me to get into teaching. Now, I want to give my students the same learning experience. I care about my students, I think they enjoy my teaching methods, and I’m proud to have a good relationship with them. 

 

What is the most exciting project you worked on?

 

By far, the most exciting projects I worked on were compilers. I developed compilers for ten years, up until three or four years ago, and I never stopped finding it fun. Every programmer uses compilers inherently. However, they are hidden, and rarely anyone thinks about them, how they work and how their task is complex and consequential. So I usually talk to my students about it, and I bring their attention to the importance of compilers in computer systems.

What are compilers?

Computers only understand machine code (binary), but for programmers, it is much more convenient to express their programs in some other programming language (such as C/C++, Python, Java…) Compiler is a software tool for translating programs written in such programming language, into equivalent programs expressed in machine code. Once compiled (all in one go), the translated program file can then be directly used by the computer and is independently executable.

What would you say are your most significant interests nowadays?

 

I could say that programming languages and embedded software systems are my biggest interest nowadays and in general throughout my career. However, a niche that I enjoy is working on software tools, and I was lucky to learn from great experts. Novi Sad is one of the rare places in the world where software tools are developed and created, and there is a 35-year-long tradition here that nurtures this branch. The sub-department for Computer Engineering and Computer Communications at The Faculty of Technical Sciences works specifically on software tools, and most of the experts today learned the craft there when they were students and teachers.

 

We heard that you studied the Chinese language. Was that something that has helped you in your career? 

 

After my trip to India in 2000, I realized that Europeans are very close-minded regarding other non-Western cultures. That trip was really the turning point. Since then, I started learning about new cultures and their history. Eventually, it led me to Chinese culture and language. I started learning Chinese 9 years ago, and I inspired a few other people to learn it. As a result, my PhD mentor at the Faculty of Technical Sciences is now fluent in Chinese. We have successfully cooperated with East China Normal University in Shanghai thanks to this knowledge.

 

You are someone with experience in both industry and academia. Why do you think that’s important nowadays, especially knowing that you are one of the instructors at NIT Academy?

 

Knowledge is the essence of quality education, especially in our industry. The IT industry is young, and we don’t have precise branches and fields like older industries. This leads to a significant problem - students at universities gain overall knowledge that is certainly helpful but never enough. When students start working, they quickly realize that they need more specialized courses and advanced education to keep up with the industry. Because of this, we need people with excellent traditional education and rich industry experience. 

 

What makes courses at NIT Academy stand out from the competition? What is our most significant advantage?

 

I risk sounding pretentious, but I genuinely believe that we don’t have competition at all. When we talk about the knowledge and experience of our teachers and the way our courses are designed, I guarantee that there is nothing similar on the market. A PhD professor teaches every course we have, and they also design the course curriculums. Our most significant advantage is that we offer crucial knowledge and hands-on experience to enable anyone to start working on new projects immediately after completing our course.

 

We want to thank professor Miodrag Djukic for talking to us and giving us an inspirational interview. If you have any questions about Miodrag’s courses you can take here at NIT Academy, more precisely Basics of C++, Modern C++, and Advanced C, contact him at miodrag.djukic@nit-institute.com.