{"id":78096,"date":"2022-06-08T18:53:05","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T16:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/ne-krahet-e-teknologjise\/"},"modified":"2022-06-22T09:36:49","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T07:36:49","slug":"riding-on-technologys-wings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/riding-on-technologys-wings\/","title":{"rendered":"Riding on technology&#8217;s wings"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"78096\" class=\"elementor elementor-78096 elementor-77116\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-174eafb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"174eafb\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fa685db\" data-id=\"fa685db\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4ac3c9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a4ac3c9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Riding on technology's wings\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-03870cb elementor-fixed elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"03870cb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_position&quot;:&quot;fixed&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div 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icl_lang_sel_native\">ENG<\/span><\/a>\n\n\t\t\t<ul class=\"wpml-ls-sub-menu\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"icl-sq wpml-ls-slot-shortcode_actions wpml-ls-item wpml-ls-item-sq wpml-ls-first-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\" class=\"wpml-ls-link\" target=\"_blank\">\n                            <span class=\"wpml-ls-native icl_lang_sel_native\" lang=\"sq\">SHQ<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"icl-sr wpml-ls-slot-shortcode_actions wpml-ls-item wpml-ls-item-sr wpml-ls-last-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/sr\/\" class=\"wpml-ls-link\" target=\"_blank\">\n                            <span class=\"wpml-ls-native icl_lang_sel_native\" lang=\"sr\">B\/C\/S<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-585bc40 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"585bc40\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7eb8147\" data-id=\"7eb8147\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a319a50 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a319a50\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1024\" height=\"378\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/feature-cut-monograph-technology-1.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-77160\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d8b85c0 elementor-widget__width-auto elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d8b85c0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-small\">How Kosovo's digitally <br>skilled youth find <br>\nopportunity abroad, <br>\nfrom home.<\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fb27418 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fb27418\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f9b8c7c\" data-id=\"f9b8c7c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9039592 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9039592\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Af\u00ebrdita&#8217;s father was in his mid-twent<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ies, roughly the age she is now, he w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as in Stuttgart, Germany, working any job he could find. A native of Bardh i Madh, a village near Prishtina, he had come of age in the early 1990s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/from-the-archive-blog\/2019\/mar\/20\/how-milosevic-stripped-kosovos-autonomy-archive-1989\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at <u>a place and time<\/u><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when bei<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ng a young Albanian man <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">meant that your chances of making a decent living were grim.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An electrician by training, he was left with few choices but to flee his home and seek work abroad in order to improve the living conditions of his family in Kosovo. His early career trajectory resembles that of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/25790125\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><u>hundreds of thousands<\/u><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> o<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">f Kosovar Albanian m<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">en during that decade who were forced by<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the oppressive Milo\u0161evi\u0107 regime to migrate to the European Union (EU) or elsewhere i<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n order to find work.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are still <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.monitor.al\/vetem-per-dy-muaj-mbi-120-mije-qytetare-te-kosoves-aplikojne-per-viza-te-punes\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><u>large numbers of Kosovars<\/u><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> today who plan to leave the country, fleeing not oppression but dismal job prospects. Whether as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kallxo.com\/lajm\/mbi-60-mjeke-jane-larguar-per-tre-muaj-shtetit-i-kerkohet-te-mos-e-injoroje-kete-dukuri\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><u>doctors<\/u><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, engineers, construction workers, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.evropaelire.org\/a\/ikja-nga-kosova-e-infermiereve-\/31768422.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nurses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, cooks or students, those who leave hope for a more prosperous future elsewhere.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the rise of remote work worldwide means that though Kosovars still <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Kosovo2.0\/videos\/1840646612613814\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><u>cannot travel abroad freely<\/u><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, there are more opportunities than ever for them to access global markets and jobs. A growing number of young workers in Kosovo have been making use of these digital avenues that allow them to make a decent living from home, at least for the time being.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We talked to four of them \u2014 each one at various points engaged in online freelance work \u2014\u00a0 about the choices that led to their current careers, their reflections on the changing nature of online work, and how the ongoing shift fits with their visions of tomorrow.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-40806a8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"40806a8\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-064a8ac\" data-id=\"064a8ac\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-93a74fa elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"93a74fa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Cracking the code\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deciding w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hat to study after high school, Af<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00ebrdita had on<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e guiding principle: pick something with &#8220;a little bit more perspective.&#8221; Now a freelance software engineer working with partners in Germany, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">she remembers when as a teenager she first heard about the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> computer science department at the University of Prishtina and tho<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ught, &#8220;Okay, as lo<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ng as it&#8217;s in high demand, I have to get in so I can find work.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She&#8217;s been working as a freelancer since early <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2022, after<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> more than six years of experience with three different software companies, one of them Swiss and the other two U.S.-based with offices in Pr<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ishtina. The wealth gap between Kosovo and richer countries makes Kosovar tech professionals attractive for outsourcers who can pay these workers less than local standards in their own country, but significantly more than local standards in Kosovo.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was during the p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">andemic, when <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Af\u00ebrdita<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was working from home as a software engineer and team leader for a company based in Chicago, tha<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">t she first thought of giving freelan<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ce work a shot.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I noticed that while working from home, I had time to do other activities that I couldn&#8217;t do before when I was still going to the office,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And I think that&#8217;s when it occurred to me that working from home and having a lot of flexibility are some of the things that my profession can offer me.&#8221; She started responding to companies that were contacting her on LinkedIn and Xi<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ng, online professional networking platforms.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ff413a5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ff413a5\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b98b66e\" data-id=\"b98b66e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-02a9968 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"02a9968\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/MG_5924.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-77124\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Alma Feka decided to continue working independently until a better opportunity came along.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6dcc781 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6dcc781\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bf63579\" data-id=\"bf63579\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a8be82f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a8be82f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What presented an initial challenge for Af\u00ebrdita was figuring out the legal and administrative side of things, which she did with the help of other freelance workers in the programming community. &#8220;In terms of taxes, I registered an individual business where I am the only employee since this was the advice I heard from everyone doing something similar,&#8221; she explained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So far, she can&#8217;t think of a downside to her freelance work. For one thing, she says her income is much better than at any of her previous jobs, while she feels that she is freer to spend her time however she sees fit. &#8220;I decide when it&#8217;s time to complete my tasks and I can more or less organize my work around my life, around the other things I want to do,&#8221; she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Something else that&#8217;s different from before is the sense of ownership she feels in performing her day-to-day work. &#8220;You also feel ownership when you&#8217;re working as part of a team in a company, you don&#8217;t have to be working alone to feel it, but this is one of the first times that it&#8217;s happening for me,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I feel prouder with what I do \u2014 it&#8217;s quite fulfilling and it motivates me to work harder.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-faa7f2e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"faa7f2e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-75ebda9\" data-id=\"75ebda9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-22a46d5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"22a46d5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Writing her own ticket<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s that search for purpose that motivated Alma Feka to sign up on the freelancing website Upwork after she finished her master&#8217;s degree in management and informatics some years ago. Now working as a digital and innovatio<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n executive at a budding digital publishing company in Kosovo, the 27-year-old&#8217;s work history is a testament to her eagerness to wear many hats (she wore a gray beanie when we met).\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her first job was at the private university where she was doing her bachelor&#8217;s degree in information syst<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ems. The un<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">iversity was offering the degree for the first time that year, so she decided to try <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">it out and it went well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I actually became a teaching assistant, unofficially. They called me a tutor since I hadn&#8217;t finished my degree yet, but I stepped in for my professors and did everything else a teaching assistant does,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But the job in itself wasn&#8217;t that amazing. There was a lot of commuting and the whole work process was a bit disorganized. I also wasn&#8217;t satisfied with my pay.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She took a gap year after getting her bachelor&#8217;s degree, during which time she says she was fully invested in writing the script of a video game she was making with her brother. Then while doing her master&#8217;s, she worked as a German language teacher for some months, but soon felt that job was not fulfilling her broadening interests. Around that time, ads began to show up on her online feeds about Upwork and then &#8220;one thing led to another.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-af0d43f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"af0d43f\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-08278a0\" data-id=\"08278a0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6292ed8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6292ed8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Contracts<\/h4><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many digital freelancers in Kosovo don&#8217;t work under long-term contracts and don&#8217;t have the protections they would provide. That means their international employers often don&#8217;t cover tax or pension contributions.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While some work in this informal manner, others have aligned their work with local laws. Some register themselves as a company with a single employee, themself, at the Administration of Taxes of Kosovo (ATK) and pay their own taxes. Others link up with newly found companies that take care of these obligations in return for a monthly fee. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1c32b29 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1c32b29\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-335d8f6\" data-id=\"335d8f6\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-71b1a0b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"71b1a0b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Setting up an account was complicat<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ed because K<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">osovo is <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.digitalkosovo.org\/status\/paypal\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not integrated<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the online payment service Paypal. Once she crossed that barrier, using &#8220;credit cards and documents and whatnot,&#8221; she continued working as a freelance copywriter a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd translator for<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> four years.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her clients from the U.S., Canada, Germany and elsewhere seemed to like her work, so she decided to keep working as a freelancer &#8220;until something better comes along.&#8221;\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When two opportunities came along after four years into her freelancing career, she had a difficult choice to make. One was at the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (AKI), where she applied for an open position and passed the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> first test, a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd the other at a growing tech start-up where she went for an interview as a copywriter.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I was in a dilemma. Should I go for AKI, [where I can get] a secure job working for the state, or do I want to continue with this other journey that might turn out more creative and fulfilling?&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She went for the tech start-up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c2ed1f2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c2ed1f2\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9e521bc\" data-id=\"9e521bc\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e714a2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e714a2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Connecting the dots<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arvan Berisha, 29, started working in the marketing industry when he was a 19-year-old student of graphic design at the University of Prishtina. In the next few years he switched agencies as he was learning the craft, until at the age of 24 he won a grant from the Kosovo Cinematography Center <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to create an animated movie and decided to focus all of his attention on the film.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;That project was like plunging into the river when you don&#8217;t know how to swim \u2014 so I had to learn how to swim and my project lasted five years,&#8221; he said. &#8220;My budget was spent because I ha<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">d asked for less than I [needed], so I started taking on work as a freelancer quite spontaneously.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From then on he didn&#8217;t think of going ba<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ck to working for someone else bec<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ause, &#8220;I was earning more than anywhere I had worked before, or even than other people who might have been doing a better job than me but were working at a company rather than freelancing.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His plan was to target local marketing agencies, many of which he had cooperated with previously as part of a team. His already established network along with his skills led him to projects that were beneficial not only materially, but offered him creative freedom and the satisfaction that comes from professional quality. &#8220;Clients used to call me and ask for my solution,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It was perfect, the exact opposite of what designers usually complain about.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arvan attributes aspects of his success to good fortune; he started his first job in what he calls the &#8220;cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me&#8221; of marketing a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gencies. He also considers himself lucky to h<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ave as his profession a grown-up version of what he used to do since he was a little kid: draw on any <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">surface he had in front of him.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In his freelance work he was able to tap into a niche market that boosted his prospects. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I think I sensed in the market an area that no one had covered until then. They call it alegria illustrations, the visual communication that digital companies started, Facebook first and then the others,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;I caught it [at the right time] and then the demand for that style of communication started growing, so agencies kept offering me projects I was so happy to work on.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-650ba06 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"650ba06\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e8de868\" data-id=\"e8de868\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ca6258 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4ca6258\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AvranBerisha.002-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-78397\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AvranBerisha.002-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AvranBerisha.002-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AvranBerisha.002-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AvranBerisha.002-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AvranBerisha.002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AvranBerisha.002-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AvranBerisha.002-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AvranBerisha.002-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Arvan said that his self-esteem grew when he saw that he can also work with internationals.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-eba7127 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"eba7127\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-72ea500\" data-id=\"72ea500\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-23e5d37 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"23e5d37\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At 26 he accepted an offer from an agency in Norway to cooperate on longer-term design projects as a remote freelance worker. It was going alright at first, working with them while also engaging in projects with other clie<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nts locally, that is, until life gave him <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a lesson on setting boundaries.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;My self-esteem increased when I saw that I can also work inter<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nationally, but [then my client] decided to bre<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ak the contract, all because I got in too deep,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I got too ambitious and didn&#8217;t know how to organize my work, didn&#8217;t know how to say no to anyone and then got lost in that dynamic.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While he still <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">feels regret about losing a job that paid so well with relatively little stress, thi<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ngs are turning out okay regardless. For a couple of years he continued working with local agencies, until 2020 when the creative social media platform Behance, where he showcases his work, cre<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ated a new feature to be able to apply directly for jobs. Th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at&#8217;s how he connected with two clients, in Sweden and Singapore, with which he signed long-term contracts. The individual business he created in 2018 to be able to conduct his freelance work legally has now turned into an agency employing another two young designers who are gathering work experience like <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arvan did in his turn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This type of learning by doing seems extra useful for you<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ng professionals in creative fields, where traditional methods of higher education have trouble keeping up with innovations in the sector.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8c7e509 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8c7e509\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-42af2fb\" data-id=\"42af2fb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ec7e484 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ec7e484\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Back to the drawing board<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illustrator and animator Edvin Susuri first decided to give freelancing a go in his<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> early twenties <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">after wo<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rking for a year as a full-time unpaid intern and then four months of paid work at a design agency. During his initial attempt at freelancing he said he &#8220;successfully failed&#8221; because of a whole set of reasons, chiefly his lack of experience and network.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Nobody knew me \u2014 I was the new guy and not many people trusted me with the job because I was very young,&#8221; he said, reflecting back after a number of years. &#8220;I continued for almost half a year because I did get some jobs initially but since I didn&#8217;t know how contracts work, I never wrote them and relied on word of mouth, which is quite a bad thing because you need to have at least an invoice but I didn&#8217;t have an individual business or anything.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He refers to the whole stint as a mistake born out of inexperience, but thinks it&#8217;s good that it happened when it did because it gave him a chance to push himself to get better at his job technically, but also at the social and practical aspects of work. &#8220;For the next six or seven years,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I went back to being employed by others during which time I learned a lot of things and [got rid of] that ego you tend to have at a young age where you think &#8216;I&#8217;m the best,&#8217; because I got humbled by people who were much better.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-dd62fd4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"dd62fd4\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d6e2082\" data-id=\"d6e2082\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-57a62cb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"57a62cb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Youth unemployment<\/h4><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe, and this age cohort has some of the highest unemployment rates. Roughly 48% of Kosovars ages 15-24 are unemployed, as are 31% of those 25-34. Unemployed Kosovars in the 15-24 age range make up a third of the country&#8217;s unemployed people.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While many of the Kosovars doing well in the online international freelance sector are young, this work is only suitable for people with a specific skill set. Many unemployed young Kosovars don&#8217;t have the technical skills or abilities to get work in the digital realm and must contend with a grim local job market.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a96013d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a96013d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-59361cb\" data-id=\"59361cb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c7ffea6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c7ffea6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During that time he worked with a number of people in the industry, which helped him with connections once he returned to freelancing last year. This sort of professional networking over the years helped Edvin find new work and clients, which has been especially helpful given that he doesn\u2019t have an online portfolio for prospective clients to peruse.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;It&#8217;s weird because [an online portfolio] is necessary,&#8221; he<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> admitted. &#8220;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have to do it soon, I can&#8217;t keep going just with the people who know me because I have to find new clients, new wo<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rk\u2026 When you&#8217;re a freelancer you need that extra push.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He got an extra push at the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> end of last year, when an acquaintance put him in contact with a tech company in Miami that was looking for an artist to create the visuals for a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFT), digital art products tied to blockchain technology, that they could give as gifts to people who invested in the company. Edvin accepted their offer even though he hadn&#8217;t worked on NFTs <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before and didn&#8217;t know how they worked.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using the same analogy as Arvan, he explains the process as learning how to swim after being thrown into deep water. &#8220;I learned as I went along and ended up generating an NFT collection,&#8221; he said. Since the NFT collectible characters he created were not meant to be sold by the client in Miami, he got paid just once, rather than receiving a royalty payment each time an NFT is sold, as many artists for NFTs try to have their contracts stipulate.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I talked to some people who are more involved with crypto stuff and they told me, &#8216;okay, let&#8217;s create a team: you find another artist to create them, then let&#8217;s make a lot and sell them,'&#8221; he said. Their NFTs went live and started selling in January 2022 and he has been happy with the results, though global sales of NFTs have declined precipitously in the last few months.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But he\u2019s hopeful that his artistic labors will continue to reap rewards. In the meanwhile he&#8217;s enjoying the process of creative growth and the new skills he&#8217;s learning along with other artists in his circle.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-96b703c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"96b703c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4465cfd\" data-id=\"4465cfd\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67f85b6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"67f85b6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/EdvinSusuri.003.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-77127\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">During his initial attempt at freelancing Ervin said he \"successfully failed\" because of a whole host of reasons.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bf8148a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bf8148a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e62ee44\" data-id=\"e62ee44\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a009f1f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a009f1f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>What&#8217;s waiting in the wings<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All four of these professionals call on the same language when describing the aspects of freelance work in the digital sphere that appeal most to them. Independence, good pay, flexibility, creative freedom, a strong sense of ownership a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd a huge potential for growth ar<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e one side of the coin \u2014 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a lack of stability and the potential for isolation and burnout on the other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, whether they&#8217;re relatively new to it like Af\u00ebrdita and Edvin or well-versed like Alma and Arv<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an, they&#8217;ve all been making use of digital freelancing as a springboard to realize their individual goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Alma, freelancing offered a steady income and the opportunity to develop a wide array of professional skills, which she used to figure out what she enjoys doing and cultivate the skills needed for seeking conventional employment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But working from 10 to 6 everyday on a fixed schedule has some costs; some days she&#8217;s too tired after work to pursue personal interests, like the blog she recently started. But on those <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">days she reminds herself that her job is a stepping stone.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I see work as a tool to achieve more in life,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I always think that I might not be in this company my whole life, so I try to extract all the knowledge I can and to apply it in my personal projects and generally in life.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Edvin, the first stint of freelancing years ago offered him lessons in humbleness and the value of experience. This time around it&#8217;s helping him explore with an open mind brand-new technologies while he pushes himself to get out of his creative comfort zone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I&#8217;ve never dealt with crypto before so [this recent] experience is eye-opening and the best thing is that I found a lot of good artists I normally wouldn&#8217;t have and I found inspiration in them,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I can&#8217;t think of anything negative about the whole experience.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arva<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n is now trying to make the most of his new role as the leader of a creative team competing on the global market. &#8220;I<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> think this is the way to go from now on, not as a freelancer but as an agency providing services to digital companies because they have the potential to grow and you can grow with them.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As for Af\u00ebrdita, she is taking some time to settle into working with a new set of people before taking on new projects to challenge herself and grow professionally. As a self-described people-person, one of the things she likes most in her work as a freelancer is that she gets to collaborate with people from diverse cultures, which she sees as an opportunity for personal growth as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, that&#8217;s one of the main reasons why she&#8217;s decided to continue her journey in Germany, in a city further north than the one from where her dad returned almost 30 years ago. Unlike him, she&#8217;s not going out of a need for safety and security but for self-actualization.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bcd3dff elementor-widget__width-auto elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bcd3dff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"background-color:#FFFB00\">AUTHOR: Tring\u00eb Sokoli<\/span><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1751121 elementor-widget__width-auto elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1751121\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"background-color:#FFFB00\">photography: Ferdi limani\/K2.0<\/span><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bab2c0d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bab2c0d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1f0c6ac\" data-id=\"1f0c6ac\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-74ede9a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"74ede9a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/monographs\/sweat\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"background-color:#000\">return to monograph<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Riding on technology&#8217;s wings ENG SHQ B\/C\/S How Kosovo&#8217;s digitally skilled youth find opportunity abroad, from home. When Af\u00ebrdita&#8217;s father&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":604,"featured_media":77146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[1196],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78096"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/604"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78096"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78402,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78096\/revisions\/78402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}