Meet Sam: a machine learning expert enabling the next generation of technologists

Mentorship is a key part of life at WiseTech. We encourage our people to connect with mentors who can offer guidance, share knowledge, and inspire growth, both professionally and personally.

Sam Obradovic, Senior Software Engineer at WiseTech, embraced the opportunity to mentor young talent - building new skills and expanding his own impact through helping others.

Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, Sam moved to Australia in 2022 and joined WiseTech soon after.

“I love living here, and I definitely see us living here for the long-term,” Sam shares.

We sat down with Sam to hear more about his career journey and find out why he believes mentorship is such a powerful tool for young professionals stepping into the tech industry.

Building the Earn & Learn program

After finishing the Rotation Program in his first three months, Sam was approached about plans to develop a program for high school leavers to launch their career in software engineering at WiseTech while they study at university.

Sam was excited about its potential and soon after he joined a team of software engineers and educators who worked together to turn the idea into a reality – known today as the Earn & Learn program, which welcomed its third cohort earlier this year.

He has also worked closely with Earn & Learn associates and their mentors to provide support and encouragement.

“I take care of the technical side - our team builds the platforms, creates content, and manages the backend systems,” Sam shares.

“I have also worked with both mentors and young people in the program. Having started as a beginner myself and later mentoring others, I understand the challenges they face.”

Nurturing high performers

The Earn & Learn program is intentionally designed to challenge young engineers.

“A lot of people in the program find it hard. But we do not lower the difficulty. We purposefully try to keep the difficulty high, while mentors provide clear structures to help them out as much as possible to reach those heights,” Sam shares.

Sam sees challenge as a necessary part of building both skill and confidence.

“When we give them the support that they need to overcome that difficulty… that’s what really prepares them for working in high-performing teams.”

Amplifying impact through mentorship

While Sam’s background is in machine learning, he’s always been driven by the idea of enabling others to do their best work.

“I care a lot about productivity. I had a moment where I realized I could never do the work of 100 people, but maybe I could help 100 people do their best work. This idea is something I keep in front of mind. I feel like I’m making a much bigger impact by enabling others,” he shares.

Sam believes mentoring is leadership in practice – on a smaller scale but based on the same principles.

“As Zubin [Appoo – WiseTech Global CEO] said recently, the best leaders are working on the same problems as their team, not just telling them what to do. You have to sit down with someone, spend an hour or two on the same problem, that’s how you actually help someone. Mentoring is exactly that,” he says.

Sam credits his experience as a mentor for balancing his strong technical skills.

“Mentoring requires patience and a completely different skillset from programming. I was always strong technically, and this role has really helped me develop and strengthen my soft skills.”

Embracing change and thinking at scale

Technology is evolving rapidly, and adaptability is essential. But Sam believes that Earn & Learn engineers are uniquely equipped to thrive in this environment.

“They’re already going through a big transition, from school to professional life, so they’re naturally more adaptable than others,” he explains.

Sam believes that scalability is a mindset that he’s learned from working at WiseTech and he passes on to others. “We teach young people to think broadly: ‘how can my work impact more people than just myself?’ Or ‘what if this solution had to work for 10 million users, not just 10?’ That’s how you prepare people to build things at scale.”

Invest in yourself and be curious

Sam enjoys reading and researching different topics in his personal time, as well as spending time outdoors.

“I enjoy learning across different fields such as biology, chemistry, engineering. I like going to parks, beaches, hiking and spending time with my wife,” he says.

When asked to share his most valuable advice for aspiring technologists, Sam encourages them to focus on improving in one area, which has a flow on effect.

“For me, I’ve found that being productive in one area gives you energy for others. When you apply yourself – whether it’s learning something new or taking on challenges at work – it builds momentum that carries over into everything else. The more you do, the more you’re able to accomplish.”