Imagine this: you are a second-year student, already working full-time, developing your own private project, and sitting in the same room with founders of fintech unicorns and investors investing millions. Sounds like a scene from an American movie? No – this is my reality at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management (ZŠEM).
When I enrolled at ZŠEM, I expected an above-average economics education. What I got was something far more powerful: a university that literally pushes me out of the classroom and into the real business world. The program is structured in a way that immediately turns theory into practice – not “one day,” but right now. Every course, every assignment, and every business simulation feels like preparation for real decisions in real companies. Because of that, today, while working and simultaneously running my own project, I make decisions faster, more confidently, and with far less fear of making mistakes.
But what really caught my attention were the events that ZŠEM actively brings in front of us as students. The Money Motion conference was my first big “wow” moment. I was sitting in a hall full of experts from Revolut, N26, and leading Croatian fintech companies when I realized: this is not a lecture, this is a live laboratory of the future of finance. I walked away with a bunch of ideas that I immediately applied to my own project.
Then came Zagreb Slush’D – a place where, in a single day, you can shake hands with founders who were “just students” like me three years ago, and are now closing funding rounds worth several million euros. That’s where I first saw what a real startup mindset looks like: fast, bold, and without excuses. That feeling stayed with me and still pushes me to take my project one step further.
When I followed the Eureka International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, I realized that ideas alone are not enough – you need to know how to pitch them, defend them in front of mentors and global partners. That competition gave me a roadmap: from idea to market in just a few months. And that is exactly the roadmap I am using today.
The most concrete connection between university and the job market for me, however, is Student Future Day. There, you don’t just receive brochures – you get 15-minute conversations with HR managers from major companies who openly tell you what they are looking for. I left with three concrete contacts, one of which has already turned into a potential internship opportunity. That’s not “networking.” That’s a fast track to a job.
Because of everything mentioned above, ZŠEM is not just a university for me – it is my personal accelerator. And what excites me the most is yet to come: international exchanges. I am already planning a semester abroad because I know it will give me that final, global dimension that this university strongly supports.
If you are looking for a university where you won’t just study, but will already live as a young professional during your studies – ZŠEM is the right choice. I realized that as early as my second year. And I wouldn’t change it for anything.
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Roko Režić, a ZSEM student and co-founder of Trader, is building an app changing how traders learn.
Benjamin Koljanin on combining an MBA with a career abroad and expanding his professional perspective.
Enrino Škiljan is a ZSEM student who develops his entrepreneurial ambitions through AI projects.