While most first-year students are still getting used to university life, 19-year-old Đorđe Petrović is already juggling far more than lectures and exams.
Petrović, who studies International Business at Corvinus University of Budapest, has lived in the city for five years. Although he has only just begun his studies, Budapest is no longer new to him. What surprises people, he says, is not that he studies in English or lives abroad — but the workload he carries behind the scenes.
Alongside maintaining a solid GPA, he is currently working three jobs, including a position as Business Development Manager at VBP. The pace is demanding, and much of the pressure remains unseen.
In a recent reflection shared online, Petrović wrote that the hardest part is not what others assume. “The real pressure is invisible,” he noted, pointing to the discipline required to show up every day and stay consistent when no one is watching.
His post drew attention from professionals as well. Vladimir B. Petrović commented that the endurance built during such periods often becomes a defining advantage later in international business, especially when high performance must be sustained under pressure.
For Petrović, this phase is less about appearing successful and more about building habits that last. As he begins his university journey, he speaks not of ease, but of discipline — and of moving forward step by step.
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