IT education in Russia: reality or myth?
Today, the phrase IT technology has become so fashionable and often used that even the president, who has always been famous for conservatism and seemingly fundamental unwillingness to follow what is happening in the country, promotes them as the basis of the country's future. After all, according to him, without them there will be no production, no good education and nothing good at all. This, of course, is all right, but there is another side to the coin. And is there anyone to introduce and maintain these technologies? Who will develop them?
To do this, there should be a good educational base that has been debugged over the years and is able to bring to the market specialists who can compete on a par with European ones.
Being a student of two universities (first one, and then the second), I want to share with you my learning experience in both of them. And to great happiness it turned out that one of them belongs to the European school, and the other to the Soviet. Therefore, the desire to compare them becomes even stronger.
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The first university in which I happened to study was the Higher School of Economics. I admit honestly, I studied there not at the most complex department - Business Informatics. I liked it because it covers a wide area of disciplines and after it you can work in almost any direction from system administration to managing project development and, in fact, programming. Yes, you will not become a developer of iron after this faculty, but it is not necessary for an overwhelming number of IT specialists.
Education at this university takes place according to the European system, so you study there for 4 years and then either go to magistracy or go to work in the specialty. Here I would like to make a small lyrical digression. In Europe, people go to the magistracy, who then plan to do computer science, while in Russia, almost everyone is crammed into the magistracy, considering it a necessity. Why a person who will be engaged in the development of software, I need to go to the magistracy, I can not understand. It is better to go get a second degree. It will be more useful and more effective.
Also, the year there consists of 5 modules and after each module, the training is monitored - exams and tests, which, by the way, are also evaluated and their assessment affects the scholarship. They are rated on a 10-point scale. Also there is a rating that also affects the scholarship and gives you certain advantages. Well, I will not even talk about the constant intermediate control of education, which results in at least one control on the subject in a week.
In general, they load it over the ears so that you do not even have time to breathe, not to think. At the same time, they still hope that you will study something beyond the program. In fact, I don’t know how in other faculties, but at BI the program was not particularly complicated. They drove there on each control in almost the same examples, which were not very different from each other. Hence, comparing all the facts, you come to the conclusion that the tower, in particular, and the European system, in general, teaches endurance, patience and diligence. She teaches for a long time to perform monotonous and tedious work.
Finally I would like to say about the teachers. They teach there, honestly, so-so. Programming there consists of parsing ready-made examples, and the controls are actually a duplication of these very examples, only with modified variables. The seminars are conducted either by the leaders of some incomprehensible companies, for which the websites do not normally work, or by graduate students who themselves do not really understand anything. And all the lectures that are read there, in fact, duplication of textbooks. But there is one thing. These tutorials are very good. They really teach the subject and teach at a very good level. Most of them are foreign textbooks translated into Russian, but sometimes there are also Russian copies.
The first year in the tower went well. But since I was working, and there was a catastrophic lack of time for almost anything, and problems had already begun in the university itself, I decided to transfer myself. I want to say I did it with not very great desire, but there was no choice.
New University chose carefully. I wanted a famous university, with a good base in need of me area and with the possibility of employment at the end of training. In the end, the choice was between three universities: MEPI, Moscow State University and ... RPU named after G.V. Plekhanov. Yes, the choice of the last university may seem strange. But after weighing all the pros and cons, talking to people studying at these universities, he came to the conclusion that you should not discard this university. As it turned out, in spite of everything but, there is a pretty good base there, and there are mainly teachers who have completed a degree in MSU. As a result, after thinking, I came to the conclusion that the best choice for me would be Reu with his computer science department. This faculty is actually the same BI.
After studying for FI for 2 years, I can share my impressions about the university and the faculty. From the first day of training, the absence of load and the ease of the material taught were evident. Also confused some unnecessary items, such as history. Why I need it at the Faculty of Informatics, I still can not understand. At first, I even thought about transferring somewhere to myths or something like that. As a result, I came to the conclusion that the same eggs were there, only in profile, and remained.
Well, in the second semester, interesting subjects began. Mathematics became interesting and with each week it became more and more difficult and interesting, programming was also taught at a very good level. And most importantly, it was passed from the basics - algorithms. And initially there were several languages, not in a single amount. By itself, the level of code that we wrote was below the baseboard, but for the first course it will completely come down.
The learning process is standard. 2 sessions per year, you study for 5 years (although now the faculty has introduced a baccalaureate and a modular system, but in fact nothing has changed much), tests are set off by the credit system, and exams are graded on a 5-point scale. I want to note that if you went to all classes and at least did something, then you are well provided for in the exam. And it does not matter whether you understand the subject or not.
They teach there surprisingly well. Even more. Still, for what I love Soviet universities, it is for the redundancy of knowledge and for a good level of teaching. Still, I love a complete understanding of the subject, and not a superficial study to solve only the necessary tasks that will be needed at work.
True knowledge of it froze there at the level of the 90-2000s. This is a huge minus, but still the basics there are very serious, up to modulation of signals and things like that, and if you study them further, you can become an excellent expert in your field.
In general, I would now like to take stock of all that was said above. I don’t dare to single out for each school the advantages and disadvantages, you can do it yourself. Therefore, I will write only the features.
European School (on the example of HSE):
- high study load;
- modular training system with a 10-point grading system (including credits);
- a good level of learning control;
- training on the quick solution of similar tasks;
- release of hardworking specialists;
- more practice is given;
- theinability to choose what is needed and what is not due to a little free time;
Soviet school (on the example of the REU them GVPlehanova):
- low study load
- standard for Russia training system (2 sessions, 5 point grading system);
- learning control depends only on the teacher;
- knowledge that hangs somewhere in 90 it;
- more theory is given;
- A lot of free time.
Well, now it's time to answer the main question: is it possible to get a normal high-quality IT education in Russia? My answer is yes. And, if desired, no less quality than in leading foreign universities. And it doesn't even matter which university to study. Study in more detail the topics that cause at least some interest or, in your opinion, you will need in the future. Take the best of everything that you meet (from courses to textbooks). Try to get a job in the specialty from the third year (for example, as a junior programmer in some large company, now it’s quite possible to get there), so that by the end of the graduation it will be a more or less established specialist. And the most important thing is never to stop learning, otherwise you risk hopelessly falling behind in time, which can be fatal.
To do this, there should be a good educational base that has been debugged over the years and is able to bring to the market specialists who can compete on a par with European ones.
Being a student of two universities (first one, and then the second), I want to share with you my learning experience in both of them. And to great happiness it turned out that one of them belongs to the European school, and the other to the Soviet. Therefore, the desire to compare them becomes even stronger.
')
№1. HSE.
The first university in which I happened to study was the Higher School of Economics. I admit honestly, I studied there not at the most complex department - Business Informatics. I liked it because it covers a wide area of disciplines and after it you can work in almost any direction from system administration to managing project development and, in fact, programming. Yes, you will not become a developer of iron after this faculty, but it is not necessary for an overwhelming number of IT specialists.
Education at this university takes place according to the European system, so you study there for 4 years and then either go to magistracy or go to work in the specialty. Here I would like to make a small lyrical digression. In Europe, people go to the magistracy, who then plan to do computer science, while in Russia, almost everyone is crammed into the magistracy, considering it a necessity. Why a person who will be engaged in the development of software, I need to go to the magistracy, I can not understand. It is better to go get a second degree. It will be more useful and more effective.
Also, the year there consists of 5 modules and after each module, the training is monitored - exams and tests, which, by the way, are also evaluated and their assessment affects the scholarship. They are rated on a 10-point scale. Also there is a rating that also affects the scholarship and gives you certain advantages. Well, I will not even talk about the constant intermediate control of education, which results in at least one control on the subject in a week.
In general, they load it over the ears so that you do not even have time to breathe, not to think. At the same time, they still hope that you will study something beyond the program. In fact, I don’t know how in other faculties, but at BI the program was not particularly complicated. They drove there on each control in almost the same examples, which were not very different from each other. Hence, comparing all the facts, you come to the conclusion that the tower, in particular, and the European system, in general, teaches endurance, patience and diligence. She teaches for a long time to perform monotonous and tedious work.
Finally I would like to say about the teachers. They teach there, honestly, so-so. Programming there consists of parsing ready-made examples, and the controls are actually a duplication of these very examples, only with modified variables. The seminars are conducted either by the leaders of some incomprehensible companies, for which the websites do not normally work, or by graduate students who themselves do not really understand anything. And all the lectures that are read there, in fact, duplication of textbooks. But there is one thing. These tutorials are very good. They really teach the subject and teach at a very good level. Most of them are foreign textbooks translated into Russian, but sometimes there are also Russian copies.
№2. RGU.
The first year in the tower went well. But since I was working, and there was a catastrophic lack of time for almost anything, and problems had already begun in the university itself, I decided to transfer myself. I want to say I did it with not very great desire, but there was no choice.
New University chose carefully. I wanted a famous university, with a good base in need of me area and with the possibility of employment at the end of training. In the end, the choice was between three universities: MEPI, Moscow State University and ... RPU named after G.V. Plekhanov. Yes, the choice of the last university may seem strange. But after weighing all the pros and cons, talking to people studying at these universities, he came to the conclusion that you should not discard this university. As it turned out, in spite of everything but, there is a pretty good base there, and there are mainly teachers who have completed a degree in MSU. As a result, after thinking, I came to the conclusion that the best choice for me would be Reu with his computer science department. This faculty is actually the same BI.
After studying for FI for 2 years, I can share my impressions about the university and the faculty. From the first day of training, the absence of load and the ease of the material taught were evident. Also confused some unnecessary items, such as history. Why I need it at the Faculty of Informatics, I still can not understand. At first, I even thought about transferring somewhere to myths or something like that. As a result, I came to the conclusion that the same eggs were there, only in profile, and remained.
Well, in the second semester, interesting subjects began. Mathematics became interesting and with each week it became more and more difficult and interesting, programming was also taught at a very good level. And most importantly, it was passed from the basics - algorithms. And initially there were several languages, not in a single amount. By itself, the level of code that we wrote was below the baseboard, but for the first course it will completely come down.
The learning process is standard. 2 sessions per year, you study for 5 years (although now the faculty has introduced a baccalaureate and a modular system, but in fact nothing has changed much), tests are set off by the credit system, and exams are graded on a 5-point scale. I want to note that if you went to all classes and at least did something, then you are well provided for in the exam. And it does not matter whether you understand the subject or not.
They teach there surprisingly well. Even more. Still, for what I love Soviet universities, it is for the redundancy of knowledge and for a good level of teaching. Still, I love a complete understanding of the subject, and not a superficial study to solve only the necessary tasks that will be needed at work.
True knowledge of it froze there at the level of the 90-2000s. This is a huge minus, but still the basics there are very serious, up to modulation of signals and things like that, and if you study them further, you can become an excellent expert in your field.
Findings.
In general, I would now like to take stock of all that was said above. I don’t dare to single out for each school the advantages and disadvantages, you can do it yourself. Therefore, I will write only the features.
European School (on the example of HSE):
- high study load;
- modular training system with a 10-point grading system (including credits);
- a good level of learning control;
- training on the quick solution of similar tasks;
- release of hardworking specialists;
- more practice is given;
- the
Soviet school (on the example of the REU them GVPlehanova):
- low study load
- standard for Russia training system (2 sessions, 5 point grading system);
- learning control depends only on the teacher;
- knowledge that hangs somewhere in 90 it;
- more theory is given;
- A lot of free time.
Well, now it's time to answer the main question: is it possible to get a normal high-quality IT education in Russia? My answer is yes. And, if desired, no less quality than in leading foreign universities. And it doesn't even matter which university to study. Study in more detail the topics that cause at least some interest or, in your opinion, you will need in the future. Take the best of everything that you meet (from courses to textbooks). Try to get a job in the specialty from the third year (for example, as a junior programmer in some large company, now it’s quite possible to get there), so that by the end of the graduation it will be a more or less established specialist. And the most important thing is never to stop learning, otherwise you risk hopelessly falling behind in time, which can be fatal.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/137126/
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