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What is your career after ITMO University? Graduates tell

The first half of July is the time when most advanced students can relax: exams are over, and you can safely begin (or continue) to build a career - already as graduates. We decided to tell how this process is developing among graduates and students of ITMO University: under the cut of the story of combining work and study with benefit both for career growth and for evaluations.

/ Photo by Dean Hochman / CC

Work then and now: graduates tell


In preparing this material, we asked questions to graduates of the ITMO University over the years. Each of them has achieved heights in his profession, and they all began working at the university: someone from the first courses, and someone - already in graduate school.
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Roman Golovnya


Then: the operator of the brewery at the brewery [at the ITMO University are not only engaged in computer science and optics, but also the development of many other modern industries. For example - new technologies in the food industry]

Now: Director of the brewery. The task is timely production of high-quality products in the required volume and range with minimal costs. And all this should be safe.


Alexander Krupin


Then: system administrator

Now: “I work as a Scrum-master of a team that develops business logic in the database and creates Highload-modules of the system. I am involved in both workflow management and development. ”


Nikolay Babin


Then: an administrator at a coffee shop on night shifts, then a food industry mechanical engineer

Now: General Director of MIP Food Technologies and Equipment, the main task is to promote innovative developments of the University in the field of food technologies, from the idea to the finished product; attraction of financing.


Dmitry Ilyin


Then: an operator in a company specializing in laser metal cutting

Now: “At the moment I am working in a company engaged in metalworking, and more specifically in the manufacture of metal body products. In our production there are many different sections for each direction of metalworking. Lathe, milling, metalwork, frame and others.

I work as the head of the laser cutting area. Since this area in our production appeared with my arrival, I had to organize the work of the site from scratch. Recruitment and training of staff, the choice of new laser systems and the study of their capabilities and features, equipment repair: replacement of optical elements, laser alignment, selection of modes for cutting, etc. - all this was part of my duties "


Roman, Alexander, Nikolay and Dmitry told us about how they managed to combine work with study, what scientific achievements helped their careers, and how modern employers relate to graduates of ITMO University. For now, it’s about why at the ITMO University they believe that work and study do not interfere with each other:

Work and study: how to relate to the combination in high school?


In many universities, the issue of combining study and work is perceived rather negatively - it is believed that students should devote all their time to study, and work only distracts from it. The situation is different at ITMO University - Ksenia Sorbalay, an analyst at the ITMO University's Career Center, said that our university not only encourages work in the specialty, but also believes that it is a necessary element of the profession. Far from all practical tasks can be studied at the university - especially when it comes to such a rapidly developing field as IT:

According to statistics from the ITMO University Career Center, about 60% of children combine work and study. Despite the rather intensive and complex curriculum, students are increasingly aware of the need to put their theoretical knowledge into practice. As a rule, students begin their career at the end of the 2nd year, many of them already then think about going through the summer internship, which is a good opportunity to “pump” their knowledge and skills.

Despite the active policy of "advanced education", which our University carries out, unfortunately, the curriculum does not always keep up with the rapid development of society and technology, and therefore it is extremely important to instill in students the idea that "theory does not work without practice." And the necessary practical experience can be obtained only with the direct inclusion in the process and the solution of real technological problems.

- Ksenia Sorbalë

Graduates of the ITMO University confirm: it’s difficult to build a career while still studying, for example, they succeeded:

Whether you can study and work at the same time depends on various factors: employer, educational process, personal characteristics. If everything converges, then it is quite realistic to combine. I managed. I think about half of the guys from the stream worked. Someone - in the specialty, someone - no. Find a job that does not require much time, and at the same time associated with the specialty - perfect.

- Alexander Krupin

I worked all 5 years of training as an administrator in a coffee shop on night shifts, in my last year, in parallel with writing my diploma, I worked at a dairy as an apparatchik and a foreman. Of course, it is difficult to work and study, but with a due degree of interest, combination is possible. Of the 20 classmates worked in varying degrees during training about 10 people.

- Nikolay Babin

During the first work in my specialty, I simultaneously entered and studied in graduate school. Combining day work 5 through 2 and full-time graduate school is difficult, but quite realistic. True, after two years of study, I left the postgraduate school and only engaged in work. As far as I remember, in the last years of the university, and certainly in graduate school, most of my friends already worked. Combining if desired was quite realistic. True work was mostly part-time.

- Dmitry Ilyin

If the work does not interfere with learning, that is, of course, not bad. Much better when study and work complement each other. Graduates of ITMO University give examples of how they managed to integrate their success at work in the educational process:

The first job is more or less “by specialty” - a system administrator. I was then 22 years old, and I studied at the 4th year. It was my responsibility to help everyone with the solution of technical problems on employees' computers, as well as to engage in any corporate design - to draw mock-ups of promotional products in graphic editors.

Later, in my free time, I developed a utility program that integrated the two computer systems used in the company, which greatly simplified several workflows. I later wrote about the integration process in my master’s thesis.

- Alexander Krupin

[The first job in the specialty] - the operator of the brewhouse at the brewery. I was 23 years old, I was a graduate student. At this work, I controlled the process of brewing the wort. The process was almost completely automated - all control was carried out using a computer.

The work schedule allowed me to work and study in graduate school. My work, of course, helped my studies, since the topic of the thesis was close to brewing.

- Roman Golovnya

Mandatory practices: working out is not "for the sake of a tick"


There are compulsory practices in almost every university - some students perceive them as a tedious “practice”, which simply eats up a part of the already not very long summer holidays. We are trying to make the attitude to the summer practice different for the ITMO students - and for this, from the first introductory practice, which takes place in the second year, we try to introduce them to the work of large companies where you can start building a career before graduation.

Here are some of the companies where ITMO University students practice:


Every year the value of ITMO students in the labor market is growing, this is primarily due to the significant success of the University and the high quality of training. Because of this, competition among companies that are willing to take students to practice is quite high.

Recently, more and more large international companies, not only from IT, such as: Samsung, Siemens, Electrolux, P & G, Heineken, Coca-Cola, are interested in working closely with university in relation to the training of highly qualified personnel.

- Ksenia Sorbalë

Ksenia confirms: for many students, compulsory practices become not just a place of acquaintance with a particular company, but also a career start. “Job offer” on the basis of practice receives about 30% of students.

True, to get acquainted with how a particular company is organized, students of ITMO University can not only in practice - we hold a large number of events (career days, lectures of company representatives, etc.) that help students understand what they do this or that business, and understand where it will be more interesting for them to work. Well, if a student knows in advance where he wants to practice, the Student Career Center helps him:

We also support those students who find companies for internships on their own, coordinate documents, sign cooperation agreements. There are cases when students come to our Center with a request to help them practice in a certain company, then we contact the company, write a letter of recommendation, fully implement all the documentary support.

- Ksenia Sorbalë

In my last year at the university for pre-diploma practice I went to GOI, in the direction of holography. While working on the diploma, my supervisor introduced me to my future supervisor. In 2006, after defending a diploma, I got a job as an operator in an organization that was engaged in laser cutting of metal.

I was 23 years old. The duties included, in addition to work on the laser complex (installation of the modes necessary for high-quality metal cutting), also the adjustment and repair of the laser. Here the whole theory gained at the University came in handy. Thanks to the specialty and the knowledge gained, for 5 years of work in this organization, from the position of operator, I reached the position of chief engineer.

- Dmitry Ilyin

What employers think about ITMO University graduates


The victories of ITMO University at international competitions, getting into thematic ratings - all this leads to the fact that employers show considerable interest to the graduates of the University. Ksenia Sorbalay notes that not only Russian, but also international companies that are ready to fight for graduates are increasingly applying to ITMO University. Although, as Alexander Krupin rightly notes, one prestige of a university for successful employment will not be enough - you will have to confirm your high status in practice:

I think that the employer first of all looks at the work experience and how the applicant behaves during the interview, and only then at the university, which the applicant has graduated from.

- Alexander Krupin

On the other hand, there are areas in which a real struggle is being waged for graduates of the University:

The university prepares a number of unique specialists, for example, brewing specialists (about 6 people in total), who are extremely in demand in the labor market, and the situation is such that the demand for such specialists is 5 times greater than the supply (i.e. the real number of graduates from profile diploma).

- Ksenia Sorbalë

I can talk about employment in the food industry - yes, there are ITMO graduates at almost every food factory, and the diploma of our University is definitely an advantage.

- Nikolay Babin

What gives the University a future professional - in addition to theory


Unfortunately, theoretical knowledge alone is not enough to ensure a successful career start. Our graduates, for example, sometimes lack the so-called “soft skills”, which are extremely important when applying for a job.

Another direction in which, as Roman Golovnya notes, employer expectations do not always correspond to reality, these are “Lean” technologies. On the other hand, all the graduates who spoke with us noted that the University gave them not only a base for work, but also brought up the “ability to learn”, with which not a single question would become an unsolvable problem:

It all depends on the person who receives this knowledge. If you absorb all the information, knowing that it will be useful to you, the result will be much higher. When I studied at 2-4 courses, I did not think that I would go in my specialty. Therefore, many things are not treated as seriously as they should.

Then, faced with laser technology at work, I realized that there are gaps in knowledge. But the base that I received at the University made it possible to quickly and independently deal with all the problems.

- Dmitry Ilyin

At the time when I was studying, basic knowledge was given, as well as the ability to find solutions to many problems on my own. This is important to learn, and then you can work almost anywhere. The remaining skills are obtained in the course of solving problems.

- Alexander Krupin

In any case, graduate school has accelerated my career: analyzing results, finding root causes, abstract thinking, English, and finally presenting material - these are all necessary attributes of modern business.

- Roman Golovnya

About what else we tell on Habré:


Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/332824/

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