I do not want to learn, I want ...

Looking around it seems that only lazy people today are not looking for a free programmer in their slender ranks. Here and there on the pages of the press variegated brands announce a massive appeal of developers of all stripes. But where to get them and what to do with them? Look Parallels under the cut.

In general, Parallels has been engaged in the training of engineers for more than 10 years on the basis of its own department of MIPT. In addition to it, there are curricula at the Higher School of Economics, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Tallinn Technical University and Malta University. A full-fledged academic program is implemented, including lectures, laboratory, research and research. The department has more than 600 graduates, some of whom work in Parallels and related companies. In other words, chic, glitter, beauty! Look just what kind of laboratory we have built for the new academic year on the basis of Bauman Moscow State Technical University.



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Why all this? How much is additional training for a modern programmer? And what should learn in the near future? All this is in the responses of the director of the academic programs of Parallels, Anton Dyaykin .



- How do you assess the level of educational programs of leading technical universities? Physical and Technical Institute, for example, or Bauman?
- The level of programs in the universities of the first line, to which, of course, we can include the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow State Technical University, Moscow State University, the Higher School of Economics, ITMO and another two or three universities that are heard very high. There is no point in poor student preparation. Graduates will not receive proper knowledge, will not be able to get a job in good companies, the authority of universities will be undermined. To say where to study is worse, where it is better, I would not, it all depends on the specific program and on specific people.

- Where and to what faculties does it make sense to enter today? What should learn?
- For example, the HSE has a computer science department. At the same time, there is a stereotype that this university trains only economists. This is not true. This is a large university that has retained its historical name, which binds it to the economy. I regularly visit this university, I meet teachers from MIPT, Baumanka, and even members of the Academy of Sciences. Traditionally, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow State Technical University named after Bauman feel confidently. Or take, for example, Innopolis. Education there is very expensive (Approx. "An average of 1.2 million rubles per year"). However, they find their audience. People who want to study in a comfortable environment, in a certain isolation, even if expensive, come there. Those. people who seek to focus on the activities that they are interested in, which is the main goal of their lives. In other words, each university has its own niche. If we talk about programs and directions, then computer science, AI, VR are very popular now.

- In your opinion, how long will this popularity of IT last?
- Maximum ten years.

- And then?
- Then all this will come to naught due to the fact that the work of programmers in the form in which it now exists will not be in demand. Machines will be able to handle the main array of tasks. It will require people who are able to clearly and correctly formulate tasks for the machine. Now there are some articles on this topic. In the future, the IT industry will require not so much the programmers themselves as people who combine humanitarian training and a mathematical base, logic, and high level programming skills. At the moment, such people have little demand. It’s generally accepted to divide people into techies and humanities scholars. In fact, with proper training, in children from an early age can develop both. I have often met people whom the school has identified in the humanities, but in reality they combined physics and lyrics. They are the ones who are able to carry other people along, to understand the technical side of any complex issue.

- Tell me why Parallels educational projects?
- The fact is that a company-developer in any direction occupies its own, rather isolated niche. There are no universal IT specialists. There are many specializations. People write software for Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, WEB, and so on. A narrow specialist is unlikely to be able to quickly and easily switch between directions. In this regard, each company has its own, rather specific tasks for training personnel already from the student's seat.

The motivation is simple, if we come to the university on the last courses and attract ordinary graduates to our ranks, we will have to invest time and money in their additional training. Second, the work of the programmer is very specific, at the intersection of creativity, mathematics and logic. This is a solution to the most complex and numerous tasks. A person, a high-class IT specialist, is an unusual person, in fact, possessing supernormal abilities. You can't just take it from somewhere and prepare it in a short time. Our activities in MIPT, Bauman Moscow State Technical University and other universities allow us to work with gifted children who have already passed the most severe selection. These are talented guys who are capable of performing very complex tasks, which is what we actually need. And already inside these universities, due to the fact that our educational program works, we choose and prepare from our gifted and talented people for our tasks those guys who are interesting to us. Probably, it would not be entirely correct to say so, but in fact, we choose the best of the best, those who are most suitable for us.

We start working from the third year when the student gets basic training. At the same time, Parallels coordinates its educational modules with teachers working in the first and second courses. Our program is more complex than the standard university program and requires some preliminary training. As a result, in the third year we come to those guys who are interested in working with us. We do not motivate anyone in addition with money, stories about transcendental perspectives. Students are attracted exclusively by our people and topics on which to work. After the second course, the student makes an informed choice. He either comes to us or chooses another direction. So we get motivated people. They are interested in doing what we do. Motivation is a key factor. If a person is motivated, it will be easier for him to perform even very complex tasks.

- How is everything going?
- When, for example, the guys come to our department, no one ever sets any conditions for them. Obligations after training remain in Parallels either. Our main task is to keep motivation. Those people who lose it usually go to other companies, while receiving excellent training from our mentor practitioners. Those who stay with us grow and develop within Parallels. Usually, people like the atmosphere in the company, they like people with whom they start working from the third year to the end of the master's program. By the way, among the leaders of Parallels a significant part are graduates of our department.

- You have a huge experience in the academic environment. At one time you taught at the HSE. By occupation, I often met and meet with students from different universities. What, in your opinion, are the weaknesses of modern students?
- As I said, in almost all universities with which we work, very tough selection. Students in most cases are bright, talented people. At the same time, if we talk about weaknesses, I would note the inability of some guys to focus on something for a long time. Universities are interested in students participating in various contests, championships and other competitions. So they won and won. This is a huge image component for the university. To solve such problems requires certain skills. Therefore, a part of educational programs is aimed at developing competitive skills. The guys are preparing to solve complex, but short-term tasks. This is how to teach a person to solve rebuses or math problems very quickly. If this continues for several years, then then this person is simply not interested in working on long-term and heavy topics. This is what we face today. Despite the presence of a seemingly definite base of specialists of interest to us, far from all of them are capable of a joint marathon.

- So what's the problem?
- Our company works with operating systems with very complex tasks, which sometimes takes from several months to several years to solve. For example, our main product, Parallels Desktop, is quite large and complex inside. Many works are associated with debugging and updating operating systems in accordance with the constant changes. These are hard and long-playing questions that need to be worked with in a quality and systematic way.

Not all developers are able to go the whole marathon at high speed without losing the quality of the product. This can be compared with the training of fighters in special units. Cross, obstacle course and sparring full contact. Remain the best of the best. Against this background, it is much easier to solve some short-term tasks, to see the result here and now. I wrote some program, a button appeared on the screen, the person enjoyed what he saw. In our case, large groups of programmers are working on large tasks for a long time. A release happens every six months and yes, this is an achievement. But before that, day after day, in small steps, you go to him in the company of the same ambitious and talented people as you do. This can not be done in a short time, can not be done in a week or even a month. Thus, the matter is not even in the professional training of students. In all the universities I have named, it is quite high. Speech, in the personal qualities of specific people.

- And how many of those who studied, but did not reach the end?
- This happens, but very rarely. In our groups, this almost does not happen?

- Why? Pull?
- Not. In the last issue there was a student-beneficiary who started well, but then lost interest in studying and now went on academic leave. This is an absolute exception to the rule. All the other guys who are selected by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, those who come to study there, still understand where they are going from school. They are very motivated. The guys are ready to work a lot. MIPT is a special university. It is also located separately from the urban environment. In fact, the campus, with its atmosphere conducive to the educational process.

- And do modern students differ from students of five or ten years ago?
- Of course. Say at the turn of the two thousand, many wanted to be bandits. There was even some kind of aura of heroism over the representatives of this category of citizens. Over time, even those who once fit the definition of "crime" want for their children a quality education in serious universities. This trend is noticeable in the whole country. Not everyone is able to fulfill their desires. Despite the fact that the USE facilitated the admission of talented children to universities. However, in order to meet the requirements of these educational institutions and study in them, you need to get basic training at school, but not everywhere it works. Generally speaking, if we take first-line university students, which I mentioned earlier, they are very motivated people, ready to study day and night. What they actually do.

- Are you talking about state employees or businessmen?
- About all. Now there is practically no difference between the budget and commerce. If we take Fiztech, then there are practically no paymen, if we take Baumanka, there are many of them, if HSE, there are a lot of them, with a huge number of state employees. In all of these universities, neither teachers nor educational programs do not divide students into payroll and state employees. Deduction and those and others for poor-quality development of curricula. So it makes no sense to strive there, if you do not plan properly and work very hard.

- As for the educational process itself?
- In fact, we can say that, coming to the company after graduating from a regular ordinary high school, a former student uses 20 percent of the knowledge given to him at the university. Everything else is practice. In the case of MIPT, everything is somewhat different. There is basic, academic training, for two years and then for two to four years - this is training at the basic department with a clear link to a specific direction, enterprise or company. Basic departments have a specialization aimed at training specialists demanded in these companies. This is a practice-oriented learning.

- In conclusion, I would like to ask who will be difficult in the basic department of Parallels?
- I will not say something new, I guess. People who are not ready to focus on the highest quality of their work will be unbearable. The second point that is worth paying attention to is the ability to work in a team. Many tasks require collective effort. It's like in football, the team needs stars, but even they without partners on the field are powerless. You will also need assiduity and the ability to work on something for a long time.

ZY You can read about the chair here .