At 50 generations of Intro in IT graduates: Anniversary interview with Alex, one of the first students
October 24, 2019
The lines of code written by 50 generations of students at Intro in IT have achieved amazing things. They gave courage. They inspired. They fulfilled the wish for a new beginning. Intro in IT is about the first step toward a new career. About the first step toward a better life. In the classrooms where mentors become partners to the students, there's inspiration, passion and challenges accepted. Alex, one of the first students of Intro in IT in Cluj, tells us more, as we talk with him 3 years after graduating from the educational program, in an anniversary interview.
Let's give him the floor!
1. You're part of the second generation of Intro in IT graduates. Can you say this course changed your life in any way?
Yes, I can say that. My experience at the Informal School of IT helped me realize that if you really want something, it's never too late to try. The Intro in IT course made me understand what an IT career means, both from the role of a programmer and from the role of a tester.
2. If you were now standing face to face with a student from the 52nd generation, what would you tell them?
Do your homework! Look into the things you don't fully understand and don't hesitate to ask questions. You took this step for a better future, so put in the work 🙂
3. Do you think Intro in IT is for…
Anyone who wants a professional change. I recommend it both to those who have no IT knowledge at all, and to those who have some basic knowledge in the field.
4. How was it for you? Why did you choose this course in 2016?
I was working at a multinational company as a Senior Mechanical Engineer, in an R&D department, a lab. The work wasn't hard, nor easy. I liked what I was doing, because I had quite a lot of freedom in choosing my projects and their timeline. But after more than 6 years in engineering, I started thinking about the next steps in my engineering career and I realized something: that I'd plateau professionally. Around that time, I heard about the Informal School of IT on TV. I talked to my wife and we decided to give this path a try.
5. What were the mentors you met here, at the Informal School of IT, like?
Amazing. Warm, open, passionate. People who are very well prepared professionally, with the ability to share their know-how, built up over years of hands-on experience.
6. How and when did the story with IT begin?
It all started in 9th grade. I had gotten my first computer from my father, a freshly retired work laptop. On good days, it was the equivalent of a Pentium 586. One evening, I was working on a computer science assignment. I was learning TurboPascal and had gotten a floppy disk from the teacher. I told myself to try the assignment's solution directly on the computer, since the school didn't have a computer lab. I was absolutely fascinated by the first time my code compiled.
At the Baccalaureate exam, I was among the few who chose Computer Science instead of Physical Education as an elective subject. I had always hoped to end up in IT. I went to college in Bucharest, at the Polytechnic University.
I wanted to enroll in Automation and Computer Science, but I wasn't prepared enough, and competition was fierce. I chose Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, a specialization where I still had some contact with IT.
7. Today you're in IT, a Software Developer at a well-known company. Do you remember the thought you went home with after your first Intro in IT course session?
Absolutely! It reminded me of the feeling I had for the first time in 11th grade, when I wrote a working program for the first time. My first thought was: this is where I belong, "I still got it!". Intro in IT is about that, about the first steps. I took the next ones myself, learning C#, in the .NET Development course. Today I'm a Software Developer, working on the backend in C#, at a well-known IT company.
