I discovered my passion for programming at high school. Immersed in Bucky Roberts’ Java tutorials on YouTube, I soon found myself building my first simple games and applications.
Bachelor’s in Informatics
Afterward, I applied to the University of Žilina in Slovakia (UNIZA) to become a Bachelor of Informatics. Tackling the introduction to computing algorithms, object-oriented programming, database systems, software modeling, probability and statistics, data science, and basics of economics, I finished my Bachelor’s in Informatics with a self-made project on a web-blogging platform for fans of aviation. It was during my studies when I got accepted for my first internship at PosAm.
Master of Computing Science
I enrolled for my Master’s degree at the UNIZA, too. After beginning, I made the decision to expand my horizons and leave my comfort zone. With that in mind, I applied for the Distributed Systems and Software Engineering Master’s programme at the University of Groningen (RUG).
People often ask me how I came to pick RUG. The answer? It was rated high-quality and the programme intrigued me. Moreover, it was English-taught, and it didn’t break the bank for me as an EU citizen.
During my studies in Groningen, I learned a lot: not only about distributed systems, but most importantly about academic research in computing science, alongside the sustainability electives I took. I completed my second internship at ASML, in addition to a mandatory internship project with PosAm. Passing all my courses, I was searching for a company to collaborate with on my Master thesis. It turned out that my sustainability courses paid off, as I found an internship at TNO where I’m researching dynamic AI code optimization for sustainability.
However, my biggest takeaway from university life by far is the people I met. Learning to collaborate on advanced projects with individuals from every part of the world has been challenging, but finding meaningful connections and experiences with these people from cultures vastly different to mine has also been deeply rewarding.