Our today’s hero is Oleg Ivanenko. He successfully completed the summer BAS (Become a Support Engineer) program and now is working for the PortaOne team.
– Oleg, how did you find out about our BAS program?
I just got a message on the Telegram channel of my university. I am a student of the Chernigov Polytechnic, “cyber security” specialty.
– Did you have any relevant knowledge at that time?
Actually I had no experience at all. It was February 2021, and I had just finished my first year. But I did various online courses (basic Linux, networks, Cybernetics, basic programming). It was mainly theory, but I had no practical skills.
– What did you expect from the internship program? What were your goals?
First of all, I wanted to do something unusual during my summer vacation, as they say to do something useful. That’s why I planned to get my first work experience and put theory into practice.
– What are your impressions of the program?
It was fantastic: I learned something new every day. I really liked the mash-ups, some kind of final test. These are practical tasks that are close to the real tasks. You need to apply the logic and the knowledge, also to know how sort out information and to find the one that can help achieve the result.
– How much time did you have to spend on the program? (We don’t use the word “training” here because our BAS students receive formal employment.)
Every day I spent 4 hours at Zoom-meetings. After the class I did my homework and revised the material I learned. Self-study was not mandatory , but I needed it. The more you work, the more you get.
– What turned out to be the most challenging?
The SIP-course. I had encountered most of the topics previously, but this was the first time I saw the SIP protocol. But little difficulties only inspire me, because I was testing my abilities and learning new things.
Tell me, what was the communication with supervisors like?
We had two groups of interns, a morning group (9:00 – 13:00) and an evening group (14:00 – 18:00), and each group had its own supervisor. I worked in the morning group supervised by Khyzhniak Andrii. He is an easy and pleasant guy to work with. He is really good at explaining complex things in a simple way illustrating everything with examples. It was extraordinary!
– Did the course live up to your expectations?
Yes, absolutely. It was the most exciting and productive summer of my life. I fulfilled all my goals , and now I work with a wonderful team of PortaOne.
– What do you want to advise our future students? What do you need to do to have a successful career? And what can you tell those who are afraid to apply for the program?
As strange as it may sound, but for successful completion of the program you need only your diligence. In the classroom listen carefully to the mentor. Ask questions, if there is something you don’t understand. And I really recommend revising the material on your own.
Applying for the course is not easy and it can change your future.
