Getting the chance to study in the Czech Republic, as well as the scholarship, was a challenging, year-and-a-half-long process. First, Andrei had to go through a selection process and an interview at the Czech embassy in Chișinău. Then he needed to get approval from the Czech Ministry of Education, and after that, he had to fulfil the admission requirements of Masaryk University.
In the end, his efforts paid off, and last September Andrei enrolled in the Visual Informatics master's degree programme, with a specialization in computer game development. To be able to study in English, he had to take language courses for several months before arriving in the Czech Republic.
“It was a very challenging period and a lot of hard work, but I was highly motivated. I wanted to move to the Czech Republic mainly because I was attracted to working in IT. Brno is the perfect place to start. There are a lot of IT companies here and also a large international community of students,” says Andrei, explaining why he chose Brno.
We do cool things at school
After arriving at Masaryk University he still had to work hard. He did not have a bachelor's degree in IT but in economics and cybernetics. The first two semesters at the Faculty of Informatics were therefore demanding, and he needed to study many things on his own, especially complicated subjects like mathematics.
Mathematics and programming subjects are not among his favourites, but those focused on graphics, computer animation, and 3D modelling are. He also has a lot of experience in these areas, having worked for two years as a graphic designer for an e-shop and an advertising agency, where he worked for over 100 national and international companies.
“Studying at the Faculty of Informatics is something completely different and new. We do cool things in school, and we work on diverse projects. It's interesting stuff that I enjoy. In the previous two semesters, we created computer games. One I programmed all by myself, and the other one we did in a team of three. That was a great experience,” Andrei explains.
Three weeks ago, Andrei started working full-time as a graphic designer at the Brno branch of Kyndryl, which was spun-off of IBM IT infrastructure services. There he works on a variety of tasks, from preparing posters to creating videos and animations. His job there is recognized by the faculty as a one-month internship, a requirement for completing his degree at MU.
Because of his job, the end of his studies at MU will be more challenging than he expected. “All of my free time will now probably be spent on my thesis and preparing for the state exams. But I am where I have wanted to be for many years. And it was definitely worth all the effort. Brno and the university are much better than I expected,” adds Andrei.
See some of Andrei's work:
