In 2020, I graduated from high school with a humanities profile, specifically in journalism. However, in my third year, the local TV station shut down. I was surprised, as I considered my cooperation with the journalists there to be very valuable and positive. Greetings to the whole team behind TVDG at that time ;).

That was when I started to wonder what to do next, and since programming had been my hobby since elementary school, I decided to try my hand in this field. I chose to study computer science, which I started in 2020. What a time it was! Pandemic, remote learning, no contact with lecturers or other students. I started to wonder if it was the right choice. However, I decided to give myself a chance and continue my studies.

In 2022, I joined the company where I still work today. Surprisingly, it’s not a local company, but an international corporation—one of the largest in the world. To give you an idea of its scale: they sponsor one of the F1 teams ;). I joined the company as a React developer intern. However, I quickly moved to a DevOps position, which I still hold today.

Please Choose: Are You Studying or Working?

The approach of many university professors is that studies (especially full-time) are the most important thing and cannot be combined with work. Personally, I think this is the attitude of someone who has always tied their career to academia. However, universities should strive to activate students and enable them to work professionally during their studies. After all, practice is the most important part of learning.

Especially since universities themselves require students to complete internships. Personally, I completed mine through professional work, which I consider a very good solution. It should be the basic form of internship completion, not dependent on the opinion of the internship coordinator.

For two years, I combined full-time studies with part-time work, and I am grateful that my employer is open to such cooperation. Surprisingly, the university schedule was also favorable, as I had classes 1 to 3 times a week, which made it much easier to combine studies with work. However, it’s worth noting that this is not always the case, and many people have it much harder.

In 2024, I defended my engineering degree and started my master’s studies. I am currently in my final semester and on the home stretch to defending my master’s degree in computer science. From July, I will also start working full-time, which is a big step in my professional career.

If I Can Do It, So Can You

If you’re wondering whether it’s possible to combine studies with work, the answer is: It depends. It’s definitely possible, but it requires proper arrangements with your employer. If you’re not the best at fighting for your needs, part-time studies might be a good choice, as they are more flexible for full-time work. However, in my opinion, full-time studies allow for greater integration with other students.

One thing I wish I’d known before going to university is that you don’t have to be the best, or even a good student. There’s no point in fighting for the best grades, especially since before you finish your studies, you’ll have to complete an internship anyway.

Nevertheless, studies allow you to gain seemingly unnecessary knowledge—after all, who uses assembler in everyday work? However, subjects like discrete mathematics, algorithms and data structures, basics of digital technology, or computer architecture are useful in everyday work. The knowledge gained in these classes helps you better understand how your code works and why it sometimes doesn’t do what you want.

A Small Tip at the End

A close group of friends in your student group is something that really helps with learning. Each of us has different interests and strengths in different subjects. During my studies, it often happened that we shared experiences and knowledge. That’s actually how I met my best friend (Shout out to Igor!), with whom I’m still friends today. So, build connections at university and share knowledge with others. It will definitely pay off in the future.

An Appeal to Lecturers

Lecturers, if you’re reading this post, I have a request for you. Please, don’t discourage students from working professionally during their studies. Practice is the most important part of learning, and it allows you to gain experience that is invaluable in the job market. Support students in their choices and help them combine studies with work. This will benefit both you and the students. Sometimes it’s worth giving up difficult questions on tests and exams in favor of practical tasks.

Show students that this knowledge is needed and how it can pay off in their professional work. Don’t make them choose between work and studies—after all, some of them have to support themselves, often far from home. Dormitories aren’t made of rubber, and places in them are limited ;).