Bernardo Alves
Born in Portugal, raised in Luxembourg and now studying in the Netherlands, Bernardo’s decision to study Information Technology was as logical as a coding field. The added bonus is that he’s really enjoying every aspect of student life, from being active in his student association to working with real clients.
“Choosing to study Information Technology was a clear-cut decision for me. I simply liked the wide range of topics on the programme and the chance to do two internships. I’m now on my first internship, back home in Luxembourg, working for Husky Technologies, and looking forward to going to Portgual to do my minor. I love having these opportunities!”
The added value of real projects
“The fact that we work on projects with real clients from the start has more plusses than you might think. It’s not just that we get to put our knowledge into practice and develop our skills, but it’s also about networking. In some cases, you might be lucky enough to get a chance to work for the company out of school hours - I’ve actually had two job offers from project companies. It’s made me feel pretty proud and shows the companies faith in my abilities. And it shows that there really is a market out there for graduates from my programme.”
Developing skills, finding strengths
“My favourite project so far has been the Applied AI project. I was lucky enough to work on a YOLO (You Only Look Once) project where we did some computer vision coding so a camera could detect certain stuff. Despite it being one of my favourite projects, I’ve now actually concluded that I’m much more of an architect, manager or leader than a coder. We've done a number of coding projects and each time I’ve found that my soft skills are the ones that really shine in a project. We’re encouraged on the programme to develop these skills, often without even realising it, Like time management skills. It’s really important in this field as not only do other developers depend on your progress, but the projects are often complex and we have to make sure we have the time to focus and be creative so that our solutions are smart and effective.”
Living the student life
“Even though this is an entry-level degree, I’d still say it’s important to set yourself up with some prior knowledge in OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) and agile work environments. And don’t underestimate how much you’ll need to document and write down. And though this might sound like a challenge to some, the programme offers lots of support. There’s a really close connection between lecturers and students and you get your own study career coach to help you through your choices. And because Emmen is a small campus, everyone speaks to everyone and you quickly get to know a lot of people, even if they’re not on your programme. Plus we have a really active student association, Helios, that puts on different activities on and off campus. I was chairperson for three years and the events we organised have become incredible, unforgettable memories for me. I strongly recommend joining the association – it really helps you enjoy your time as a student as much as possible. And another tip... bring your pillow from home. It’s always nice to sleep on something you’re used to.”
Find out more about Information Technology on the programme website.