Prior to his studies at Umeå University, Mert Karkan had worked in IT support and studied theoretical physics in Uppsala, but he was drawn to computer science and now, a few years later, he has completed a bachelor's degree and started his master's programme.
Mert Karkan, student at the Master programme in Computing Science, at Umeå University.
ImageAlva DahlblomMert Karkan realised the value of an education that not only opened doors to future career opportunities but also offered continuous professional development and variety. He decided to study computer science because the programme could offer a job with all the elements he was looking for in the professional world.
"Computer science is constantly evolving which also affects the labour market, there will probably always be new things to learn and work with," says Mert Karkan.
During his studies, Mert has noticed that getting a job in IT-related industries is relatively easy: "LinkedIn is very important if you are studying computer science. Many job offers I've received have come through LinkedIn, and often companies will contact you directly as long as you have the skills employers are looking for," Mert says.
Well-planned programme courses prepare students for the working life. The programme's practical elements include extensive workshops and simulated workplaces, where students take on roles such as managers, employees and project managers while working together on a project. This is a concept that differs from many other programmes in Sweden.
"We gain a good perspective on why we learn certain things during workshops. Sometimes course content can feel abstract before you need to practically use it, so simulating workplaces with ‘real’ projects is a good exercise," says Mert.
According to him, the Department of Computing Science made it easy for students to get into both their studies and student life. In addition to the fact that Mert quickly found a sense of community during the introductory programme, the studies were easy to follow because of the structure.
"The studies are organised with the fact that many students come straight from upper secondary school in mind. Many people probably think that you have to be technically minded to keep up, which is not true. In the beginning of the programme, we had such thorough lectures that we had to learn what a ‘computer’ really is.
Competent teachers let go of students
"It's sometimes unpleasant how competent our teachers are. A problem I've been working on for days they can solve in just 15 minutes," Mert says of his teachers.
According to him, the teachers are great at helping students keep up at the beginning, but the more advanced the students become, the teachers start to let go of control. According to Mert, this has been gratifying as he has received the help he needed, but after a certain time he has been challenged to solve the problems himself, which has been important for his knowledge development.
"It's mostly now during my master's that my teachers have let go of control, they probably want us to steer the ships ourselves for our own sake. But I remember that at the beginning of my programme they were very pedagogical and helpful when you encountered questions or problems.
What would you say to those who are thinking about studying computer science?
"Don't buy the most expensive computer. Often people think that you have to buy the most expensive and best computer just because we do a lot of programming which is really not necessary. The university offers computers for us to use and they are usually better than what many people can afford to buy anyway.