The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.
At Vega IT we have always nourished a good relationship with IT students. A lot of our colleagues started their careers while doing an internship in our company and studying at the same time.
That’s why supporting and sponsoring the student employment fair Konteh is one more way to encourage students to take the same path as our colleagues did. After 4 years of successful collaboration with EESTEC LC Novi Sad (Electrical Engineering Students' European Association and Konteh’s organiser), we together came up with an idea to organise a conference for students.
How Was VE:conf Idea Born?
Since Vega IT has been collaborating with students for many years and has been facing various questions regarding employment and working on projects, it was really easy, smooth and enjoyable to set the conference’s goal and organize the entire event. We realised that students would like to learn more about what it looks like to work on real projects as well as how everything functions in real companies.
Due to the fact that there are many aspects of a programming project, we decided to give our best to cover as many aspects as possible. Vega IT and EESTEC wanted to fulfil students’ expectations and broaden their knowledge of "real world projects" - from Zero to One. Hence, the name of the conference. And, this is how the name of the conference was born.
Vega IT and EESTEC wanted to fulfil students’ expectations
So, after setting up topics students would be most interested in, we invited our colleagues to apply to be speakers and share their stories. The range of topics was really wide and diverse. It was a real challenge to cover and organise everything, but fortunately, we managed to do it.
What Were the Topics at VE:conf?
- Strive to be competent, not Full-Stack - Ivana Tešanović, a Software Developer
- How to get ready for a job interview? - Boban Mikšin, CTO
- Search: Destination Front-end - Nikola Dragan, a Front-end Developer
- How to choose the right technology for a project? - Nikola Obradović, a Software Developer
- Differences between manual and automated testing - Ivana Vujić Milić, a QA Engineer
- How I unlearned programming (a live coding session) - Nenad Perčić, a Software Developer
- How to learn iOS - Bojan Bosanac, a Mobile Developer
- React App: From Zero to Production - Kim Novak, a Software Developer
How Did the People React to the Conference?
After spending an amazing day interacting with a great number of participants, answering their questions, laughing, playing games in fun rooms and giving and receiving awards, we asked everyone for their impressions regarding VE:conf.
The first speaker Ivana Tešanović, broke the ice by presenting her “journey” from a technical interview to her employment as a backend developer and shared her emotions about the conference:
“I felt really touched when I saw that a lot of young people (not much younger than me though) are interested in hearing my story. Even though it was pretty intense for me in the beginning, I hope I was able to touch people’s hearts and help them overcome the fears they had been facing and therefore shape their future for the better.”
Strive to be competent, not Full-Stack - Ivana Tešanović
We were curious, so we asked our colleagues and organisers from EESTEC what they think about VE:conf and how satisfied they are with it. Luka Stanojković said:
“The conference itself was excellent. It ran smoothly. The lectures were long enough to keep the participants’ attention. The breaks between lectures were refreshing and helpful so that nobody was under pressure. Everyone had enough time for refreshments, to grab some snacks, or even play darts or table football.”
See you next year at the next VE:conf!
Finally, it is crucial to mention the feedback we received from the students. Here are some of their statements:
- "The organisation was good, the atmosphere was excellent, the speakers were awesome, the topics were interesting. The speakers are very approachable people ready to discuss various topics and share their opinions, advice and experiences."
- "The atmosphere was relaxed and very friendly. We had a chance to listen to very good lectures and learn a lot at the same time. I gained valuable insights into what it looks like to be employed in one domestic IT company."
- "The fact that all the speakers gladly answered any questions that students asked left the strongest impression on me."
See you next year at the next VE:conf! But, stay tuned because we are preparing some more knowledge sharing events for you! At the end of the day, Vega IT is a place where learning continues!
