Before high school, I already had some contact with programming, recalls Dawid Szewczyk, a junior programmer who joined ANEGIS on the Academic Programme. Dawid joined ANEGIS in early summer 2018 and since then he has continued his adventure with programming in our team. We encourage you to read our interview with David, in which he talks about his choices, interests and work.
- Dawid, give us a little information about your studies, what stage are you at?
- I am currently a student at the Wrocław University of Technology. I have been studying for 5 years at the Faculty of Computer Science and Management. The specialty I chose was designing IT systems. Currently, I’m a post-graduate. I completed my bachelor’s studies at the same faculty and university.
- What dictated your choice of studies? Interests? An attractive job market? Or maybe encouragement from family?
- I think that interests played a key role, although the attractiveness of the labour market also influenced this decision. Already, before high school, I had some contact with programming, trying to add or change the existing functionalities of programs - at the time mainly computer games. The attempts most often ended in failure, but there were also successes that gave me a lot of satisfaction. It absorbed me so much that I wanted to get deeper into the field, and that's why I chose this field of study.
- In programming, which languages do you feel most comfortable with, and with what technologies do you associate your future?
- At the moment, I feel most comfortable with programming in C#, which I use most often in private and study projects, and X++, which I use at work. In general, I have the greatest contact with Microsoft technologies, and I think that I'll be able to develop my future with them.
- How did you learn about the ANEGIS Academic Programme?
- From a friend of Grzegorz's, whose brother, Jacek, worked at ANEGIS at the time. We were both looking for internships, which were required by the university, so we were interested in the ANEGIS Programme, designed especially for students.
- What particularly interested you about it?
- I was interested in the opportunity to learn about new technology, which I had not even heard of before. I was also interested in the information about putting a lot of emphasis on English language in the company. I decided that this could be an opportunity to improve my language skills, so I could get something out of the program even if I did not decide to stay in the company.
- How did your recruitment for the programme go? What do you remember about it?
- As far as I can remember, it started with an introductory interview, during which I found out what the programme would involve. Then two training courses were organised - a three-day internal training at the ANEGIS office and a one-week training conducted by a certified external trainer. To tell the truth, at the beginning I was a little overwhelmed with all the new knowledge. I had no contact with ERP systems before, so I did not know what to expect. However, it turned out that the knowledge from my studies and from two training courses was not in vain and I managed to get into the programme.
- What was the learning and preparation process under the Academic Programme before you became a programmer in ANEGIS?
- The programme lasted 3 months. My mentor was Tomasz Franczyk and he was the one who led my development. I remember that period well. At first, it consisted of reading and watching Microsoft materials. After a week or two, the practical tasks started. What's important, these were tasks carried out by other programmers in real projects, so I could find out exactly what my senior colleagues were doing and what I would be doing.
- What new things have you learned during the Academic Programme? What did you come across for the first time in the context of programming after you started working for ANEGIS?
- First of all, it was my first contact with an ERP system and probably my first contact with any such large system. In college we usually wrote programs from scratch, here we make changes to an already functioning system. This requires attention so as not to break the working functionality, and analysis of where it is best to place your own piece of code to ensure the best performance.
- And if you were to encourage a young programming student to participate in the Academic Programme - what advantages would you draw his attention to?
- I would say this is a chance to have contact with ERP systems, something new that we will not experience in college. Besides, the programme enables development under the guidance of a mentor who has extensive programming experience and more. You can get from him knowledge about general programming practices, teamwork and customer contact, which will be useful not only during studies, but also at work.
- This is your second year working at ANEGIS - what project are you involved in and what are your responsibilities?
- I am currently on the Brookfield project and I am responsible for introducing new modifications to the Dynamics AX 2012 system. In addition, I answer the client when they have any questions about the system, and also fix bugs that users encounter when using the system.
- Does what you are working on in the team help you with your tasks and studying in the university?
- I think so. First of all, I can see how commercial project management looks, which we are currently learning about in the second semester of MA studies. So I can compare the knowledge from my studies with the insights from my work. Apart from that, working at ANEGIS, I am constantly developing my programming skills, which of course helps me in my university projects.
- Why do you think it is worth working at ANEGIS?
- I think that ANEGIS is a student-friendly place because of its flexible working hours, the possibility to reconcile studying with work and, naturally, development. I consider the possibility of training in English as a great advantage.
- What do you think about the company?
- First of all, this is the first company I’ve worked for, so it is a place where I learn not only programming, but also teamwork and how to function in a company. Besides, it is a place where I meet new people, which I also appreciate.
- What else would you like to learn in ANEGIS?
- First of all, I would like to further develop my analytical and programming skills. Each new task is a kind of separate challenge and, so far, each one has required at least a partially different approach to the previous ones.
- And lastly, outside of the office, what activities - hobbies - do you enjoy doing?
- In my spare time, I like to learn about history. Most often through books and films and reading discussions on Internet forums. And sports activities - on warmer days I often go for bike rides. Also, I was learning to play the guitar for some time and I think that when I finish my studies and have more time, I'll dust it off and start playing again.
- Thank you.
