Marija Kairytė Brencienė is a former student of Information Technology study program at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (VU MIF). Currently she is working as a Computer Network Engineer at „Danske Bank“. We talked about her studies and the challenges that are being faced at work.
Why did you choose Information Technology study program?
I chose this program because IT is one of the most promising fields of studies now as it was ten years ago, when I had to decide which way to go after school. If I had to choose again, without doubts I would choose IT studies again.
These studies were especially important and useful for me because during my studies I not only had the opportunity to get acquainted with various IT sectors, but also to participate in projects and apply theoretical knowledge into practice.
I also got acquainted with a wide range of topics - programming, databases, web development, computer networks, etc. It helped me to choose an area I enjoyed where I started working before graduating from university and where I still work until now.
You are currently working as a Computer Network Engineer at „Danske Bank“ - what challenges do you face in this job?
My job is very dynamic, every days brings me new challenges and to be able to solve them I need to deepen my knowledge constantly.
Quite often I need to learn and adapt to new technologies, because they are being updated constantly. So the main challenge is how to absorb all the new knowledge and use it properly.
How does your typical day at work look like?
My main goal is to solve and manage various incidents. The problems range from the simplest "customers cannot connect to Danske Bank's WIFI network" to "Danske Bank customers in Denmark cannot connect to e-banking".
In your oppinion, what are your career prospects after graduating the IT program?
I think that the possibilities are endless, as having a wide range of IT knowledge makes it easy to enter the labour market. Knowledge in one area can serve and complement knowledge in another area, thus expanding job opportunities and giving advantage over competitors.
What did the University teach you? Does it benefit you in the activities you are doing today?
The university has taught me not to be afraid to take risks, to set goals, to pursue them and never to give up, no matter how difficult it may seem at first. All this is useful not only at work but also in personal life. At the university, I also learned to study properly, search for information, process and use that information - these are very important skills that I use at work every day.
What advice would you give to future VU MIF students?
I would advise not to be afraid of IT studies - this is one of the most interesting and promising specialty, which opens up a very wide range of career opportunities.