In 2005, when the IT sector in Armenia was not experiencing a big “boom” yet and being a software developer was just becoming trendy, Synergy launched its Summer School where only the best students from universities were enrolled, and many of those who were hired after a two-month full course now hold senior positions at Synergy.
Synergy Summer School was launched when the company was rapidly expanding and needed qualified professionals. The school was founded at a time when programming companies in Armenia, as well as opportunities to gain professional practical knowledge, were far and few between.
The goal of the Summer School was to give students practical knowledge in areas where Synergy was involved. Students were getting good academic knowledge at the university, but there was a certain lack of practical knowledge and skills that every company employee needed to have.
The Summer School has made a great contribution to the development of the IT sector in Armenia. For many years it has been one of the unique educational platforms, which was hard to enter, but the acquired knowledge could give you a chance to work in the best IT companies.
Synergy has most recently decided to expand its borders and use the rich experience and the knowledge accumulated over the years to serve wider and more comprehensive educational programs. Having made a great contribution to the education of young people in the field of programming, the company founded the Synergy Academy, where courses in various directions will be organized during the year. The famous Synergy Summer School will henceforth be a “Programming course” as part of the Synergy Academy.
About Synergy Academy’s Programming Course (former Summer School)
To join the course, the students need a good knowledge of Mathematics (Boolean algebra, combinatorics, discrete mathematics, probability theory) and a basic knowledge of any programming language. If they study well at the university, they will surely be able to succeed here. Synergy encourages them to apply for courses after the second year of university. The restriction applies only to the starting age; school students can’t be admitted, since the initial goal is to hire students at Synergy in the future.
To apply, you must first fill out an online application, after which all applicants are invited to participate in the exams. Applicants take 2 written exams, which are followed by an interview. In the first stage, they have to pass a computer test; in the second one the test becomes more complicated, and only the best students reach the third and final stage – the interview. The course is scheduled for July and August and involves four subjects: MSSQL, Java, HTML/CSS, JavaScript. This is the minimum a person needs to start a career at Synergy (as a full stack developer).
The course is conducted by experienced professionals; theoretical and practical lessons are held every other day. Students spend half a day at Synergy and then are assigned homework. They have to do some homework every day, since they are graded on a daily basis, even for their attendance.
At the end of the course, students are graded in all subjects, and the final project is the “hackathon”. During this contest, students do group work and throughout the day write an app with a specific problem. The work is presented to the jury, that provides feedback on everyone’s work and selects the winning team.
“Hackathon” is the part the students love the most: they can use the acquired knowledge, make independent decisions, as well as demonstrate their teamwork skills and the ability to navigate correctly in tense situations and in a short time.
Lecturers treat the students with great care and responsibility, supporting them in every way so that they express themselves to the best of their abilities. Students don’t obviously start working on difficult problems right after finishing the course. They do some practical work for some time under the supervision of senior specialists, improve their skills, and only then start working independently.
Ashot Karapetyan, Hilda Karakhanyan and Davit ManukyanPhoto: Mediamax
Admission is difficult and highly competitive. One year they had up to 800 applicants. Most of them usually prepare for a year to enroll, and even if they fail, the knowledge they gain remains for the rest of their lives. This way, Synergy Summer School has been also motivating students to study for years.
More students are joining the course than there are available vacancies at Synergy. At the end of the course, most of them are hired to work at the company. As they say at Synergy, HRs from various companies often ask them for their graduates’ contacts wishing to hire them. It turns out Synergy trains qualified specialists not only for themselves, but also for the whole field.
Mediamax together with three generations of Synergy Summer School of different times tried to draw up a picture of the Summer School, which will be included as a course in educational programs of Synergy Academy starting from this year.
Ashot Karapetyan, one of R&D Senior Directors, 2010 Graduate
I enrolled in the Synergy Summer School at the end of my second year of university. Programs of that kind were already popular back then, but I didn’t know about Synergy. I applied to several other companies and accidentally learned about a summer school at Synergy. I completed a test that included the topics we had learned at the university, and scored enough points to join the Summer School.
Ashot KarapetyanPhoto: Mediamax
We were given a lot of material to read and practice every day. The courses were very intensive, what we learned during that time was completely new to me, and just 2 months in Summer School gave me the same knowledge as 2 semesters in university.
After finishing the Summer School, I started became a team member. I combined the first year with university classes. One of the advantages of Synergy is that it doesn’t dictate a schedule and you can combine work and studies, which helped me see the connection between theoretical knowledge gained at the university and its application. It was easier to understand what we studied at the university and how it would be used in the industry.
My work in the team began well, because it was a formed, well-established team. I mean we were not alone, we integrated and started helping the team little by little. In the beginning, we did work without a deadline, later the tasks gradually became more serious, so we had to spend more time at work, but we managed to make sure it was not at the expense of classes.
In the process, I went from a junior to a mid-level employee, then a senior employee, and then I was leading a team of 5-6 people. After that I was entrusted with the design of our platform as well as choosing the problem-solving methods. Working with incoming students made my work even more interesting,
Ashot KarapetyanPhoto: Mediamax
What Synergy has given me is invaluable. From a professional point of view, everything I have achieved is because of this company and the people working there, who have always helped with their advice and shown a way forward.
Hilda Karakhanyan, Software Engineer, 2017 graduate
Everyone at the American University was talking about this company, and getting into Synergy was a dream come true for all of us. When it came to Synergy, we were more motivated by the opinions of our senior friends working at the company who gushed about how happy they were and how much they were learning.
Every task and internship at the Summer School made the knowledge gained at the university simpler. And although there was competition going on with the other students at the Summer School, it didn’t stop them from helping each other. This closeness also helped us in our teamwork.
Hilda KarakhanyanPhoto: Mediamax
The probation period began after the “Hackathon”. We had mentors assigned to us who helped us take the first steps in our work. In other words, our study period didn’t end with the Summer School. They were still teaching us during the first couple of months, and only after that we began seeing result in our work.
We get a lot of knowledge in Summer School, but when you start working on real projects, everything seems strange. Programming has so many great and varied tools that it is difficult at first. The biggest challenge is the first step, the first task. The other challenge is to combine work and classes, because there were times when the classes suffered. At first, when the job is new, it is hard to organize the day properly, but the process of getting a job at Synergy is very well organized, and there are not many problems that would arise in other organizations.
Synergy doesn’t let you get tired or stagnant. The tasks set before us become more complicated and it makes the work even more interesting. In addition to programming, Synergy also encourages teaching and communication with the beginners. We never get tired or bored.
David Manukyan, Software Engineer, 2019 graduate
I studied at the Faculty of Radiophysics of Yerevan State University, and in fact I had nothing to do with the IT sphere. I learned about the Summer School from my friends. I applied because I strongly believed that if I could study well there, pass the exams well - do everything that depends on me - it would be appreciated and would be a good start to my career.
I had some basic knowledge, I prepared for the tests and passed them more easily. The interview, too, was held in a light and intimate environment.
The Summer School thoroughly introduced me to the IT field and I got what I expected from the school. The most important thing is that I was able to start my career at the Summer School. From the very beginning, my goal was to get a job at Synergy.
Davit Manukyan Photo: Mediamax
I never set any restrictions in terms of professional growth and attach great importance to continuous and expanded professional development; it is important for any software developer to know the world trends and new technologies, to constantly research, otherwise they won’t withstand competition.
My advice to students who want to apply to Synergy programming course this year is to work hard and spare no effort to get there, because the results will not be long in coming. The mathematical base is very important, because it forms a right way of thinking, allows flexible and logical approach to problems. Programming seems easier thanks to mathematics. If you work hard, you will succeed by all means.
Wonderful professionals, who spare no effort to help the students succeed, teach at the Summer School. In other words, all that remains is to prepare well, apply, pass and rest assured that the first steps towards a good career in the IT field have been taken.
Marie Tarian
Photos: Emin Aristakesyan
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