Work as an IT specialist in the Far East - Amur Region
After reading whether it is worth going to an It-specialist in the Far East , I promised in the comments to tell about my area. In this publication I will describe the experience of finding a job from Junior, and also about life in the region as a whole. I will add history with my life experience, so I hope you enjoy it.
As mentioned earlier, places to work in the Far East can be divided into Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and everything else (and in terms of the Russian Federation - Moscow, St. Petersburg and everything else).
The region lives at the expense of resources (gold, coal), and the main production is concentrated in the field of agriculture (the main variety is now soybean, but buckwheat, wheat and other grains are also sown). With the arrival of federal funds, large oil / gas pipelines, processing plants and soybean plants are being built. After these words, it should be clear what is what, but I will conduct a mini-excursion around major cities and objects in terms of finding work, housing and infrastructure. And first, the general points for the area.
Zeysko-Bureinskaya Plain
The climate of the Amur Region is transitional from the sharply continental in the north-west to the monsoon in the south-east. Zeya, Selemdzhinsky and Tyndinsky districts, as well as the cities of Zeya and Tynda are equated to the districts of the Far North.
Even without the districts of the Far North, it's still cold. Just like in Vladivostok, if winter is wet, then at -15 and light wind will feel like -30 and vice versa - if it is -30 outside, but the air is dry, then the temperature is transferred normally (but still cold). Cold minima are observed near rivers / lakes and in the regions of the Far North.
In summer, the temperature also reaches +30, again depending on the area and the whims of nature. It can flood one summer (what happened this year), there can be hellish heat with stuffiness / humidity. As Wikipedia suggests: "In June, July and August, it can fall to 70% of the annual precipitation rate." As you know, farming is very risky ( An example of recent news )
A lot of forests, mountain areas, fields / plains, small rivers. Therefore, if you live in the countryside or come from the city to the country, then fishing, picking mushrooms / berries will be a useful pastime for you (a hobby so to speak). The berries also grow well in the backyard plots, so plum / cherry / currant / raspberry / strawberry will be on your table if you, of course, planted it :) Many pensioners and even older people are engaged in beekeeping. Most often for the soul, as well as handing over honey at an adequate price is another task. For the story I will attach a photo of my grandfather:
We can also mention the hunt, but this pleasure is not for everyone.
In the region there are reserves and parks. The Norsky Reserve, the Khingansky Reserve, the Muravyovsky Sustainable Development Park - that was immediately remembered by everyone. Of animals, there are tigers, bears walk in simple settlements (especially when there was a hungry spring), black and Japanese cranes, black and far eastern storks, etc.
Separately, I note the mosquitoes, flies and gadflies - just in the evening, lightly dressed, walk will not work, especially in rural areas.
Since agriculture is one of the foundations of the region, many products can be grown by yourself, bought at the agricultural market. There are large companies that grow tomatoes in greenhouses, cucumbers for local supermarket chains. There are also manufacturers of dairy products, which goes to local stores and for export to neighboring regions (JAO, Khabarovsk and even China). Meat products (sausages, dumplings, etc.) are also made by local meat plants, the same with poultry, chicken eggs. Sparkling water is produced from local sources (for example, Gonzhinskaya, Konstantinovskaya), or brought from the Khabarovsk Territory (Korfovskaya), and of the big federal giants.
There is a well-known confectionary factory Zeya, which produces products known even outside its native region.
Neighborhood with China (on the opposite bank of Amur from Blagoveshchensk, the Chinese city of Heihe is located) greatly influences local cuisine and choice of goods. Chinese tangerines, apples, Chinese-grown tomatoes, cucumbers, various seasonings (well-known in DV Malasyan, Van Shoui) - all this can be bought in local stores. Separately, it is worth mentioning the institutions of Chinese cuisine, which are represented in almost every locality (as they are called “Chinese”).
At prices. Communicating with friends who moved to St. Petersburg, we can conclude that some of the products are cheaper, some are more expensive, everything is within 10-20%.
For example, here are some prices:
At the expense of the choice of products - now it has become much more, but due to the low purchasing power of the population it is not at all profitable. Although here's an interesting fact. The number of store meters per capita in the city of Blagoveshchensk is the highest in the Far East (confirming that I found it at once) - An example , another example ). Remember this fact, it will come in handy later.
Well, it's almost like in the article about Vladivostok, only the prices differ.
Roads are good only in cities and not everywhere. Travel routes between settlements also depend on the area and the more to the north, the worse the quality - again, the climate and the relief affect. But there is a good federal highway "Amur", which in 6 hours from my village at an average speed of 100 km / h, you can get to Khabarovsk. Just 7 more hours from Khabarovsk, and you are in Vladivostok. Therefore, many people, if they have their own car and money for holidays, go to the sea in Vladivostok, again either by “savages” or booking houses in advance on the shore. I have never been to the sea for my 24 years already, so I cannot share my impressions.
Utilities is a separate story, as are prices for electricity. There are a couple of hydroelectric power plants in the region (Nizhnebureyskaya, Bureiskaya, Zeyskaya), and the price for electricity (I am now in rural areas, therefore we have a little lower) 2.55 rubles / kWh . ru / files / tarif / tarif_elektr_2018.pdf and energo-24.ru/tariffs/electro/2018-elektro/12832.html (here the prices are up from July 1). For business, the price for light is even higher. In general, the price of heating, water can be read from this article .
Pro flights. Recently, a friend moved to St. Petersburg, bought a ticket in May to leave at the end of July. The cheapest ticket to Blagoveshchensk-Petersburg cost her 25,800 rubles one way with options: carry-on baggage 5 kg, luggage 20 kg. The price is influenced, as a friend correctly noted, the size of the airport, transport and fuel charges. There are discount tickets, but they buy them out so quickly in one day that people stand in line in the morning (just like in Apple stores in Moscow at the sales start of the new Iphone). If necessary, you can see prices on websites such as aviasales, or local travel agencies in the cities of the near abroad, but if an ordinary Amur resident cannot afford to travel even in the Russian Federation, then what about foreign countries.
In China, you can get on the ship, and in winter on the "cougar" (hovercraft). There is little sense to go there now (expensive), so the Chinese go the opposite way to us for spirits, chocolate, dairy products, honey, etc. Although there was a time, and even now it is, that across the border that in ours, that in the direction of China, large bales are carried with things. Someone caught the time of the lanterns when they pay for your travel, you can go around China for a couple of hours - relax there, buy small things, taste the local cuisine, and then carry the “couple of trunks” through customs in the opposite direction. So for a week it was possible to roll up here and there a couple of times. I did not have a passport and there is no, so again I can’t share my impressions and stories, although I’ve heard from acquaintances about incredible adventures both in China and at the customs itself.
It is worth mentioning more railway. The train Blagoveshchensk - Khabarovsk will take you for 14 hours, so in the evening you can sit down, sleep on the way, and in the morning go out at the station of Khabarovsk.
Price for fuel. AI-92 - 41.30, AI-95 - 43.80.
A rough calculation: a trip by a family of 4 people per car will be 40 liters of fuel, or about 1,700 -1800 rubles, depending on the type of gasoline. Price on a reserved seat from 1700, coupe from 3000 rubles. Both approaches have pros and cons, so everyone chooses himself - a car or railway.
The price of domestic transport. The trolleybus in the city of Blagoveshchensk stopped walking already three years ago, therefore only minibuses and buses. The price for the ticket is 23 rubles. In other cities of the region, about the same plus or minus 3-5 rubles.
Theaters, RDK, cinemas, amusement parks, clubs (many of which have recently closed). Cinema ticket depends on session time, 2D or 3D. 3D is not IMAX, but in one of the cinemas they launched the second DOLBY ATMOS cinema in the Far East. You can walk along the promenade in the city in the evening, go cycling / rollerblading. Gyms are also present, the price for a subscription is from 800 rubles (for students) and higher.
We approach why everything was written. Remember, as I wrote about the fact that many shopping centers in the regional capital. That's all the work only in the field of trade - sellers, managers, consultants. The remaining areas live at the expense of agricultural and federal projects.
Let us analyze a couple of them, but for now the salary gradation can be represented as follows:
The bar is very conditional, because the requirements of employers are as floating as the salary itself. From time to time they come across even higher ( https://blagoveschensk.hh.ru/vacancy/26222689 ), but this is an exception.
The main technology stack is PHP / 1C / JavaScript, because the main companies are web studios and representatives of 1C products. Web studios work either on the 1C-Bitrix franchise or on the basis of popular CMS (WP, Joomla, etc.).
The number of vacancies on HH, taking into account 1C programmers, webmasters, administrators, technical support, and so on - 84 today. At the same time, for some reason, the Sales Assistant to Beeline / MTS / insert theirs into the IT, Telecom professional area. Even the site already hints to you that only sales, only sales: (
If it works, then you can get an administrator, but again, everyone wants a superadmin with the knowledge of many specific software and equipment for little money. And where not a day, but the administration skills of 1C Enterprise Management (and even Trade) should be obtained in any case, well, and virtualization - without it, too, nowhere. If you get an administrator in a budget organization, then the salary may be even lower, and you will have to do it for a few people (I think everyone knows that, I just state a fact).
A separate item are the Internet operators who are dialing telephone support and a team to install / repair the Internet on site. They have not yet worked for them, but fellow students are working / working, you can collect feedback so to speak.
Once there is a sale, then you need money. Therefore, many banks are recruiting IT staff, so you can try to get settled there.
About the payment of salaries. Now in general, let's talk about the market, not only IT. Not all companies pay white, in 85% of cases it is gray. That is, now, thanks to the increase in the minimum wage, the main part is 11,000 rubles, the rest is all bonuses, interest, the Far East coefficient, and so on. This saves the employer money, but you do not know. It is clear that with an increase in the retirement age ( and the region belongs to the region with high mortality among men at working age) many simply do not hope to live, but who knows what will happen in the future. Well, when you quit, you can only be paid a minimum salary and you cannot prove anything, because everything will be normal under the contract (tested on the experience of one company).
Delay ZP observed. I had a delay period from September 2017 to January 2018, but in February they paid for everything, although now there is a new delay, but it doesn’t change the essence. So that there were no questions at once “why many people didn’t leave the workplace after the second month” - because they don’t go anywhere, especially in the village, but have to pay for utilities / electricity / food, but also many families with children.
Once started talking about Blagoveshchensk, we give prices.
The room can be found from 7 thousand, one-room / guest from 11, but we add the ships separately counters (about 3000 rubles). From the price depends on the quality and location from the city center. Add to this another fare to work on the bus - roughly 50 (46) rubles per day (not going for lunch) * 5 days * 4 weeks = 1000 rubles for transportation costs. Lunch is also someone else, either brings from home or eats in the dining room, if there is one, or snacks on the run from the store / street food - again, depends on the amount of free money / time, etc. In short - half, or even more salary Junior you give only for housing. You can shoot with someone to make it cheaper, but someone else needs to be found)
The cost of the Internet. The third patient theme, after the prices of housing and communal services and roads. There are several operators in the city, which creates at least some competition. The price of Rostelecom for 60 Mbps + IPTV is 700 rubles per month. At the same time, almost the entire area basically sits on the telephone line of one operator (which is not always there), therefore ADSL is our everything. Also in the city there is fiber, at least to the house, and if you take everything outside the city, then only ADSL. If you take my town, then look at the ratio of line speed and price.
As they say, the difference on the face. Therefore, download something big causes great difficulties. But thanks to the mobile operators who are somehow moving progress. On the basis of Blagoveshchensk, Belogorsk catches 4G from MTS, YOTA, Megaphone. In my locality, it catches 4G from MTS, so a 4G modem purchased at one time with the option of no-limit night (from one o'clock in the morning until 7 in the morning) allows at least something to update / download sometimes.
Let us return to the beginning of the block about the Amur Region and recall that there are a lot of federal projects now. Of the large ones, I’ll give you two: the Amursky gas processing plant in Svobodny and the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Tsiolkovsky (formerly closed urban-type settlement Uglegorsk), 30 km from Svobodny.
So, free. At the moment, construction is underway, the SIBUR project and the project activity are being carried out by a subsidiary NIPIGAZ.
To get to them for the first time I tried the internship program for young professionals . He completed a telephone interview, tests in the TalentQ system and reached the stage when he had to go to Blagoveshchensk to an assessment center, in which he was to take part in two business games (business cases). But, unfortunately, in the direction of Engineering they did not recruit, and only Labor and Material Security were chosen, plus we still had a sowing campaign and wouldn’t have let me go exactly, so I couldn’t go to this stage (although if there was Engineering, then I would have asked for any help).
Most recently, with the help of the employment center, I was offered another vacancy in the same place, which I decided to use. I went to Svobodny, went to the central office for an interview and talked to my future leaders via video call. Everything went well, but they (and I, too) had a very sharp question - housing. I suggest you open Avito ( https://www.avito.ru/amurskaya_oblast_svobodnyy/kvartiry/sdam/na_dlitelnyny_srok?s_trg=7&s=1 ) and see the prices. Here is a new article about the housing market: ( https://www.ampravda.ru/2018/09/14/084297.htmlBecause of the massive construction of this object, specialists coming from the West, and ordinary Serb workers, housing prices in a small town, from which everyone left at one time, simply flew up to incredible amounts. And how correctly noticed at the interview that the entire salary can go on rent housing. I went nuts with the sums on the delivery of housing, higher than in the same Blagoveshchensk. On the one hand, it is possible to understand people who rent housing - so at least you can earn money, and you can even live well judging by the prices. On the other hand, it is inhuman, but it is the law of the market.
About Tsiolkovsky. You can get Junior'om, if you are a student of AmSU and got on training for the spaceport. Some of the previous issues are already working there, the young ones just recently practiced at the facility. I don’t know other ways to get there (you can go to a student construction team, but this is not IT), and all those who have vacancies are associated only with construction. So no matter what level you have, I have no decision to get there in the IT field. I don’t have a clue about housing, but there are carriages for workers and a hostel is being built. Products because of the closeness of the city more expensive.
Also in the area there are Transneft stations with a central office in Belogorsk. I saw a vacancy in the IT field only as a 1C programmer, but the experience there was needed from 5 years, but the salary was appropriate.
In the region, more precisely in the city of Blagoveshchensk, three universities, two of them are trained by specialists - this is the Blagoveshchensk Pedagogical University (BSPU) and the Amur State University (AmSU). The quality of education is at a good level, scientific research is carried out at universities.
Vivid examples. The Belarusian State Pedagogical University has its own information technology laboratory , where interesting things are being done under the guidance of Alexander Nikolaevich Syomochkin. One of his (and his team) projects is the development of software for the robot Fedor , as well as a device for the production of artificial muscles . There is a successful experience of placing one of his former graduates, Magda Denis, at Sun (which Oracle already has).
ASU is more focused on space research, so they are developingin the design of small satellites .
But again, the main problem of most universities is a lot of theory, not much practice. And not inside the university, but in real companies. When at the 4th year we had to find a place for internship and then it is desirable to link the place of passage with the future diploma, then we can imagine how it all happened. There is really no way to find a job here, but we still have to go through the practice somewhere. What has to do with developing an information system so that everything is just like that of people - the structure of an organization with DFD, IDEF0, IDEF3 models, a clear description of database design, and so on. We expelled as best we could (the graduation project in C # lies on GitHub with me). I think this experience is good, especially after I started working and realized that it was not for nothing that smart people came up with charts. I can tell you about it in the comments.
The university helps students to receive various grants, additional increases to scholarships, which is very good. At one time I received a scholarship of the Government of the Russian Federation in the priority areas of modernization and technological development of the Russian economy, which was a good plus for a simple scholarship (in general, it was about 9000-10000 rubles, that is, a good subsistence minimum).
I myself went to the magistracy as a whole, so that they would not be taken to the army. It’s just that after a bachelor’s program they could have been taken directly to the medical examination, either I would have passed it or not, but it would have taken much more time and I wouldn’t have time to do that. Therefore, we extended the academic leave until the beginning of August, I took the diploma, got on the bus right away, gave the admissions diploma, wrote the test the next day and went home. I entered, they called me for a medical examination in the fall, put me on a check-up, generally found out what was needed and at the end of November I took the military ID. I liked the magistracy itself because it was possible to choose any research topic. It seemed to be a bad idea at the beginning, since I couldn’t develop the same bachelor’s work, because it was done for a particular enterprise.
I do not want to go into politics, but judging by the media, we are fine with prospects. Here's a recent example: https://www.ampravda.ru/2018/08/16/083740.html “This is an experiment to find out what the blockchain is, how it works, to show how to create high-tech centers in the Amur region . ”In general, there are a lot of buzz words in the article (blockchain, VR, 360 degree video, 3D printing), just how it will help create jobs - I personally don’t understand.
Here again, an example from local news that there are a lot of specialists needed: https://youtu.be/tueU0ksHFGw?t=6m28s Where they will only work is again questionable.
Many are trying to make their business, there is an example of a company that started a project from a local site, and now works for customers from the European part of Russia. A la freelance, only in a large way, the whole company. Other web studios are also trying to become the daughter of a large Moscow company - a lot of orders, a guaranteed name of the company.
First, I will give a couple of tips, who are just studying for a bachelor’s and think what to do next.
Proceed as follows. If you are not threatened by the army, then boldly take the documents after graduation and go to the West to study at the magistracy. If you pass, then you will have a dormitory, a more impressive diploma, and the opportunity to find a job / gain experience and subsequently catch on and stay for permanent residence. The plan was tested not by IT teachers, but by teachers, but if it works, then what will hurt you. If you want to stay (think again carefully), then in the same magistracy, choose a different profile that will be in demand here. Although, when I studied for 4 years alone, and then suddenly I couldn’t immediately jump at anything into another car, it’s best to think in advance what else you like and prepare for the admission to the magistracy in this direction in parallel with bachelor’s studies.
Many of my classmates and classmates went into the army under a contract, since there is no place to work, and here they even pay, but there’s no stability, the ability to travel around the Russian Federation. If there are connections and opportunities, then try to get a job in the police and similar bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. By profession, most graduates also do not work.
Life in the Far East teaches many life skills, starting with planting / digging up a vegetable garden, running a household, stabbing / cutting a pig / chicken, milking a cow, pumping honey in full uniform in the heat of +30 under the scorching sun, learning how to drive a tractor / car / motorcycle / KAMAZ, build a fence / shed, but employers do not need all this. This is to add about hard and soft skills, about which they have been writing lately. It seems to me that in order to find the same job or learn the same skills above, at least all the existing social skills must be used.
Also, self-study in conjunction with work not related to programming is not equal to work, when you devote all your work day to programming. Therefore, from the point of view of the employer, this experience is close to zero. Therefore, some employers are ready to invest in a novice developer (just recently, one web-studio invites students for an internship right on the website of one university), because there is no other right now, or they are waiting for the same fullstack developer / system administrator to come to them. And if you even fall out of the IT field for a year, then you need time to remember the old and get back into service.
In general, not to say that complete hopelessness, but not to call a bright situation.
On this kind of everything, if you forgot something, then I will be happy to answer your questions in the comments. Also express your opinion in the comments to the questions “what to do?”, “How to live further?” ...
What is the Amur region
As mentioned earlier, places to work in the Far East can be divided into Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and everything else (and in terms of the Russian Federation - Moscow, St. Petersburg and everything else).
The region lives at the expense of resources (gold, coal), and the main production is concentrated in the field of agriculture (the main variety is now soybean, but buckwheat, wheat and other grains are also sown). With the arrival of federal funds, large oil / gas pipelines, processing plants and soybean plants are being built. After these words, it should be clear what is what, but I will conduct a mini-excursion around major cities and objects in terms of finding work, housing and infrastructure. And first, the general points for the area.
Climate and nature
Zeysko-Bureinskaya Plain
The climate of the Amur Region is transitional from the sharply continental in the north-west to the monsoon in the south-east. Zeya, Selemdzhinsky and Tyndinsky districts, as well as the cities of Zeya and Tynda are equated to the districts of the Far North.
Even without the districts of the Far North, it's still cold. Just like in Vladivostok, if winter is wet, then at -15 and light wind will feel like -30 and vice versa - if it is -30 outside, but the air is dry, then the temperature is transferred normally (but still cold). Cold minima are observed near rivers / lakes and in the regions of the Far North.
In summer, the temperature also reaches +30, again depending on the area and the whims of nature. It can flood one summer (what happened this year), there can be hellish heat with stuffiness / humidity. As Wikipedia suggests: "In June, July and August, it can fall to 70% of the annual precipitation rate." As you know, farming is very risky ( An example of recent news )
A lot of forests, mountain areas, fields / plains, small rivers. Therefore, if you live in the countryside or come from the city to the country, then fishing, picking mushrooms / berries will be a useful pastime for you (a hobby so to speak). The berries also grow well in the backyard plots, so plum / cherry / currant / raspberry / strawberry will be on your table if you, of course, planted it :) Many pensioners and even older people are engaged in beekeeping. Most often for the soul, as well as handing over honey at an adequate price is another task. For the story I will attach a photo of my grandfather:
Spoiler header
We can also mention the hunt, but this pleasure is not for everyone.
In the region there are reserves and parks. The Norsky Reserve, the Khingansky Reserve, the Muravyovsky Sustainable Development Park - that was immediately remembered by everyone. Of animals, there are tigers, bears walk in simple settlements (especially when there was a hungry spring), black and Japanese cranes, black and far eastern storks, etc.
Separately, I note the mosquitoes, flies and gadflies - just in the evening, lightly dressed, walk will not work, especially in rural areas.
Food
Since agriculture is one of the foundations of the region, many products can be grown by yourself, bought at the agricultural market. There are large companies that grow tomatoes in greenhouses, cucumbers for local supermarket chains. There are also manufacturers of dairy products, which goes to local stores and for export to neighboring regions (JAO, Khabarovsk and even China). Meat products (sausages, dumplings, etc.) are also made by local meat plants, the same with poultry, chicken eggs. Sparkling water is produced from local sources (for example, Gonzhinskaya, Konstantinovskaya), or brought from the Khabarovsk Territory (Korfovskaya), and of the big federal giants.
There is a well-known confectionary factory Zeya, which produces products known even outside its native region.
Neighborhood with China (on the opposite bank of Amur from Blagoveshchensk, the Chinese city of Heihe is located) greatly influences local cuisine and choice of goods. Chinese tangerines, apples, Chinese-grown tomatoes, cucumbers, various seasonings (well-known in DV Malasyan, Van Shoui) - all this can be bought in local stores. Separately, it is worth mentioning the institutions of Chinese cuisine, which are represented in almost every locality (as they are called “Chinese”).
At prices. Communicating with friends who moved to St. Petersburg, we can conclude that some of the products are cheaper, some are more expensive, everything is within 10-20%.
For example, here are some prices:
- Milk 1 liter, 2.5% fat, 7-day shelf life - 52 rubles + - 2 rubles from the store
- Bread (baked directly in stores) - from 20 rubles, depending on the type of flour and the bread itself
- Apples (Chinese, Japanese) - from 90 rubles and more per kg
- Meat prices will not say, since we ourselves are keeping so far. Therefore, let there be a boiled sausage Doctor Seryshevskaya 480 grams - from 190 rubles.
At the expense of the choice of products - now it has become much more, but due to the low purchasing power of the population it is not at all profitable. Although here's an interesting fact. The number of store meters per capita in the city of Blagoveshchensk is the highest in the Far East (confirming that I found it at once) - An example , another example ). Remember this fact, it will come in handy later.
Infrastructure and logistics of the region
Well, it's almost like in the article about Vladivostok, only the prices differ.
Roads are good only in cities and not everywhere. Travel routes between settlements also depend on the area and the more to the north, the worse the quality - again, the climate and the relief affect. But there is a good federal highway "Amur", which in 6 hours from my village at an average speed of 100 km / h, you can get to Khabarovsk. Just 7 more hours from Khabarovsk, and you are in Vladivostok. Therefore, many people, if they have their own car and money for holidays, go to the sea in Vladivostok, again either by “savages” or booking houses in advance on the shore. I have never been to the sea for my 24 years already, so I cannot share my impressions.
Utilities is a separate story, as are prices for electricity. There are a couple of hydroelectric power plants in the region (Nizhnebureyskaya, Bureiskaya, Zeyskaya), and the price for electricity (I am now in rural areas, therefore we have a little lower) 2.55 rubles / kWh . ru / files / tarif / tarif_elektr_2018.pdf and energo-24.ru/tariffs/electro/2018-elektro/12832.html (here the prices are up from July 1). For business, the price for light is even higher. In general, the price of heating, water can be read from this article .
Pro flights. Recently, a friend moved to St. Petersburg, bought a ticket in May to leave at the end of July. The cheapest ticket to Blagoveshchensk-Petersburg cost her 25,800 rubles one way with options: carry-on baggage 5 kg, luggage 20 kg. The price is influenced, as a friend correctly noted, the size of the airport, transport and fuel charges. There are discount tickets, but they buy them out so quickly in one day that people stand in line in the morning (just like in Apple stores in Moscow at the sales start of the new Iphone). If necessary, you can see prices on websites such as aviasales, or local travel agencies in the cities of the near abroad, but if an ordinary Amur resident cannot afford to travel even in the Russian Federation, then what about foreign countries.
In China, you can get on the ship, and in winter on the "cougar" (hovercraft). There is little sense to go there now (expensive), so the Chinese go the opposite way to us for spirits, chocolate, dairy products, honey, etc. Although there was a time, and even now it is, that across the border that in ours, that in the direction of China, large bales are carried with things. Someone caught the time of the lanterns when they pay for your travel, you can go around China for a couple of hours - relax there, buy small things, taste the local cuisine, and then carry the “couple of trunks” through customs in the opposite direction. So for a week it was possible to roll up here and there a couple of times. I did not have a passport and there is no, so again I can’t share my impressions and stories, although I’ve heard from acquaintances about incredible adventures both in China and at the customs itself.
It is worth mentioning more railway. The train Blagoveshchensk - Khabarovsk will take you for 14 hours, so in the evening you can sit down, sleep on the way, and in the morning go out at the station of Khabarovsk.
Price for fuel. AI-92 - 41.30, AI-95 - 43.80.
A rough calculation: a trip by a family of 4 people per car will be 40 liters of fuel, or about 1,700 -1800 rubles, depending on the type of gasoline. Price on a reserved seat from 1700, coupe from 3000 rubles. Both approaches have pros and cons, so everyone chooses himself - a car or railway.
The price of domestic transport. The trolleybus in the city of Blagoveshchensk stopped walking already three years ago, therefore only minibuses and buses. The price for the ticket is 23 rubles. In other cities of the region, about the same plus or minus 3-5 rubles.
Additional entertainment
Theaters, RDK, cinemas, amusement parks, clubs (many of which have recently closed). Cinema ticket depends on session time, 2D or 3D. 3D is not IMAX, but in one of the cinemas they launched the second DOLBY ATMOS cinema in the Far East. You can walk along the promenade in the city in the evening, go cycling / rollerblading. Gyms are also present, the price for a subscription is from 800 rubles (for students) and higher.
Work in IT
We approach why everything was written. Remember, as I wrote about the fact that many shopping centers in the regional capital. That's all the work only in the field of trade - sellers, managers, consultants. The remaining areas live at the expense of agricultural and federal projects.
Let us analyze a couple of them, but for now the salary gradation can be represented as follows:
- 20-30 Junior
- 30-50 Middle
- 60 senior
The bar is very conditional, because the requirements of employers are as floating as the salary itself. From time to time they come across even higher ( https://blagoveschensk.hh.ru/vacancy/26222689 ), but this is an exception.
The main technology stack is PHP / 1C / JavaScript, because the main companies are web studios and representatives of 1C products. Web studios work either on the 1C-Bitrix franchise or on the basis of popular CMS (WP, Joomla, etc.).
The number of vacancies on HH, taking into account 1C programmers, webmasters, administrators, technical support, and so on - 84 today. At the same time, for some reason, the Sales Assistant to Beeline / MTS / insert theirs into the IT, Telecom professional area. Even the site already hints to you that only sales, only sales: (
If it works, then you can get an administrator, but again, everyone wants a superadmin with the knowledge of many specific software and equipment for little money. And where not a day, but the administration skills of 1C Enterprise Management (and even Trade) should be obtained in any case, well, and virtualization - without it, too, nowhere. If you get an administrator in a budget organization, then the salary may be even lower, and you will have to do it for a few people (I think everyone knows that, I just state a fact).
A separate item are the Internet operators who are dialing telephone support and a team to install / repair the Internet on site. They have not yet worked for them, but fellow students are working / working, you can collect feedback so to speak.
Once there is a sale, then you need money. Therefore, many banks are recruiting IT staff, so you can try to get settled there.
About the payment of salaries. Now in general, let's talk about the market, not only IT. Not all companies pay white, in 85% of cases it is gray. That is, now, thanks to the increase in the minimum wage, the main part is 11,000 rubles, the rest is all bonuses, interest, the Far East coefficient, and so on. This saves the employer money, but you do not know. It is clear that with an increase in the retirement age ( and the region belongs to the region with high mortality among men at working age) many simply do not hope to live, but who knows what will happen in the future. Well, when you quit, you can only be paid a minimum salary and you cannot prove anything, because everything will be normal under the contract (tested on the experience of one company).
Delay ZP observed. I had a delay period from September 2017 to January 2018, but in February they paid for everything, although now there is a new delay, but it doesn’t change the essence. So that there were no questions at once “why many people didn’t leave the workplace after the second month” - because they don’t go anywhere, especially in the village, but have to pay for utilities / electricity / food, but also many families with children.
Once started talking about Blagoveshchensk, we give prices.
The room can be found from 7 thousand, one-room / guest from 11, but we add the ships separately counters (about 3000 rubles). From the price depends on the quality and location from the city center. Add to this another fare to work on the bus - roughly 50 (46) rubles per day (not going for lunch) * 5 days * 4 weeks = 1000 rubles for transportation costs. Lunch is also someone else, either brings from home or eats in the dining room, if there is one, or snacks on the run from the store / street food - again, depends on the amount of free money / time, etc. In short - half, or even more salary Junior you give only for housing. You can shoot with someone to make it cheaper, but someone else needs to be found)
The cost of the Internet. The third patient theme, after the prices of housing and communal services and roads. There are several operators in the city, which creates at least some competition. The price of Rostelecom for 60 Mbps + IPTV is 700 rubles per month. At the same time, almost the entire area basically sits on the telephone line of one operator (which is not always there), therefore ADSL is our everything. Also in the city there is fiber, at least to the house, and if you take everything outside the city, then only ADSL. If you take my town, then look at the ratio of line speed and price.
As they say, the difference on the face. Therefore, download something big causes great difficulties. But thanks to the mobile operators who are somehow moving progress. On the basis of Blagoveshchensk, Belogorsk catches 4G from MTS, YOTA, Megaphone. In my locality, it catches 4G from MTS, so a 4G modem purchased at one time with the option of no-limit night (from one o'clock in the morning until 7 in the morning) allows at least something to update / download sometimes.
Let us return to the beginning of the block about the Amur Region and recall that there are a lot of federal projects now. Of the large ones, I’ll give you two: the Amursky gas processing plant in Svobodny and the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Tsiolkovsky (formerly closed urban-type settlement Uglegorsk), 30 km from Svobodny.
So, free. At the moment, construction is underway, the SIBUR project and the project activity are being carried out by a subsidiary NIPIGAZ.
To get to them for the first time I tried the internship program for young professionals . He completed a telephone interview, tests in the TalentQ system and reached the stage when he had to go to Blagoveshchensk to an assessment center, in which he was to take part in two business games (business cases). But, unfortunately, in the direction of Engineering they did not recruit, and only Labor and Material Security were chosen, plus we still had a sowing campaign and wouldn’t have let me go exactly, so I couldn’t go to this stage (although if there was Engineering, then I would have asked for any help).
Most recently, with the help of the employment center, I was offered another vacancy in the same place, which I decided to use. I went to Svobodny, went to the central office for an interview and talked to my future leaders via video call. Everything went well, but they (and I, too) had a very sharp question - housing. I suggest you open Avito ( https://www.avito.ru/amurskaya_oblast_svobodnyy/kvartiry/sdam/na_dlitelnyny_srok?s_trg=7&s=1 ) and see the prices. Here is a new article about the housing market: ( https://www.ampravda.ru/2018/09/14/084297.htmlBecause of the massive construction of this object, specialists coming from the West, and ordinary Serb workers, housing prices in a small town, from which everyone left at one time, simply flew up to incredible amounts. And how correctly noticed at the interview that the entire salary can go on rent housing. I went nuts with the sums on the delivery of housing, higher than in the same Blagoveshchensk. On the one hand, it is possible to understand people who rent housing - so at least you can earn money, and you can even live well judging by the prices. On the other hand, it is inhuman, but it is the law of the market.
About Tsiolkovsky. You can get Junior'om, if you are a student of AmSU and got on training for the spaceport. Some of the previous issues are already working there, the young ones just recently practiced at the facility. I don’t know other ways to get there (you can go to a student construction team, but this is not IT), and all those who have vacancies are associated only with construction. So no matter what level you have, I have no decision to get there in the IT field. I don’t have a clue about housing, but there are carriages for workers and a hostel is being built. Products because of the closeness of the city more expensive.
Also in the area there are Transneft stations with a central office in Belogorsk. I saw a vacancy in the IT field only as a 1C programmer, but the experience there was needed from 5 years, but the salary was appropriate.
Education
In the region, more precisely in the city of Blagoveshchensk, three universities, two of them are trained by specialists - this is the Blagoveshchensk Pedagogical University (BSPU) and the Amur State University (AmSU). The quality of education is at a good level, scientific research is carried out at universities.
Vivid examples. The Belarusian State Pedagogical University has its own information technology laboratory , where interesting things are being done under the guidance of Alexander Nikolaevich Syomochkin. One of his (and his team) projects is the development of software for the robot Fedor , as well as a device for the production of artificial muscles . There is a successful experience of placing one of his former graduates, Magda Denis, at Sun (which Oracle already has).
ASU is more focused on space research, so they are developingin the design of small satellites .
But again, the main problem of most universities is a lot of theory, not much practice. And not inside the university, but in real companies. When at the 4th year we had to find a place for internship and then it is desirable to link the place of passage with the future diploma, then we can imagine how it all happened. There is really no way to find a job here, but we still have to go through the practice somewhere. What has to do with developing an information system so that everything is just like that of people - the structure of an organization with DFD, IDEF0, IDEF3 models, a clear description of database design, and so on. We expelled as best we could (the graduation project in C # lies on GitHub with me). I think this experience is good, especially after I started working and realized that it was not for nothing that smart people came up with charts. I can tell you about it in the comments.
The university helps students to receive various grants, additional increases to scholarships, which is very good. At one time I received a scholarship of the Government of the Russian Federation in the priority areas of modernization and technological development of the Russian economy, which was a good plus for a simple scholarship (in general, it was about 9000-10000 rubles, that is, a good subsistence minimum).
I myself went to the magistracy as a whole, so that they would not be taken to the army. It’s just that after a bachelor’s program they could have been taken directly to the medical examination, either I would have passed it or not, but it would have taken much more time and I wouldn’t have time to do that. Therefore, we extended the academic leave until the beginning of August, I took the diploma, got on the bus right away, gave the admissions diploma, wrote the test the next day and went home. I entered, they called me for a medical examination in the fall, put me on a check-up, generally found out what was needed and at the end of November I took the military ID. I liked the magistracy itself because it was possible to choose any research topic. It seemed to be a bad idea at the beginning, since I couldn’t develop the same bachelor’s work, because it was done for a particular enterprise.
Perspectives
I do not want to go into politics, but judging by the media, we are fine with prospects. Here's a recent example: https://www.ampravda.ru/2018/08/16/083740.html “This is an experiment to find out what the blockchain is, how it works, to show how to create high-tech centers in the Amur region . ”In general, there are a lot of buzz words in the article (blockchain, VR, 360 degree video, 3D printing), just how it will help create jobs - I personally don’t understand.
Here again, an example from local news that there are a lot of specialists needed: https://youtu.be/tueU0ksHFGw?t=6m28s Where they will only work is again questionable.
Many are trying to make their business, there is an example of a company that started a project from a local site, and now works for customers from the European part of Russia. A la freelance, only in a large way, the whole company. Other web studios are also trying to become the daughter of a large Moscow company - a lot of orders, a guaranteed name of the company.
What can be said from all this
First, I will give a couple of tips, who are just studying for a bachelor’s and think what to do next.
Proceed as follows. If you are not threatened by the army, then boldly take the documents after graduation and go to the West to study at the magistracy. If you pass, then you will have a dormitory, a more impressive diploma, and the opportunity to find a job / gain experience and subsequently catch on and stay for permanent residence. The plan was tested not by IT teachers, but by teachers, but if it works, then what will hurt you. If you want to stay (think again carefully), then in the same magistracy, choose a different profile that will be in demand here. Although, when I studied for 4 years alone, and then suddenly I couldn’t immediately jump at anything into another car, it’s best to think in advance what else you like and prepare for the admission to the magistracy in this direction in parallel with bachelor’s studies.
Many of my classmates and classmates went into the army under a contract, since there is no place to work, and here they even pay, but there’s no stability, the ability to travel around the Russian Federation. If there are connections and opportunities, then try to get a job in the police and similar bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. By profession, most graduates also do not work.
Life in the Far East teaches many life skills, starting with planting / digging up a vegetable garden, running a household, stabbing / cutting a pig / chicken, milking a cow, pumping honey in full uniform in the heat of +30 under the scorching sun, learning how to drive a tractor / car / motorcycle / KAMAZ, build a fence / shed, but employers do not need all this. This is to add about hard and soft skills, about which they have been writing lately. It seems to me that in order to find the same job or learn the same skills above, at least all the existing social skills must be used.
Also, self-study in conjunction with work not related to programming is not equal to work, when you devote all your work day to programming. Therefore, from the point of view of the employer, this experience is close to zero. Therefore, some employers are ready to invest in a novice developer (just recently, one web-studio invites students for an internship right on the website of one university), because there is no other right now, or they are waiting for the same fullstack developer / system administrator to come to them. And if you even fall out of the IT field for a year, then you need time to remember the old and get back into service.
In general, not to say that complete hopelessness, but not to call a bright situation.
On this kind of everything, if you forgot something, then I will be happy to answer your questions in the comments. Also express your opinion in the comments to the questions “what to do?”, “How to live further?” ...