Studying in Germany

    Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

    In this topic, I offer you a small description of studying for a programmer in Germany. I have been living in this hospitable country for seven years, five of which are studying in a small special higher educational institution (institute?). The first two years I spent on paperwork, attending all sorts of courses and on voluntary-forced labor. My physics teacher’s diploma was not recognized here, so officially I only had a school certificate. You won’t find a normal job with such an education, that's why they forced me / to insistently ask me to work for a nominal fee, but for the benefit of society. For a whole year I was doing quite a normal job, and getting ten times less. A year later, I finally realized that it wasn’t possible any further, I went to a local higher school and asked a simple question: will you take it? The answer was: come, we will give money! Thus began my student life in Germany, and since I have two studies at Russian institutes, I have something to compare with. If you are interested in what are the differences, I ask for a cat.


    So, let's begin.

    School

    Yes, school. Higher, but still a school, it is called here: school. Here is her site and let our admin rack their brains now why the server crashed and what these Russians need here. The school is the simplest, not elite, not famous, provincial. Several large computer rooms, in each audience a projector, a whiteboard, nothing unusual. There is a canteen, you can eat for 2-3 euros. The food is not particularly sure, but not entirely bad either.

    Grading system

    Russia has adopted a four-point grading system. Officially, it is five-point, but because unit is still not set, then consider that there are only four ratings. At the same time, a deuce is the worst mark, and a five is the best. In Germany, things are a little more complicated. Firstly, everything is the other way around, the lower the score the better. Secondly, there are not four ratings, but ... eleven! Namely 1.0, 1.3,1.7, 2.0, etc. to four. Four is the last grade when an exam is considered passed. Then comes the five, which means failure. Purely theoretically, there is also a six, but they put it alternatively gifted, I have not seen such. I like the German system much more, because provides much more opportunities for job evaluation.

    Items

    What I immediately liked here - no left-wing subjects such as psychology, physical education and the history of ancient Rome. Everything is much more pragmatic and this cannot but rejoice. Although there are such subjects as economics and enterprise management.

    Each item is valued at a certain number of points, the so-called ECTS. There are objects “small” (3 points), “large” (6) and “very large” (9). Each item corresponds to one block (90 minutes) per week. Those. an item of 3 points is read one block a week, 6 points two blocks, etc. According to the rules, while studying, you must score a certain number of points. Items are also divided into compulsory and optional items. A diploma is also a "subject". As a rule, about 20 points are given for it.

    In almost all subjects they give homework, which is usually done in small groups (2-3 people) and with a deadline of one week. The change is very simple: an email is sent to the teacher. If there is no answer, all is well. Homework is considered counted if not less than 80% has been completed.

    There are also tests (tests). It happens like this. The group is launched into a computer class, given a password to enter the system. Each hand out a piece of paper with the task. Allowed to have a pair of blank sheets and a pen. No internet, no books or abstracts. The task usually has 3-5 tasks, for example, implement some kind of algorithm. A test is considered passed if half of the tasks are correctly resolved, plus at least one line is written in another. The beauty of the code does not interest anyone; the main thing is that it would work. Sometimes they set additional conditions, for example, it is forbidden to use recursion or certain packages / libraries. After 90 minutes, the computers shut down, did not survive, wrote an extra character at the last second, and the program now does not compile - it's to blame.

    The failure rate is usually 60-70%. And the thing is not even that the tasks are complex (just the same, no), but in stress. A lot of people begin to knock on the keys, everyone is in a hurry, though in half an hour it becomes much calmer, because people understand that in a hurry he wrote complete nonsense and it’s time to think already.

    The control is not one, but several. The rule is brilliantly simple: you get the credit if you pass half plus one more test, but no less than two. Example: if you passed the first two control tests, the test is received, the following tests can be omitted. If I wrote only four tests, I passed only two of them, then I must go for one more, etc. Those. on the one hand, nobody tells you, I'm sorry, you didn’t pass it, come in the next semester, and on the other hand, the semester is also not rubber, and someday it will end. In addition, the teacher is required to conduct only three tests, and there how he will be in the mood.

    Starting somewhere in the third semester, all kinds of projects are introduced. Homework disappear accordingly. As a rule, you choose the topic for the project yourself and the group for it is also organized independently. In the end, all groups present their projects. In order for the presentation to look normal, they even introduced a special subject where they learn how to make this presentation and how to behave. So folios “tear your eyes out” are very rare and “talking to the wall” is also a big exception.

    Exams

    You must register for exams. This is done through a special system. If I registered, I didn’t come and I don’t have a doctor’s certificate, I’ve got an evil Pinocchio for myself, the attempt was lost. If you do not register, but come to the exam, they will expel from the audience. The exam usually lasts 90 minutes. What can be used is decided by each teacher himself. We have one mathematician, he allows you to use everything: the Internet, laptop, books. Calling a friend and helping the audience, however, is prohibited. It would seem: the Internet! ICQ! (also prohibited, but how will he control this?) Wolframalpha! No, it does not help.

    All exams are written, for all the time I had one single oral. Sometimes, instead of an exam, they suggest making some pretty big project. No "machines." You can write off, but not necessary, because if caught, then two out of three possible attempts are immediately lost. The last attempt is always oral and is accepted by at least two teachers. Not passed, flew out. If you fly out, you lose the right to learn this specialty throughout Germany. Here the truth is there are a lot of all kinds of nuances, thank God, I did not happen to be interested in them.

    As elsewhere, exams are light and heavy. For example, in programming, the percentage of those who fail at 70% is considered completely normal. And on the subject of “human-computer interaction” (something like that, I don’t know how to speak Russian), 98% of the failures are not particularly rare. Math, as a rule, is also complete trash.

    Teachers

    All teachers are very good specialists. All have many years of real work experience. Another question is that as teachers half of them are none at all. Simple things explain so hard and tedious that students fall asleep. This is a real disaster.

    Each teacher has certain hours for consultations, just come and talk. You can also write a mail and always get an answer. In general, everything is in order with communication.

    Comrades

    And what about comrades? People are like people, only Germans. They treat me quite normally, I have never had problems with them. Friends (German) I really did not make. But the Germans themselves, even among their own, are "crowded together." The bestial face of capitalism, each for itself.

    Practice

    In the fifth semester there is a subject called “Project”. They divide the group into several small groups, 5-6 people each (in random order), give the address of a certain company and say: this company has an order for you, go ahead. Consider this a real job, with TK and other delights. All for real, only they don’t pay money. Naturally, this project is not one in the semester, there are others as well. But this main one, they give him 12 points.

    In the sixth semester, you must complete a three-month practice. Where exactly are you looking for yourself. I did at the Frankfurt airport. Very interesting, I liked it. Then he worked there for a year and a half as an intern. After practice, you immediately need to write a bachelor's work. Naturally, it is desirable to write it in the same place where I did the practice. For practice give 15 points, for work another 15.

    Screenings

    In the first semester there were more than 70 of us, there was nowhere to sit in the audience, they sat in the aisles between the rows. Nine are currently writing a diploma, two of them from other institutes. Now there are many places, which is good.

    Summary

    I don’t know how things are now in Russia, but my Russian education is nervously smoking aside, although I didn’t give bribes in Russia, I handed over everything myself. And pay attention, I'm studying in the outback, in a town with a population of 30 thousand people. Almost a village.

    PS

    And nevertheless, I read most of the articles on the hub and I feel like an idiot, such things.
    I hope the article is not very dry, if you have questions, I will answer with pleasure.

    Well, in the end I will announce the main purpose of this article:

    Gentlemen, if there is (there is, I'm sure!) Programmers living in pre-Finland, looking for comrades in the fight for a bright future in their pockets and wanting to stir something up for the benefit of their bank account, write me pliz! I have ideas, there are only two hands, I am patient and kind of adequate, ready to listen to other people's ideas / suggestions. I don’t want to work for an uncle (for inexpensive), but time is running out, I’ll soon finish my diploma and the question will become an edge!

    UPDATE: a Google document has been created with the contacts of habraludes from Germany, there are also links to the group , join!

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