TAMARA NIKOLIC

The Faculty of Electronic Engineering, Nis

As the last year of my studies approached, I started thinking about improving my practical skills in addition to theoretical knowledge and looking for an environment that would allow me to do that, so I researched and contacted different companies. By meeting and communicating with people from SYRMIA, I realized that this is a company that offers me conditions in line with my ambitions - professional development in parallel with my final year of study. Part-time working hours, the opportunity to write a thesis with professional mentoring, and a dynamic work environment where I could improve and progress were exactly what I was looking for! I signed up, proved I had the necessary qualifications, and started a new adventure!

During the internship, I had the opportunity to get familiar with the dynamics of working in a large company, as well as with popular technologies used on large projects. I improved my skills by doing mini projects under the constant supervision of my mentor who selflessly shared all his knowledge with me. The company really fulfilled all my expectations, to the last.

As my studies were coming to an end, owing to my potentials and skills demonstrated until then, I got a job offer. Now I am starting my career ready for the new challenges that are waiting. The internship at SYRMIA was truly an irreplaceable experience!

ALEKSA DUGONJIVAC

The Faculty of Electronic Engineering, Nis

Like most final year students, I started considering jobs and companies where I could begin my professional development and gain practical experience. What set SYRMIA apart from other companies in the first place is that in addition to the full-time internship, which included 8 hours of work per day, there was also an option for working half-time 4 hours a day! Being a student, this was of great importance to me as I was able to dedicate myself to college without my internship taking too much time!

My internship lasted 11 months and throughout that period I learned a lot of things and made great friends. Something I would single out is definitely one project in C++ that I was developing for 3 months. I had constant supervision of mentors and help from other colleagues. In addition, writing the final paper as part of the scholarship project was very interesting! The various courses I had the choice to take were a very rewarding experience for me! The atmosphere in the company itself is great and I quickly blended in with other colleagues.

As college drew to a close, I got the job offer and now I am officially a member of the Digital TV team in SYRMIA. The experience of the internship itself helped me a lot in getting to know the job and the people around me during my studies, so when I officially started working, it was not difficult at all. My advice to all students is to apply for an internship or scholarship because practical experience is irreplaceable. If you are considering these options, SYRMIA is a great place to start!

MARKO STANOJLOVIC

School of Electrical Engineering, Belgrade

I heard about SYRMIA student scholarship program at a Job Fair held at the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade and immediately got interested. The concept presented to me, where practical work for the company will be used as a Bachelor's studies thesis and where the company shows great understanding for all faculty-related obligations, was completely compatible with my ambitions. SYRMIA sounded like a great place for a senior year student. Everything presented was brought into practice! I've had an opportunity to work with a great mentor on a very interesting project and have had multiple professional courses that greatly enriched my knowledge.

I have been working on an open-source project, making enhancements and fixing bugs in a compiler for the P4 programming language. The P4 is a language that is becoming a standard in network programming and working on its compiler made it possible for me to communicate with the well-known names in the world of computer networks. After graduation, I was offered a job at the company and now I am a proud member of the Cisco team in SYRMIA!

DUSICA MILINKOVIC

The Faculty of Mathematics, Belgrade

Like most students with a few months left until graduation, I started researching open job opportunities. As someone who likes embedded programming, SYRMIA caught my attention so I decided to send my resume. After talking to HR, we got to know each other better, both when it comes to what the company is working on and what the concepts of internship are; the HR team also found out about my qualifications and my wishes, so we both agreed that we are interested in taking the next step in the selection process. I thought that the technical interview was the scariest and hardest part of the selection process when you are a student, but in SYRMIA, that conversation made me even more interested in the company. The engineers who interviewed me were very pleasant and supportive, and they described their work and what they expect from me through questions and discussion.

During my internship, I was working on one small project at the start; It contained all aspects of software development that I will encounter "tomorrow" on a big project. I was working on an image processing software where I implemented a tool in the C ++ for converting images from png to jpeg format. I used a specific blending algorithm which used several png images as input that resulted in one jpeg image. During that time, I had support from my mentor, but also from other colleagues, both when it comes to solving problems and some specific suggestions about how to improve my knowledge through code reviews and discussion. Apart from the collegiality and positive energy, all the people in the company were flexible and open to agreements about everything.

My recommendation to students would be to apply and go through an internship program, as they would get to know the work atmosphere, responsibilities and duties that await them. The collaboration, the way of communication, and work are different from what we are used to, when compared to study, so this is an opportunity to get to know each other in a relaxed way before we start working as engineers.

MILOS POLETANOVIC

The Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad

At the end of the third year of studies, I heard about the scholarship program at SYRMIA where students have the opportunity to work on their final thesis during an internship. After enrolling in the fourth year of studies, my interest in gaining international experience started growing as well. My goal was the Erasmus+ mobility program in Sicily no less. However, being someone who is ambitious and diligent when it comes to faculty responsibilities, it was necessary to align those responsibilities with the goals I set. The fourth year of studies brought many important life moments - graduation and pursuit for an internship and a job were some of the challenges that were ahead of me, and yet, I also decided to apply for an exchange program. It really sounded a little too ambitious. Therefore, I inquired more about the scholarship program which would help me achieve the goals I set. During my visit to the HR department in SYRMIA, I presented my plan and got all the necessary information.

After one pleasant and relaxed conversation, I received a positive response and an offer. The original agreement was that I would start writing a Bachelor's dissertation upon ending the exchange program and get employment at the company after defending the thesis. This whole process passed without anxiety, pressure, and stress.

Due to the situation with the coronavirus and quarantine, I was offered to start writing my dissertation while being abroad, which I gladly accepted. I have chosen system software and software tools as the focus area of my dissertation.

Shortly after, the topic "Disassembler for RISC-V instruction set" was suggested. The topic was challenging because RISC-V is a novelty, and it was extremely interesting to work on something relatively new.

During the preparation of my dissertation, the support of my mentor was unconditional. We had regular/daily contact via Skype. Also, the great understanding and support from other colleagues in SYRMIA is something that has to be pointed up. During the internship, I also had enough time to experience all the charms of Sicily. After finishing the exchange program and returning to Serbia, my dissertation was almost finished, with a few final touches left. After graduation and a positive opinion from my mentor and HR, I got a job offer. Since then, I am employed at SYRMIA and currently working on a commercial project related to the LLVM compiler. I can only compliment the internship program and I would recommend it to everyone.

LUKA MALETIC

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Banja Luka

As a final-year student of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Banja Luka, I have decided to search for a scholarship that would make my studies easier and also to increase my chances of employment. The search has led me to the company named SYRMIA. I have contacted the HR department to find out more about the scholarship program and after few days, I was invited to have a talk about the details. The conditions suited my needs and plans for the development of my professional career. One of the things that attracted my attention was the in-company work on my bachelor thesis. The company helped me by providing all the necessary equipment as well as an expert mentor who was there to help me with all the questions and doubts.

As my studies were near the finishing, the company began to work on a new project; I got the opportunity to slowly join a team. Excited at the chance and kept in mind that I need to focus both on the project introduction and my study, I accepted the job position. It turned out as a great decision since I managed to graduate as well as get familiar with the project and the work that was ahead of my new team. Naturally, this was possible because of the help of my SYRMIA colleagues. They were always there to help and support me. While working on the project, I got the opportunity to improve my C and C++ skills and to find out more about their industrial applications.

In the end, the whole process I've gone through, from getting the scholarship all up to the point I started working in SYRMIA, was a fascinating experience that I would recommend to everyone.