Brief introduction IT course in the Netherlands
24 Sep 2010
I am Vu Hoang Quoc Anh, currently following the last year of IT bachelor degree at Stenden university in the Netherlands. I am doing my second internship at Sacombank to implement Internet banking system. Thus, I want to share with you my experiences how I studied IT in the Netherlands.
First of all, an academic year is divided into four semesters, started from September and it ends in June next year. Each semester is about two and a half months. All books and study materials are written in English.
Objectives and career oriented
The program is taught by IT specialists who work for big companies in the Netherlands. I am not only trained in IT skills but also I have knowledge of business and management in IT. Students are expected to be an active, creative thinker and able to work in business after the course.
Some tips for four years – study agenda
In the first and second year, I was trained basic IT skills like programming, networking, database system and graphic design. There are some subjects I had to do on my own and some others with a team. Teamwork is an excellent experience to share ideas and learn from each other. It is important how to break projects into smaller pieces and finish it on time. You will experience a lot in meetings, presentations and develop analytical skills. I am very fond of these two years.
In the third year, I did an internship for six months and I chose for Sacombank as I know that banking industry is developing quickly and I can have opportunity to apply my fresh and update knowledge. A good hint for you is to write report weekly or monthly so you can save time to complete your internship report at the end of the internship period.
The final year is the most important year at bachelor level. Students have to work and do several researches on their own. This is the major step to prepare yourself for a master course in the future. Lecturers will guide you how to get your subjects accomplished. Many reports, researches have to be done and you will have to make a presentations to be evaluated how hard you have worked for.
In all, I find fun in my study and enjoy my wonderful student life in the Netherlands.