At the age of just 13, Tarik Ayvazi was already developing his own web projects and taking part in programming competitions. Today, the 19-year-old is in his third semester of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Computer Science at IMC Krems. Alongside his studies, he is gaining further experience as a tutor, in research and on practical projects.
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Programming, competitions and personal projects
His enthusiasm for programming began at an early age
Tarik’s interest in computers began as early as primary school. Even then, he knew that he wanted to study something in the technical field later on. At the age of 13, he attended a programming school, where he completed several courses, particularly in web development. At the same time, he worked on his own projects to improve his skills and took part in programming competitions, winning several prizes. At the age of 16, Tarik and his friends put their next idea into practice: through a start-up incubator, they developed a school management system and went on to win two pitch competitions. This also gave Tarik his first experience of working on real client projects. From small websites to more complex software systems, he developed solutions that streamlined workflows and reduced the workload for businesses.
What Tarik particularly values about his computer science degree
When choosing his degree programme, three things were particularly important to Tarik: he wanted to study in Austria, was looking for an English-taught programme, and attached great importance to the course content. Above all, the curriculum was the decisive factor in his decision to choose IMC Krems. So far, the computer science degree at IMC Krems has even exceeded Tarik’s expectations. Ever since he started his studies, he has learnt something new every week. He particularly appreciates the support he receives from the programme directors and lecturers. They make sure that students truly understand the basics before moving on to more complex topics. As artificial intelligence plays an increasingly important role, Tarik particularly values this approach. It enables him to acquire the knowledge to become, as he puts it, ‘AI-proof’.
Between hackathons, tutoring and research
Tarik is also gaining valuable experience outside of his regular lectures. As early as his first semester, he took part in a hackathon in Salzburg together with friends from his home town. In his second year, he also took on the role of tutor, helping first-semester students with their programming. In addition, Tarik is currently working on a research project with one of his lecturers. For him, this is an exciting opportunity to get to know computer science from a different perspective and to gain insights into research.
The internship semester as the next step
When Tarik isn’t programming or studying, he enjoys spending time in the mountains or practising martial arts. He also has clear ideas about his future career: he wants to continue developing, learn new things and, later on, make a meaningful contribution to the IT sector through his work. He is particularly looking forward to his upcoming internship semester, during which he hopes to gain further practical experience and deepen his professional skills.