It was a long road to New Zealand for Russian student Nikita Mogilevskii, who saw out the pandemic by operating heavy machinery on construction sites and managing a Bitcoin mining farm, while waiting for his chance to study abroad.

Nikita is from Irkutsk City in Siberia. He started his first degree in Russia – a five-and-a-half-year engineering programme focused on road construction machine and hydraulic systems.

A year in, he decided it wasn’t for him, and he wanted to come to New Zealand and study Information Technology. He was enrolled and ready to go when the Covid pandemic hit the world.

“During Covid, I worked in road construction as a Wirtgen WR240i Cold Recycler Operator during the summer and as a Bitcoin Mining Farm Engineer during the winter,” says Nikita.

As soon as the borders re-opened, he applied for a visa and finally arrived in New Zealand.

Nikita says he selected OPAIC due to the combination of price and location. He first considered studying at OP’s Dunedin campus, but decided a bigger city would be a better fit for him.  

“OPAIC has helped me in every aspect of my professional development. I’ve been given all of the opportunities to show and improve my skills, and with its industry-oriented curriculum, I have all of the tools in my toolbox to enter the employment market.”

Alongside his study, Nikita has been working part-time in an IT Helpdesk Support role at the polytechnic.

“We provide comprehensive IT support for students and staff. We do everything from wi-fi connections and student photos to laptop disassembles and network meshing.”

Nikita says balancing work and study could be a challenge at first, but OPAIC has helped him to do so.

“It feels like a hybrid educating process with practice and theory,” he says.

On top of all of that, Nikita works as a junior software engineer at applywithai.com, using tools he’s learned about during his courses including Docker, Javascript, Postman, and GitHub Projects.

Nikita says students should make an effort to learn everything they are being taught, as all of it will be useful for their future careers.

He also encourages his fellow students to participate in all the events organised by OPAIC.

 “You never know which one will give you a connection that will get you into the industry.”

He adds that they should be sure to visit the Employability Team on Level 1.

“They will prepare you for everything that you need to find a job in New Zealand.”

After Nikita graduates in a year, he hopes to participate in projects that will move the Information Technology industry forward.

“Something that will improve our lives in a way that we don’t even expect.”