Andrey Pogoda

Graduate Diploma in Information Technology

Kazakhstan

Kazakh student Andrey Pogoda says he had plenty of support during his Graduate Diploma in Information Technology at OPAIC.

“The lecturers here are very good – professional,” he says.

Other staff throughout the campus are also ready to help you at all times, he says.

“You feel the support here.”

Back in Kazakhstan Andrey worked as an IT software developer for banks for more than 10 years.

“And then I decided to improve my skills, my English, and came to New Zealand,” he says.

“My goal was to come to an English country. And I saw a lot of videos on the internet about New Zealand so it’s a very beautiful country with very good climate.”

Andrey arrived in New Zealand in June 2017 so he could spend some time improving his English before beginning his course last August.

His wife and baby accompanied him to New Zealand. His wife has now found work and the family is settling in well.

Andrey’s made a lot of friends at OPAIC from other counties including China and the Philippines.

While there weren’t a huge number of people from Kazakhstan in New Zealand, he had met another student from his home country in his course.

He encouraged those from back home thinking of coming here not to be afraid and to give it a try.

Andrey says New Zealand is a beautiful and developed country with nice people who trust each other.

While he studied, Andrey worked for a small Wellington-based consulting company called Supermarket Technologies Ltd.

He was able to bring his work and his study together during a group mini project, involving the development of a coffee app.

The app helps people find nearby coffee shops and order their drinks from their smartphones, so their coffees are ready to be picked up when they arrive at the cafe.

Andrey has just finished his course and is continuing to work with Supermarket Technologies Ltd. He also has a contract job with website design and development company Byte Media.

Read more about the Graduate Diploma in Information Technology.