We continue the column "Thank you, alma mater!". Today, our hero is Alexey Balysh, a graduate of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of BNTU in 2024. He spent his student years not only at his desk, but also at the epicenter of university events.: He was an activist of the faculty, then became the secretary of the NGO "BRSM" with the rights of the RK BNTU, organized events, visited orphanages and boarding houses as part of volunteer actions, participated in international forums. Now, two years after graduation, Alexey works as the head of the Hydraulic Transmission Technology Bureau at the Amkodor-Unimod company.
Alexey talks frankly about his journey from school to work in the real sector of the economy:
— When I graduated from high school, I was literally at the crossroads when I had to make a responsible decision at a fairly young age — choosing my future fate. I won't deny the fact that my parents helped me a lot with the choice, because I was literally rushing between several universities. The final decision was based on the developing industrial potential of our country and the fact that after studying to become an engineer, one cannot be left without a job, as well as without experience and skills in this specialty. In any case, career and personal growth is achieved only by personal qualities and aspirations, and not by the chosen specialty.
The young man's student life was bright, including the period of sessions when it was necessary to learn a lot of information on time.
— My student life was super intense. It's no secret that I was an activist at the faculty and at the university as a whole, which led to the subsequent position of secretary for the NGO "BRSM" with the rights of the RK BNTU. I still remember my first "BNTU Spring", the emotions I felt, and those pleasant people from among the assets of my faculty, with whom we communicate to this day. I'll say it cornyly, but every session is still a vivid memory of studying, when you turn into that very student who lives on coffee and hopes of passing exams successfully. I won't say that I was someone who had a lot of tails, I never had them, I closed everything on time, but a sense of responsibility and internal attitudes did not allow me to relax during these periods, so the session always passed, although quite easily, in terms of passing exams and tests, but with great responsibility for both the future and the present.
Speaking about the most memorable subjects, Alexey singled out two: "Technology of mechanical engineering" and "Automated production preparation systems". At the same time, he stressed that each teacher and discipline taught him not only professional skills, but also the ability to prepare independently.
How to combine excellent studies, community service and personal life? Alexey is sure that there is a recipe.
— I can't say that it was very easy to combine. From time to time, one or the other faded into the background, but I will say one thing: planning your day always helped in all aspects. I can't call myself a plan man, but it's more like that. The main thing is to be mobile in your own plans and keep a diary, because the list of your plans for the day/week in front of your eyes is very important. In the amount of information and various tasks, one way or another, you can miss something. Regarding mobility in plans, I will say the following: if there is a restructuring of plans in the course of their implementation, you should not focus on this, it is better to rebuild by completing tasks in order. Another good practice is half—hour classes, when you devote half an hour to each task and periodically change them, then your eyes do not have time to get dirty and your brain is not overloaded with one thing.
— Which of the student projects, events or volunteer actions do you remember the most and why?
— Most of all, I remember the projects "Miss BNTU" and "Student of the Year". These projects, in which I was the organizer, provide an opportunity for students to develop creatively, which helps to reveal their inner talents. I can also safely mention the "Miracles for Christmas" and "From the bottom of my Heart" campaigns, when, as part of the Good Heart volunteer movement, we visited orphanages and hospitals and brought joy to veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the elderly, and children in difficult life situations. Such events foster humanity in you. I remember the huge number of projects that are organized at BNTU, including international and scientific ones, for example, Navruz, the Festival of National Cultures, the Forum of Universities of Engineering and Technology of the Union State and student conferences. It is difficult to mention one thing due to my constant participation in many projects.
According to him, working at the BRSM has given a lot, for example, it has introduced many wonderful people with whom the young man still communicates, and with some friendship has flowed into a kind, family atmosphere. It was the Youth Union that helped Alexey develop time management skills, responsibility and leadership.
Alexey is sure that modern students should definitely try themselves in the active life of the university.
— I don't want to devalue in my own words the efforts of the guys who like only gnawing the granite of science and nothing more, but everyone should try themselves as an activist and then decide whether they like it or not. It is the social life at the university that allows you to develop in various paths: from dancing and singing to organizing volunteer trips. The range of social life at BNTU is huge and everyone will be able to find something to their liking. It is she who brings variety to the daily routine, helps to find interesting acquaintances, and in one way or another to establish a personal life. For example, I met my soulmate through my activities at our university.
Initially, the young man had no plans for future employment, there was only a general vector — the industry of Belarus. He believes that in the early stages, the main thing is the desire to develop and participate in the strategic development of the state. During the distribution stage, Alexey was calm.
— I was confident in the distribution. I clearly understood where I was going and what tasks I would be solving. I didn't have any excitement as such, but rather a sense of responsibility to myself, my parents, and my homeland.
Before that, he had found a place for pre-graduate practice himself, because he wanted the thesis to have practical significance. As a result, Alexey had excellent relations at the company, which influenced his decision on the distribution.
— Regarding the search for a distribution location, it so happened that I found it myself, but I won't say that I was looking for it. Rather, I was looking for an interesting company that is in the process of modernization for pre-graduate practice, so that my diploma could serve as a real case for both the field of education and for a specific enterprise. After completing our pre-graduate internship with the company, we had an excellent working relationship and I decided that I needed to be assigned here because of the interesting processes related to my specialty that we started working on at the company.
Alexey was assigned to JSC Amkodor-Unimod, the only enterprise in the territory of the EAEU for the full production cycle of transmission solutions for special equipment.
— My expectations about the job have been fully fulfilled, I am doing exactly what I have been studying for all 4 years. I write programs for CNC machines, plan and automate production (as an additional burden here), lead several projects on cutting tools and a new product project for our company, and also oversee a digitalization project. There were no tests in the classical sense, rather there was a warm welcome to the workforce, I was assigned a mentor from the very first second, who, by the way, still works with me no longer from the point of view of a mentor, but a good friend.
According to Alexey, the assignment gives a significant start in a career, because this is the first work experience after qualifying, which is very important. It is also a place that helps to find a university, so that the student does not find himself near a large ocean, where it is unclear where to swim to get his first experience.
— Which qualities developed at the university have proved to be the most useful?
— Time management, prioritization, the ability to learn independently and, in general, the ability to learn when no one is kicking you, as it happens at school. It comes to the realization that you are responsible for your own destiny. In addition, responsibility develops, communication skills with people of different status and age, the ability to adapt and make quick decisions.
According to the young man, being a graduate of BNTU means wearing on your chest a quality mark and a trained engineer to solve various tasks. Alexey is proud of his native university, which gave him a ticket to a better life. That is why the engineer continues to follow the news of his alma mater and is proud of her new successes.
Alexey Balysh showed by his example how student activity, work at the BRSM and sincere interest in the profession turn into real career growth immediately after graduation. He was not afraid to take responsibility even as a student, and this trait helped him quickly establish himself in the workforce. And the distribution for him became not a lottery, but a springboard that he chose himself.
