The national student contest I Am a Professional is one of the top-priority projects of the Russia – Land of Opportunity initiative. This large-scale educational contest will be held for the fifth time. Russian students in various fields are welcome to participate. They can choose one or several of 72 available tracks combined in nine groups: Agroindustrial Complex; Weaponry and Military Equipment; Natural Sciences; Engineering and Technologies; Arts and Humanities; Computer Sciences; Medicine and Healthcare; Pedagogics; and Social and Economical Sciences. The contest aims to support promising students – the winners will receive benefits when applying to universities, an opportunity to enter an internship, and prize money. 

The tracks offered by ITMO are some of the most popular ones on the labor market. Programming and Information Technologies covers mathematics and computer science; in terms of practical application, it refers primarily to the ability to develop safe and secure software. The Information and Cybersecurity track covers cyberattack prevention, cryptography, digital forensics, and protection of online processes and their monitoring. The main goal of Robotics is to create all-purpose robotic assistants – for that, specialists must possess knowledge of mechanical and electrical engineering, cybernetics, and programming. Technology Entrepreneurship brings together an understanding of technological and business processes, as well as the ability to plan and manage them.

Experts from ITMO University will work on tasks for these tracks. The selection round (for all tracks) will be held online on December 10-26, 2021. The final round will be held between February and April, 2022, also remotely.

The results of the contest will be announced in May. There will be winners, runners-up, and medalists among the finalists. They all will receive benefits when enrolling in Master’s and PhD programs at leading Russian universities, as well as the opportunity to do an internship at a major company. Gold, silver, and bronze medalists will also be awarded between 100,000 and 300,000 rubles in prize money.

Deadline for registration on the official website of the contest – December 7, 2021.