What’s next for graduates: discover your mission and break into a job market

A total of 25,000 people – graduates, their families, lecturers, deans, and more – came together at 300th Anniversary Park on a sunlit Saturday. For years now, ITMO University has dropped the traditional graduation ceremony in favor of an action-packed, unconventional festival. The event has room for all: students still working towards their diplomas and planning their future careers, school students and their parents who are exploring university options, and everyone who wants to congratulate graduates, shake off the university application jitters, and get their questions answered by graduates, lecturers, deans, and potential employers, and even submit their application to the university.

On some stages, students receive their diplomas, while on others DJs spin their tracks. One can spot graduates immediately – the park abounds with academic gowns and caps. The top graduates receive their diplomas on the main stage from the Rector himself. 

“I wish for each of you to identify your core values and mission you’re to fulfill. Though today, you get your diploma, I’m sure you’ll always stay a part of the university. The university creates the future – and you’re the ones who get to live this future,” noted ITMO Rector Vladimir Vasilyev.

In light of this, Daria Kozlova, the Director for Strategic Development at ITMO, reminded everyone that today’s graduates can make a much bigger impact than conventional experienced professionals. 

“The class of 2026 is unique: it graduates amidst a massive tech revolution. For the first time in a long time, recent graduates hold much more value to the market than pros – because yesterday’s experience has already gone obsolete,” said Daria Kozlova.

Like the Harry Potter universe: what graduates will never forget

Anna, a physics graduate, poses in the photo zone. She enrolled at ITMO twice – first for photonics and then for technical physics.

“Actually, I had been studying history and social studies since the ninth grade,” she says. “But then I realized that I want to build something that the entire world will use in the future.”

For Anna, Megabattles were the absolute highlights of her student life.

“I love the Hogwarts House Cup comparison. We basically had our own kind of Quidditch – only an intellectual and creative one.” 

Apart from that, graduates also recalled their first exams, bigtech internships, and trips to Yagodnoe. Meanwhile, current students are confident that their greatest adventure is still to come. For instance, third-year student Yulia is looking forward to her trip to China as part of an exchange program in the fall semester, while second-year student Ilya can’t wait for the ITMO Family Day on which he’ll be one of the graduates. 

Likewise, graduates of the Big Data and Machine Learning program had no time to be bored during their studies. One of the program’s students, Gleb, jokes: “At the end of the semester, when deadlines and assignments are piling up, you just sit there and think: should I study, work, or sleep?”

Gleb studied his Bachelor’s in Irkutsk and his friend Gulnara lived in Almetyevsk. She used to work at Tatneft, a partner of ITMO’s Advanced Engineering School, before she learned at a conference that she could enter a Master’s program with a Specialist’s degree.

“I knew ITMO graduates are in great demand, so I’m now considering different options, including doing a PhD,” she says.

At the festival, there were students and graduates of other universities, as well – for the most part, those who lived at the same dorm, wrote graduation papers, and prepared for exams together with ITMO students. Alisa is an ITMO Bachelor’s graduate and Semyon is a Master's grad – they met during Alisa’s first year and lived in rooms across the hall. 

“I’ve been waiting for this day for four years and now everything feels like a dream,” she shares. “Linear algebra is something l’ll never forget. I’m still figuring out what I’m going to do next, but I’ll probably study AI. At ITMO, of course – there’s no other option for me.”

Graduates of other years waited for the recently graduated at the alumni club – there, they could not only reminisce over their student days with old friends, but also meet high-profile HR managers, network, and go over CV cases. Some time ago, the club members took to the very same stage to get their diplomas; now, they are mentors who help young specialists.

AI, SUP Surfing, and employers of the future

There’s no such thing as too many career opportunities – hence, the festival featured a variety of distinct zones by the university’s many partners: Sberbank, Alfa-Future, Yandex Education, T-Education, X5, and X5 Tech. Together, they implement joint educational programs, open convenient spaces for students, and shape the future. At their stands, visitors could learn more about internships, educational programs, and first steps in bigtech, as well as receive merch and gifts for taking part in interactive activities.

In the area curated by Sberbank, the general partner of the festival, students and graduates lined up to get consultations from the company’s career experts: there, they could have their CVs reviewed and even practice interviews with an AI assistant. Guests learned the basics of investing at the mini-basketball court and could escape the heat by taking a VR tour of the Smart House; creative types had the chance to compose their own track in under just one minute.

The Alfa-Future stand by Alfa-Bank, another general partner of the festival, drew crowds with all-day career counseling sessions where students could learn how to build a successful future. Visitors took a break from networking right at the very same spot: some played Tetris, while others customized T-shirts or engraved cards. Blogger Danya Kraster dropped by the zone to hang out with his fans and serve them some refreshing mocktails.

At the zone hosted by Yandex Education, the festival's general partner, visitors could explore the laboratory Yandex Physical AI, get some career advice, and win a merch kit for solving engineering challenges. Apart from that, people also came to the spot to snap photos and get an autograph from blogger Nowkie – and also play some ping pong.

The T-Education stand invited guests to take an interactive route and earn a “black belt” in IT by solving challenges based on real-world educational or career cases. There, school students had the chance to try their hand at different fields, explore various learning tracks, and chart their own path – from enrollment to the first steps in bigtech. The most active ones took home gifts and merch.

On the shoreside of the Gulf of Finland, in the X5 and X5 Tech zones, some visitors did yoga and others caught the wind and headed out on a SUP board to escape the July heat. While guests were enjoying the great outdoors, a seagull mascot crashed the festival to see who had already “landed” a place in the industry or science and, surely, stayed to pose for many pictures.

In between graduation ceremonies and career consultations, students got to enjoy sports, including esports: they cycled on digital tracks, hosted their own World Cup on controllers, lined up for racing games, and vibe-coded on gaming keyboards. Those who wanted to take a break from the digital world were offered a creative detox at the crafts hub where they could string a bag, make a binary bracelet, and also do some wood burning.

Well-being and health enthusiasts weren’t left aside: they could test sunscreens, have their bite checked, and chat with experts at the evidence-based medicine club by W Clinic.

Those who see their future in academia could drop by the Science Bar where faculty deans stood behind the counter and answered questions by prospective PhD students. How can one choose a field or a thesis topic? And what's the secret to balancing work and studies and, above all, staying motivated? For their questions, students would enjoy a glass of Aspirol, Nobellini, or Strawberry Grant. Near the bar, deans who waited for their shift passed the time by playing table football and joking that they look forward to beating students in a volleyball match at the beach. All around, people networked, debated, laughed, and exchanged their contacts, reminding each other once again: ITMO is a community without boundaries, where different generations speak the same language – the language of science.

“Dreaming of ITMO since seventh grade.” Prospective students discover ITMO in person

What’s more, ITMO Family Day featured its own branch of the Admission Office: throughout the day, prospective students and their parents had the opportunity to explore different faculties and chose their future individual learning track.

In the Apply Smartly lecture zone, experts helped guests to navigate their way in the market. At one of the lectures, attendees were shown a map that featured jobs of the future, among which were quite a few unusual professions – such as an intergalactic tour guide. All jokes aside, a data scientist sounded just as futuristic 25 years ago as an intergalactic tour guide does today. 

Future students also cared about more down-to-earth questions: they asked experts about whether studying is hard and how demanding professors are. Some of them sought help from peers: two applicants chased down a graduate after spotting a gown to ask her about studies at ITMO and the best ways to prep for exams. 

One of the applicants, Oleg, traveled to ITMO Family Day from Moscow with his aunt because he wanted to see the university with his own eyes. 

“When I was in the ninth grade, I’d more or less decided that I wanted to do IT. I got 97 on the math exam and 92 on the physics one – and I had to retake my computer science exam, but I’ll have the results soon,” he says. 

Anastasia, a graduate of one of St. Petersburg’s lyceums, scored 100 on her computer science exam and above 90 on other subjects. 

“As a kid, I was more interested in technical sciences. I even skipped classes at music school to study for math and physics olympiads. I really hope my scores will be good enough. I have wanted to study at ITMO since the seventh grade,” she shares.

Those at the festival who still have a long way before admission enjoyed their time at the ITMO START zone. The older ones explored game development and the younger ones chased soap bubbles. One toddler was closer to graduation more than anyone else – his mother held him when she received her Master’s degree on the festival’s main stage.

Applicants and professors, students and employers

Towards the close, everyone came to the beach to watch deans play against KronBars, sing along with Chocolate Cake (a band founded by ITMO graduates), and then dance the night off to the songs of this year’s headliner – the band Hleb.

Visitors could also leave messages to their future selves at the payphone not far from the main stage. Students and graduates’ audio messages will arrive by email in five years. They spoke quietly and weren’t willing to share their secrets. As for the global, some shared their big dreams with ITMO NEWS:

“That my family and friends are healthy. All the rest isn’t a dream; it’s a goal,” says Anna, a graduate of the Faculty of Physics.

“For now, my goal is to enjoy life,” shares Gleb, a graduate of the Big Data and Machine Learning Master’s program.

“A big family and a successful career. I want to have both and be happy,” wishes Elizaveta, an applicant.

“I wish to build a startup with only ITMO graduates,” says Anton, a graduate of 2023.

“I want to launch my own project, a business. I still have some time before I’m old – so, I believe I can make it,” shares Semyon, a Master’s graduate of the Faculty of Applied Computer Science.

“After six years, my biggest dream is to get my Bachelor’s,” wishes Yulia, a student at the Faculty of Technological Management and Innovations who reapplied to ITMO three years ago.

“I want to work four hours a day, have a good salary as if I worked full-time, and be able to see the world,” shares Gulnara, a graduate of the Big Data and Machine Learning Master’s program.

“Be happy, content, rich, and loved. I want to be surrounded by loved ones, friends, and family and travel a lot. Also, I want to be even cooler than Elon Musk when it comes to making AI,” says Alisa, a graduate of the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics.