Greetings! I’m Otar Jintchvelade, soon-to-be CS (Computer Science) undergrad and hopefully a successful software architect in a couple of years. This might or might not be my final blog at ELTE, and I will try to make it extra interesting. However, to give you more context, you can check out other blogs of mine.
I’m in my final semester now, and I catch myself doing this thing where I look at my calendar, see how packed it is, and then recall my first weeks at ELTE. Ah, good old times! Back then, I thought the “final semester” sounded like a far future. Here it came, and honestly, it feels exciting and emotional at the same time.
When people ask me what ELTE gave me, I never want to answer with the usual “knowledge and a degree,” because that’s for sure not the full story. ELTE didn’t just teach me concepts and pour an immense amount of information on me. It trained my brain in a very strategic way. The kind of training that shows up when you sit down for an interview with a company, when you join a new project, when you try to solve the issue at 2 am, or when you have to deliver a solution even when you’re not sure if it's perfect or not.
ELTE and the “industry mindset”, I didn’t even realise I was building
Well, most of the universities feel like they prepare you to pass exams. Honestly speaking, ELTE definitely cares a lot about exams, but under the hood, it really builds engineering discipline.
Building different projects and small assignments, the constant problem solving, they forced me to develop habits that actually match real software engineer work. Breaking down big tasks into smaller ones. Writing code that someone else can understand. Debugging without panicking, even though I still do, haha. Learning how to learn, because tech changes fast, and nobody can spoon-feed you everything.
Even the hard parts helped. I would correct myself and say especially the hard parts. There were weeks when I had multiple deadlines, and I had to decide what “done” means. I had to prioritise, cut features, test smarter, and move forward. That is literally the job.
And the coolest part is that I can feel the difference now. I feel calmer with complex tasks. I trust my process more. I don’t freeze when something looks too big. I just start with the first small step. I recently came across this and have been sharing it with everyone:
How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
Teaching at ELTE while still being a student
One of the most unique parts of my ELTE journey is that I've been teaching since my second year. ELTE offers a special opportunity called the demonstrator program, the equivalent of a TA role. It's not handed to you, though. You have to demonstrate academic excellence and build a genuine connection with your professor. If they see the potential in you and encourage you to apply, ELTE will officially approve you as a demonstrator. If you are brave enough and the faculty chooses you, you can step into a classroom, young, full of energy and ready to explain difficult concepts to students whose seats you were sitting in not long ago.
At first, it felt crazy. I was still figuring things out myself, and suddenly I was the one explaining concepts to others. Even funnier, many of my students were older than me. That dynamic could have been awkward, but it turned into something I truly love.
In the classroom, I’m their teacher. I’m responsible for the structure, the explanations, the pace, and making sure everyone understands what’s happening. I take that seriously. But outside the classroom, we can be friends. We talk like normal people, we laugh and gossip, we complain about deadlines, we share memes, we walk out of class together and continue the conversation like we’ve known each other for years.
That contrast is actually beautiful. It taught me something important about leadership, too. Respect is not about age. It’s about competence, clarity, and how you interact with folks. And teaching at ELTE hasn’t been just one subject. I’ve had the chance to teach courses that honestly shaped me as much as they shaped my students:
Object Oriented Programming (Java): the classic “this is where you learn to think in objects” course. I love teaching it because it changes how students structure their code and how they approach bigger systems.
Programming Technology (Java): this one is especially fun because it feels closer to building real software. We create game-like projects and small “software products,” and students start seeing programming as building something alive, not just writing code to pass tests.
Software Technology: this is where things get really industry-like. I’ve been a Scrum Master for 4–5 teams, helping them deliver end-to-end projects with version control, collaboration, planning, and a proper software development lifecycle. Honestly, I sometimes feel like a mix of Scrum Master and Product Owner. I guide teams through the process, help unblock them, keep delivery realistic, and make sure the final product actually comes together.
Teaching these courses made me better at communication, leadership, and being responsible for outcomes. It’s one thing to code alone. It’s another thing to coordinate teams, keep the quality high, and still keep people motivated.
The professors who made ELTE feel human
People sometimes assume a big university means cold professors and formal relationships. That hasn’t been my experience at ELTE.
Of course, there are strict standards, and there should be. But behind those standards, I met professors who are genuinely warm. Professors who want you to succeed, who answer questions with patience, and who give guidance instead of just judging.
I also got lucky with something that I’ll always appreciate: I became especially good friends with my lecturer from my very first semester. We’ve done hiking together in Hungary, cooked together with other colleagues, and had those conversations that go beyond school, where you talk about life, same interests, future plans, and honestly just laugh a lot. He’s a truly great guy, and I genuinely believe he’s the kind of lecturer many universities would chase to have. I will avoid saying names, but if you are reading this, I want you to know that I look up to people like you a ton!
When you experience a professor like that early, it changes your whole relationship with the university. You stop feeling like you’re “inside a system.” You start feeling like you’re part of a real community with people who actually care.
But that's only half the story. The rest, thesis, friendships, and the chaos of the final semester are coming in Part 2.
