I started attending Portnov Computer School in late December of 2009

I started attending Portnov Computer School in late December of 2009 and was hired for a paid internship position merely two months later (in early March). I do not have a technical/computer science-related background at all and admittedly, I was initially a bit skeptical about whether or not I would be able to grasp the material well enough to ever land a paid position in the field (particularly since my strengths lie in the social sciences and I had never entertained the idea of pursuing a career in any way related to the software industry before). However, all my fears turned out to be entirely unfounded.

The absolutely spectacular teachers at Portnov made the information easily accessible and were always ready to answer questions and to provide extra attention if necessary. Mikhail’s classes were extremely informative and I feel that they really gave me a solid understanding of what the QA profession entails and how best to prepare for and pass interviews (which is tremendously valuable knowledge, to say the least). Lastly Sofia, the director of operations, was truly magnificent; she provided encouragement throughout my time at the school, checked in with me often to see how I was doing in my classes, and was incredibly supportive and attentive. Without her there to assuage my concerns, I might have decided to turn back (I am eternally grateful to her for all her guidance!).

I firmly believe that if I was able to complete courses at Portnov and to be hired for a paid internship position in a large company, that anyone who is serious about pursuing this career path can do so as well. I cannot say enough great things about this school and my experience there, and I would highly recommend it to anyone whose interests lie in this field. Thank you so much to everyone at Portnov for all of your encouragement and help, I truly appreciate it!