“ZZ Dats” received 153 applications this year for its programmer and system administrator internship, which is twice as many as in 2024. Students from the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University, Ventspils University College, and several technical schools are most interested in the programmer internship position, with an average of 10 applicants per paid internship spot. Young people’s interest in studying and future careers in the IT sector continues to grow, as Iveta Kažemaka, Head of Administration and Human Resources at “ZZ Dats,” has observed, not only by organizing paid internships at the company but also by meeting with young people at “Career Days” organized by universities and registering students for the upcoming “Shadow Day” in early April.
“An internship provider offers students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a work setting and, under the supervision of an internship supervisor, gain new skills and grow professionally—this is an additional path to growth for a future specialist and often leads to a future job. When applying for an internship, young people most often want to know if they’ll be able to balance the internship with their studies. An internship is like a real job—you have to work eight hours a day—but we adapt to students’ needs as much as possible so they can balance their internship with their studies. Students also highlight this as one of the advantages: that “ZZ Dats” is flexible and allows students to work remotely if necessary. Young people also appreciate that we provide support in developing their thesis and offer the opportunity to work on real-world projects, which they can then present during their thesis defense. Most of our employees are seasoned IT project managers, programmers, testers, and systems analysts, which is also a key reason why young people want to come to us for an internship and learn from more experienced colleagues. They can be confident that they will gain valuable practical skills here within eight months. An objective measure of their internship achievements is the high grade they receive for their thesis at their university. “The average grade for the final project among participants in the previous programming internship program was 9.5,” says Iveta Kažemaka, Head of Administration and Human Resources at ZZ Dats. Interns appreciate that they not only gain experience but also receive compensation for their work; payroll taxes are paid, vacation time accrues, and they build up work experience. The opportunity to participate in the implementation of a real-world project—programming, an internship supervisor acting as a mentor and potential support in developing coursework, a bachelor’s thesis, or a master’s thesis, and a paid internship position— these are the main priorities, according to SIA “ZZ Dats,” when IT students choose an internship.
Computer games lead to programming
According to “ZZ Dats” observations, young people’s interest in programming often stems from computer games, and this, in turn, sparks a desire to learn more about what can be achieved through coding. Our recommendation to young people is to definitely supplement the knowledge gained in school and through practical experience with academic study—motivation could include both a faster-paced career in the future and higher pay in the long term. “Based on our current experience in hiring, we evaluate candidates with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. We have several colleagues who have also earned a Ph.D.,” says Iveta Kažemaka, Head of Administration and Human Resources at “ZZ Dats.”
Young people’s interest in studying IT is also confirmed by the recent “Career Day” at Riga Technical University, where several hundred interested individuals—not only from Latvia but also from other countries—visited the “ZZ Dats” booth to discuss future job opportunities with specialists. “ZZ Dats” had also prepared an interactive activity for the young people here—to rewrite a specific programming code as quickly as possible, which everyone successfully completed.
“Shadow Day” offers a glimpse into all IT roles
Meanwhile, in the career education program “Shadow Day,” students will have the opportunity to see both the day-to-day operations at “ZZ Dats” and learn about the work of specialists, as well as get answers to their questions—and here, too, the company has received applications from many students across Latvia. “‘Shadow Day’ is a great opportunity for young people to ‘try on’ a job in the IT sector. This year, we’re again offering various fields where young people can apply to shadow: programmers, IT project managers, testers, systems analysts, and this year we’re also offering roles not directly related to programming—we’re offering the chance to shadow HR specialists and lawyers,” says Iveta Kažemaka, Head of Administration and HR at “ZZ Dats,” encouraging students to register for the event.
“Shadow Day,” scheduled for April 4, 2025, is a globally recognized Junior Achievement career education program for students in grades 1–12, who get to experience the daily work of a professional in a field that interests them.
Photo: Dzintars Straupe
