Can You Start in IT Completely from Scratch? Lenka Semerádová on Online Study, Gaming, and Her Path to Software

Maybe I’ll start with the last part. I’m really looking forward to the second year because in the first year we had cloud applications, but we didn’t really cover frontend that much. So when working on final assignments, you had to figure out along the way what things should look like from the user’s point of view. That’s why I’m really looking forward to the subject focused on frontend UX.

Of course, there were also introductory subjects in the first year that everyone has to complete. Personally, because I’m close to business, I really enjoyed Business Fundamentals. We had a great group of about eight people. At first, I was worried that coordinating so many people would be difficult, but my classmates were really great.

We set up a Discord server, created separate rooms for different parts of the project, and divided the work among ourselves. The feedback from the lecturer was also excellent. We submitted a really large amount of data and ended up getting 100 points out of 100.

Nice!

That made me really happy. Besides that, I also completed cloud applications, the basics of working with GitHub, and of course mathematics.

I had a lot of respect for mathematics. I have many friends who studied at universities such as Brno University of Technology, and I know that maths is something students often struggle with. So I was pleasantly surprised that I could study it through self-study.

We also had a great maths professor who was genuinely enthusiastic and positive. It wasn’t the kind of teaching where you are afraid to ask questions. On the contrary, he would say, “Ask questions.” We were even able to arrange an extra revision session before the exam.

I also think there has never been a better time to study than now, because AI can partly become a personalised tutor. I can give it the materials we have from the university, ask it to explain the process, and keep asking questions. And if I still don’t understand something, I can of course turn to the professor.

I was really surprised that even though I come from a non-IT and non-mathematical background, I was able to handle the maths.

There is a huge variety of games. If we go all the way back to the beginning, people played on DOS, using only a keyboard and practically no mouse. Today, on Steam, you can choose from an incredible range of games — from FPS shooters to strategy, management, logic, and detective games.

Every game has a completely different UX. Today, game design also often takes into account the player’s previous experience. That is something I find really interesting from a programming perspective.

In every game, you have to get oriented, understand the rules, learn the process, and find the optimal path. You constantly have to switch your way of thinking and learn something new. I think that having an open mind and being ready to learn again and again can be a major advantage.

When I talked about it with a friend who works as a senior programmer for an international company, I realised that it’s actually difficult to say exactly what the market will look like in the future. AI is developing in leaps. What it could do at the beginning of 2026 compared to what it can do today is a huge difference, and that development will continue.

I don’t think it will be as important to know every detail of code, but it will be crucial to understand the principles. Even today, some primary schools use educational programmes where children learn to build programmes in blocks. They are not learning Python or JavaScript directly, but rather the principles of computational thinking.

To come back to your question, I don’t think I’ll become a pure programmer after graduation. I see myself more as a go-to person or a business analyst. Given my business background, I think the role of business analyst could suit me best.

That question is perfectly timed. Yesterday, I came back from ConCrunch, which is a cosplay festival in Prague. I’m close to the anime and cosplay community.

Based on what I learned in my first year, especially in cloud applications, I created an app that shows the event schedule, map, and information about the venue. It also includes contestants, their profiles, links to Instagram, and information about where to find food or toilets.

At the event, I walked around with an NFC wristband and showed the app to people who were getting lost in the venue. I tested it with several users as a proof of concept for my presentation. The reactions were positive, so we may be able to deploy it fully next year. Gabriel Loci is quite a complex venue, so visitors can easily get lost at first.

When my partner or my new employer saw the app, they immediately started asking me about other things. My partner said, “Lenka, this is great, I need a ticketing system — could you code one for me?” And my future employer asked how I would approach automating communication with clients.

So I’m gradually getting more and more requests, and I think this is exactly the direction I’d like to go in.

I can give specific examples from my classmates. I met a professional motocross rider who needs flexibility because of races. I also have a classmate from Spain who works in hospitality and has irregular shifts.

I also think online study can be great for mothers on maternity leave, because a child needs care at specific times and regular attendance can be difficult.

With this format, you can organise self-study around your own schedule and focus on the key material you need for the exam without having to work your way through huge amounts of literature.

Lenka, thank you very much for today’s conversation. I wish you lots of success both in your studies and in your future career.

Thank you as well. Take care, Marek.