KTU SKILLed FinTech student: “I try to make sure that I don’t have time for mindless scrolling”

“If something bad can happen, it will definitely happen,” for some, this is a pessimistic saying, for others it is a fictional law, but for Arvydas Vingis, a student at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), it gives motivation and determination. The SKILLed Fintech student enjoys many extracurricular activities, and he discovers something about himself in each of them.

Arvydas says he never dreamed of studying IT as a child. However, after graduating from high school, the student decided to pursue his bachelor’s at the Faculty of Informatics, just across the street from his school.

“I decided to pursue a career in IT only in the last year of school. Previously, I was convinced that I wanted to study economics or management abroad, however, in the 12th grade, when I started to prepare for the school leaving informatics exam and became interested in this field, I turned my future in a different direction.

Truly, I don’t regret my choice and am convinced that it is not for nothing that the informatics study programme is so popular,” says Vingis.

Combining interest in IT and economics

Arvydas, who chose IT studies rather than pursuing a higher education degree in another field, is happy that even after taking a different career path, he did not have to abandon his interest in economics: in addition to his studies, he is also participating in the SKILLed FinTech upskilling programme.

“I chose SKILLed FinTech because of my fascination and interest in economics. So, when I found out about this programme, which combines my two favourite fields, I didn’t think long before applying. Of course, the regular scholarships for active SKILLed FinTech students, amounting to 300 euros per month, made it even more attractive,” he says.

SKILLed FinTech programme participants learn enhanced and financial technology-related subjects, have the opportunity to listen to presentations delivered by business representatives of leading companies, and develop skills relevant to the job market.

However, the SKILLed FinTech curriculum does not only focus on the subtleties of the financial technology market: students try their hand at hackathons, business and challenges, interact with career mentors, and develop their personal competencies. One of the first personal goals Arvydas set for himself during his first interview with the mentor was to improve his small talk skills. He is happy to have achieved it in the first semester.

“I often feel shy or nervous when chatting to new people. I think it’s important to develop this skill because many would probably say that their career or success started with meeting the right person. Learning how to carry a conversation with ease helps you to make friendships that could be the start of a major life event in the future. I would say that this task required a lot of both – determination and courage,” says Vingis.

Active since childhood

Arvydas has plenty of determination and courage to try out different roles: he used to play the guitar, has been fascinated by martial arts since childhood, and teaches mathematics to children in his free time after studies. Although at first glance there is nothing in common between these activities, the KTU student values them all.

“I try so many different things, mostly because I want to discover myself, which is easiest by trying as many activities as possible. I have attended training sessions of probably every popular sport and realised that I want to build my life around traditional karate-do,” he says.

Arvydas was captivated by the martial art that strives for victory without a fight at an early age – when he was just eight years old. Over the years he grew to love the martial art more and more and has been practising it ever since.

“Practicing karate-do has taught me psychological practices, such as meditation, which is very helpful for self-development and helps me to stay calm and make a well-informed decision in stressful situations. As it is a martial art, we spend a lot of time training with training partners, learning how to recognise the mistakes of others and how to listen to advice. I have already used all these skills in my life, so I can assure you that they are really useful,” says Vingis.

It is true that his excellent time management skills also help Arvydas to balance different passions: “I don’t like wasting time and often when I spend more time on social networks, I feel guilty that I could have done much more meaningful things during that time. That’s why I try to do as many activities as possible that I enjoy so that I don’t have any time to “relax” on my phone.”

When asked if he uses inspirational quotes, Vingis says that he tries to keep his outlook on life as positive and realistic as possible, which is what allows him to keep up with everything and not lose his drive to achieve his goals.

“There are always unfortunate and unlucky things that happen in life, so the only thing to do is to accept them, solve the problems that arise, and keep your head up and not give up,” he says.

If you are a first-year Bachelor’s student of Applied Mathematics, Program Systems, Information Systems, Informatics, Economics, or Finance study programmes – apply to the SKILLed FinTech programme!

6 Sept 2023