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Author: Zuzana Kocáková

At msg life Slovakia I take care of the company culture, events and I am part of the marketing team. I like a job where I can be creative and contribute to making my colleagues at msg feel good. I regularly prepare for you not only news and interesting things from the world of information technology and insurance, but also from behind the scenes events at msg life Slovakia.

msg News: celebration of the company’s foundation, Christmas and expansion to the Czech Republic

Posted on by Zuzana Kocáková

The end of 2021 was very busy in msg life Slovakia. We had several reasons to be happy. In addition to celebrating 21 years as a company in November, we also held a number of events. These included a feast festival and, with the Christmas holidays approaching, other traditional activities. We have not slowed down in our search for new colleagues, but this time we have also cast our nets in the Czech Republic. The offer of Full Remote positions has been expanded again. Read what new things happened in our company during autumn and winter. The age of 21 evokes adulthood for many. However, in the context of our company’s existence, this number is a symbol of stability, experience and background. Over more than two decades, strong bonds of friendship have been forged between our colleagues. The company has gained many leading corporate clients and, together with its international background, the necessary stability. However, everything has evolved over time. “When we started in 2000, we focused only on software development,” recalls Milan Patassy, one of the company’s managing directors, of the company’s beginnings. “We now have more than 200 employees in Slovakia and, in addition to developers, we also employ more than 80 testers, as well as client consultants and specialists in migration, integration and mathematics. In total, we cover about fourteen products that we develop and test,” adds Milan.

Jobs also in the Czech Republic

The company is growing so much that we are currently looking for employees in the Czech Republic. Specifically java programmers or integration architects. Employees from our neighbours will work in the form of Full Remote. There are no concerns about whether this form of cooperation will work from the management side. We have already addressed a similar issue at the beginning when the parent company in Germany was expanding its divisions to other countries, including Slovakia.

Currently, due to the pandemic situation, the list of fully remote positions is expanding. “The labour market is changing and so are the trends and benefits for employees. Of course, our company tries to keep up with them. The health of our colleagues is important to us. That is why all jobs are currently hybrid, with Home Office. This means that 60 percent of the working time the employee can work from the comfort of home and 40 percent in the office space. It is up to the employee which days are spent in the office and which at home. For some positions we are even looking for Full Remote collaborations. These are mainly developer jobs or individuals who would have to commute from a long distance, for example, from the Czech Republic,” explains the company’s HR manager Maria.

Company benefits and gifts

Even during the autumn and winter we did not forget to diversify our work. At the end of October, we held a traditional feast in the premises of the company, where we enjoyed crispy duck and lokšiai. “During the summer, we organised weekly lunches together and, as they were a great success and received positive feedback, we wanted to continue this,” adds recruiter Dominika.

msg life gave gifts to employees for Christmas
The employees of msg life also received Christmas presents.

However, this event was not the only one of its kind. With the Christmas holidays approaching, the Personnel Department prepared St. Nicholas gifts for colleagues and their children and even organised a Christmas market, which was held outdoors. This year we did not forget about Christmas presents either. “Colleagues were able to fill in a questionnaire about what they would like to have under the tree and we were happy to fulfil their wishes,” adds Dominika.

We joined forces for a good cause

At msg life Slovakia, however, we think of others besides our employees. With winter approaching, we have also turned our attention to several non-profit organizations and volunteer associations. Examples are Freedom of Animals, Plamienok or Vagus. We materially supported abandoned pets, donated clothes to homeless people and financially supported a collection for breathing apparatuses for sick children.

 

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“We decided to be active not only internally, but also to use our energy outside the office. Together with our children, we took up to 80 kg of kibble to a dog shelter, walked the dogs and also organized a clothes collection for the underprivileged. We collected a car full of warm clothes. Perhaps the empathy of our colleagues was most evident when, together with the company, they contributed considerable sums for breathing apparatuses for sick children. A big thank you to all of them,” says Zuzana, office manager of msg life Slovakia.

msg life Slovakia helps charities with financial and material donations

Posted on by Zuzana Kocáková

If you’re worried about the pre-Christmas rush and you’re chasing presents until the last minute, there are plenty of people who would love to swap with you. Especially those who have lost the roof over their heads, are in a bad financial situation or have health problems. These are the ones we at msg life Slovakia have been thinking about the most during the month of December. The IT segment was only partially affected by the pandemic, so this year we decided to support not only our colleagues, but also selected charities dedicated to helping people in need. Thanks to our material and financial donations, they were able to forget about their difficult life situation for at least a small moment and spend Christmas in peace.

msg life helped several charities

“It started innocently. Like every year, my colleagues and I talked about what we were going to give our employees this time. We thought about it for so long that we even came up with the theme of charity.” explains the birth of the idea office manager Zuzana. After a difficult selection process, we decided to choose several charities that focus on helping people in need. This Christmas we supported both financially and materially the Platform of Families of Children with Disabilities (Platforma rodin deti so zdravotnym znevyhodnenim), the Malicek civic association that helps families of premature babies, the NGO Dobry anjel with a focus on helping those who need it the most, and the NGO Plamienok, which provides free home care for terminally ill children and help with the loss of a child. We have not forgotten about the Kto pomoze Slovensku initiative, which aims to provide financial and material assistance to health professionals and medical facilities affected by the pandemic, or the Stopa, Vagus, Depaul and Stedra vecera, which help homeless people. Our hearts have also been won by the organization Sloboda zvierat, which is dedicated to rescuing and caring for stray and abused animals and then finding them a new home. At the same time, we would like to appeal to everyone who can to help these organizations. It does not have to be financial or material help. It is enough if you walk the dogs once in a while or help as a volunteer.

Selection process of non-profit organizations

Throughout the year, we focus primarily on the satisfaction of our employees. We are constantly preparing new benefits and interesting events or activities to make them feel their best at msg life. “However, our team is also growing and there is finally room to focus on helping people in need,” adds Zuzana. The company’s office department therefore drew up a list of organizations it would like to help and gradually began to approach them. “We would prefer to help everyone, but we had to choose a selection strategy,” explains recruiter Dominika. We followed a number of criteria when selecting the non-profit organizations. We decided that this year we would support Slovak charities with a specific focus. “Our priority was to help mainly sick and abandoned children, people in need, health professionals, but also animals,” adds Dominika. The cooperation with the organizations lasted several weeks, and communication with them was very effective. Some organizations and associations provided us with a precise list of things they needed to make it easier to run the company. This not only made our work easier, but also provided the necessary equipment for people in need and abandoned pets in shelters.

 

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A post shared by msg life Slovakia (@msglifeslovakia)

Material and financial donations for a good cause

msg life Slovakia was able to make Christmas more enjoyable for several families and homeless people not only thanks to the help of employees, but also thanks to funding from the parent company msg life. “Our company has invested money in charitable activities thanks to the support of our parent organization, which is based in Germany. It is not important for us to talk about specific amounts, what is important is that the money went into good hands and for the right purpose,” says Dominika. We have been volunteering throughout the year, but it was only in December that we really started to help. Developers, testers or actuaries together with their children helped in delivering food to the dog shelter or collecting clothes for homeless people. The furries were delighted to receive up to 80 kg of kibble, we provided them with material donations and some dogs were also happy to go for walks during the year. As part of the company swap, we managed to collect a car full of warm clothes for people im need. “Everyone has been helpful and supportive, for which we owe them a big thank you,” adds Zuzana. However, we were not always able to help with material donations. In such cases, we supported the selected organizations financially. For example, we organized a collection to buy expensive breathing apparatuses for sick children. In addition to our company, our dear colleagues also volunteered to participate in the collection, for which we thank them immensely. msg life Slovakia would like to continue similar charitable activities in the future. “The IT world is an area that has not been so badly affected by the pandemic. Thanks to this, we can continue to contribute to a better life in Slovakia and support good projects and ideas. In the future, we also want to focus on environmental issues and contribute to a cleaner and greener planet. We believe that we will be able to take the first steps already this spring,” concludes Zuzana.

From logistics to IT. Tester Andrea tells you what motivated her to change her job

Posted on by Zuzana Kocáková

Based on the references of a friend, with whom they had been colleagues in the past and now again, Andrea applied for a job as a IT tester in Zilina during the height of the pandemic situation. Although two years ago she never thought she would have an IT job, today she is successfully overcoming the challenges of her job as a software tester. IT jobs are always on offer, read our interview with Andrea and get inspired.

How long have you been with msg life Slovakia?

I have been with our company since February 2020.

What job were you recruited for?

I passed the IT tester interview and I started in this position.

How did you get into testing?

For health reasons I was forced to change my original profession in logistics. I worked there for sixteen years. I often dealt with requests to change or modify the software used. Today my task is to test the software. I was persuaded to apply for an interview for my current position by a colleague with whom I had worked in my previous job.

What attracted you to working at msg life Slovakia? Why did you choose us?

It was a rational decision based on references and my vision, but it was also a feeling decision, triggered by the atmosphere at the job interview. That weighed the most. When I went for a job interview, I was thinking about changing careers. I did not expect such a fair and personal approach from the future manager or the employer. I was looking for a stable and humane company that would allow me to work in a healthy work environment, not forget my skills and work with the potential to improve. I really wanted to find a work-life balance. It was the feedback I received that motivated me to make this career change.

How is working for us different from previous work experience?

Corporate atmosphere, workplace relationships, internal communication and the value of people. By changing careers, I have gained experience with an employer who values its people and has high level HR management. Plus, I work in a less stressful environment and I finally know what an undisturbed holiday means.

What does your normal working day look like?

I joined msg life Slovakia during the pandemic and the persistent home office, so I was initially deprived of full socialization in the office. However, I am able to schedule my working time well, taking into account the tasks and appointments in my calendar and respecting my privacy. Rather, my experience is that the work week or month is divided into phases because the work agenda of the day adapts to it. The period before the release of the system is more demanding, almost entirely focused on testing and frequent project meetings. The other days it is an agenda and performing tasks as needed or requested by the manager, mostly testing the functionality of the environment.

What is your job? What are you currently working on?

The biggest part of my work agenda is manual software testing, when I solve assigned Jira tickets, test new topics and create tickets for discovered bugs. One of my tasks is the so-called smoke test of the environment and a general overview of the environments we use in the project. After agreement with the team, I initiate the update or run the update manually. Training also fills the working hours as required.

Who all are you communicating with to solve any problems?

I communicate with the team leader, project colleagues, developers and integrators. Communication with testers from the customer side and with project management is less frequent. It’s great to have constant online contact with our colleagues in our office and with the team on the project.

What project are you working on right now?

I’m working on a Canada Life project where I’m testing billing – it’s a component of our system for automated processing of financial flows between the customer, the bank and the insurance company. It is such an interface between the bank and the general ledger, where payment transactions are recorded.

Do you have experience with other projects within msg life Slovakia?

No. CLA is my first project.

What apps do you use at work?

I use JIRA on a daily basis – software to enter, track and coordinate tasks and problems that are solved in projects. I also use MADOS (Maintenance and Delivery Online System) to access and manage all the environments on which I test the web versions of our software from an update perspective. DBVisualizer is also helpful for me to work with the database and MS Office. We have a Microsoft Teams application for communication.

What skills are important for your job?

Knowledge of foreign languages, ability to see the context and accept change, responsibility, precision and willingness to learn a lot. Experience in the insurance or financial sector and good IT literacy are a definite advantage and will facilitate training.

What do you like most about your job?

Two years ago, I wouldn’t have thought I would be working in my current position. It’s not my dream job, it’s more of a challenge, but it brings me positives that compensate for the long hours behind the computer. I realise that I am not a ‘ready-made man’ for my employer and I have to learn more than my colleagues who were ‘born in IT’. That’s why I’m happy that the amount of information I’ve acquired is starting to fall into place and I’m able to solve many tasks independently. If there is a problem, I have people around me who are willing to give advice at any time. The language courses, the motivating remuneration programme and the care of the employees are great. The company provides excellent conditions for work-life balance for both parents and childless people, while respecting family and leisure time. And frankly, it will be very nice to work with colleagues in person as well.

Who are your colleagues?

Great team. One in Žilina, the other in Bratislava. Although the project is challenging, I am very pleased with the people who are working on it. We sat down both professionally and humanly. Thanks to my colleagues, I don’t perceive working in a home environment at all. I appreciate their willingness to help, to share information, to lighten the situation in a difficult time and to stand by when things are not going well. Several of them became friends and partners for hiking and leisure.

What qualities should your new colleague have to fit in?

Humour and team spirit will delight.

Three words that come to mind when you hear msg life Slovakia?

I’m glad to be here.

Are you looking for an interesting IT job in Žilina? Check out our other job offers and join us:

msg life Slovakia celebrates 21 years of changing the world of insurance development

Posted on by Zuzana Kocáková

The story of this company started with just three employees in 2000. Read more about the development of msg life Slovakia.

The parent company msg life has been providing professional and advisory services in the insurance and financial sector for more than 40 years. During this time it has managed to consolidate its position within Europe and has expanded from Germany to the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, the USA and Slovakia. The company has been operating in our country for 21 years in three cities – Bratislava, Košice and Žilina – where it employs a total of more than 230 employees. The company’s story started with just three employees, one of whom was the managing director of the Slovak branch, Milan Patassy. “When we started in 2000, we focused only on software development,” recalls Milan Patassy, one of the managing directors of msg life Slovakia, of the company’s beginnings. Over time, the company not only increased the number of employees, but also expanded its area of operation. “We currently have more than 230 employees in Slovakia and, in addition to 70 developers, we also employ more than 95 testers, as well as integration architects, mathematicians, business analysts, migration specialists and project management managers. In total, we cover approximately 14 products that we develop and test,” adds Milan. Our company celebrated its 21st anniversary this year. During this period we have managed to win many important clients. Along with an international background, we have gained stability and are currently looking for employees on the Czech market as well.

Job offers also in the Czech Republic

Specifically, we are looking for Java developers with a focus on the insurance industry or integration architects. Employees from a neighboring country will work directly from home. There is no concern from the management whether this form of cooperation will work. A similar issue was addressed early on when the parent company in Germany was expanding its divisions to other countries, including Slovakia. “After more than 20 years, I can say that this is an achievement that is of strategic importance for msg life. The results achieved have finally freed us from all the doubts and uncertainties of developing products remotely,” adds Robert Hess, another of the company’s managing directors. As a result of the pandemic situation, the list of fully remote positions In Slovakia has recently been expanding.

“The labour market is changing and so are the trends or benefits for employees. Of course, msg life Slovakia tries to keep up with them. Employee health is also important to us, which is why all our employees currently work from home. Our job offers offer a hybrid form of work. This means that 60 percent of the time the employee can work from the comfort of home and 40 percent in the office. It is up to the employee which days are spent in the office and which at home. Telecommuting is also an option for some development positions or for people who would have to commute long distances to work,” explains HR manager Maria.

Corporate activities and events

The company is aware that there is increasing competition in the software development field, so it is a priority to promote an open company culture, friendly atmosphere and care for employees through a rich benefits program. “Cohesion at work and in the family is very important in Slovakia and we support it through events for the little ones, such as children’s day celebrations or Christmas parties. They represent the values that I believe characterize society as a whole: stability, openness and correct behaviour. In addition to these values, we all value a culture of learning from our own mistakes,” says managing director Milan Patassy. Over time, many colleagues have become friends and company events have become more spectacular and fun.

“We realize how important it is to make work fun for our colleagues. That’s why we regularly try to strengthen the team with various events. Regular events include, for example, a summer party. This year, we have also introduced various themed lunches and we try to think about the health of our employees with a health week or yoga sessions. Many of the events have a high success and positive feedback, which we are very pleased about,” adds recruiter Dominika. Currently, the average age of the company is below 38 years, which ensures the initiative and innovative thinking of younger employees, the expertise of the middle generation and the experience of people who have already reached their fifties. “We are also very pleased that the proportion of female employees has increased to 30 per cent,” adds Milan Patassy.

Charity and education

At msg life Slovakia, apart from our own employees, we also think about those who need it most. In recent months, we have also turned our attention to several non-profit organizations and volunteer associations. Examples are Freedom of Animals, Plamienok or Vagus. Colleagues from msg life Slovakia provided food for abandoned animals, clothes for homeless people and funding for breathing apparatuses for sick children.

“We decided to be active not only internally, but also to use our energy outside the company’s premises. Together we donated up to 80 kg of food to a dog shelter, walked the dogs and organized a clothing collection for the underprivileged. We collected a car full of warm clothes. Perhaps the empathy of our colleagues was most evident when, together with the company, they contributed considerable sums for breathing apparatuses for sick children. A huge thank you to all of them,” says Zuzana, office manager of msg life Slovakia.

Just as the company sees the value in helping others, so too does it strive to help its colleagues advance their careers. “Our team is the foundation of the company’s success. Every employee has their own boundaries, wants and needs and we fully respect them. We support our colleagues and create space for their self-development. Our greatest assets are the knowledge and know-how that make us specialists in the insurance and software development industry. We support continuous learning and the acquisition of deeper knowledge and expertise. We invest in human resources and in education, as we know that this is the best decision of the present as well as of the future,” adds HR manager Veronika. Are you interested in working in a stable software company? Take a look at our current job vacancies and send us your CV.

 

Top internet safety tips: How to be safe online

Posted on by Zuzana Kocáková

Computer security and data protection are key aspects in the digital environment, ensuring that personal and sensitive information is protected from unauthorised access and potential misuse.

Today, the computer or laptop is the right hand of most of us, not only in our working life, but also in our leisure time. It is therefore important to regularly check that your computer is secure and that you are not at risk of sensitive information and data being misused or attacked by hackers. Here are our best tips on how to be safe online, especially how to secure your devices, as the risks on the internet keep increasing. Learn the principles of internet safety rules use and increase PC security to the maximum.

You said you would never download a virus on your PC and that you have never been a victim of a hacker attack? What kinds of PC virus protection do you know? Do you operate securely on the internet, does the term ransomware protection mean anything to you, and are you well versed in it? Anyone can be the target of an attack, but especially a user with weak passwords or visiting a spoofed website. With just one mistake, your login credentials or access to your computer can be exploited. Internet safety and risks affect everyone, so try to learn the internet safety rules as soon as possible.

Who’s using my wifi?

Increasing security is also called hardening, which could be loosely translated as “making it harder”, for example, to access. If you ask an experienced computer scientist which computer is 100% protected, he will tell you that it is the one that is not and has never been connected to the internet. The wifi connection can be a risk as the wifi network in the house can be easily attacked. For this reason, it is good to know who is connected to my wifi.

The internet and technology are strongly interconnected, especially nowadays, so even if the advice to stay offline is an effective protection against viruses, it is useless in practice. We’ll give you tips on how to dramatically improve your computer security while you’re online. Internet privacy, computer security and protection are becoming an increasingly hot topic in the online world.

Be safe online. Regularly update your operating system, antivirus and apps

An up-to-date operating system is the most important foundation of a well-secured PC. Updates not only fix any developer “bugs“, but also improve the security of various programs. You can surf the net safely with an antivirus program that effectively protects your computer from malware and online threats. An antivirus program, sometimes called virus protection, will add a number of newly discovered viruses to its database as a result of an update. Updating all applications is necessary to keep them safe and functional. Don’t forget to update the web browsers you use most to connect to the internet. You can fall victim to many dangerous attacks while surfing the internet. Up-to-date operating systems and browsers ensure security when working with PCs.

What are the risks if you don’t update your computer?

Cyber attackers look for vulnerabilities in software and hardware that they can exploit to gain control of a computer and further exploit it. Updates largely prevent a possible attack by fixing these vulnerabilities.

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Updates aren’t just for your computer or laptop. It’s a good idea to update your router or mobile devices regularly too.

Use strong and secure passwords

The password is still the most common authorization element in IT. The basis of a strong password is a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. All this should contain a string of characters that will allow the user to enter the computer, the network, and various accounts.

“Everyone just needs a few very secure passwords for the most important things – primary email, password manager, bank, etc. All other passwords should be stored in a password manager,” advises our IT admin.

The more heterogeneous characters a password contains, the harder and less likely it is for a hacker to find the right combination. However, if they succeed, it’s virtually impossible to prevent your data from being misused. Your passwords shouldn’t be the same for different accounts or apps and you should change them regularly. If you don’t know what password to create, just google a password generator that can help you with it.

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What can happen if you don’t have a strong password?

Hackers are constantly looking for weak passwords and trying to use the ones they found in the stolen password database. That’s why keep your passwords strong enough and never use the same password for multiple accounts. Never. For important accounts, set up multi-factor authentication, such as fingerprint or sending a code to your smartphone. If you visit some sites sporadically, you don’t need to remember or save your password. Choose a random password that you can reset via email before each new login.

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You can create a strong and memorable password by combining 3-4 random words that are not related to each other, for example: “MouseCoffeeCake”.

Two-step password verification

How to strengthen the security of your social media or email account and ensure that only authorised users have access to your personal data and content?

Two-step password verification is a key tool for strengthening the security of online accounts. Various platforms, including Facebook, Gmail, Instagram and Google, offer this effective security feature.

Gmail’s two-step authentication is an effective way to increase the security of your email account. Since many people use the same passwords for multiple services, Facebook’s two-step account verification is an important security feature that adds an extra layer of protection to your account on this social media. Likewise, focus on Instagram’s two-step verification if you’re an Instagram user.

This process usually requires a second authentication step after you enter your password, often via a code sent to your mobile phone, or some other authentication method.

Install an antivirus program

We believe you already know the answer to the question “what is an antivirus”. You probably also know how important it is to have an antivirus program installed and regularly updated. Anti-virus provides protection against computer viruses and your internet safety is increased by using it. However, do you know how antivirus works? The antivirus program tests any file you open on your computer in real time, protects your web browser, discovers threats hidden in innocent-looking files, eliminates security risks, and makes your PC safer to work with. You should not underestimate the antivirus protection of your PC.

Antivirus should prevent malicious code from getting into your computer, but there is always a small risk of threat. Sometimes the virus may be well hidden, sometimes the antivirus doesn’t recognize it because it’s brand new, sometimes the antivirus simply misses it during a quick scan. That’s why you need to run antivirus protection once in a while for an in-depth scan.

High-quality antivirus programs are also available for free. I’m sure you’re wondering which antivirus puts the least strain on your system and which is the best. Whether you’re looking for a PC or laptop antivirus, in either case, Eset, Kaspersky, AVG, Avast and Norton have long been among the best antiviruses. Always follow the recommendations of your antivirus program, if it warns you that a site is dangerous, don’t access it. The primary task of antivirus programs is to detect malicious software.

Some antivirus programs offer more than just protecting your PC from viruses and malware. Many of these include a virtual private network (VPN), which is used for secure private communication between devices on the internet. A VPN protects your privacy and ensures that your online activities are not tracked by third parties.

If you “locked” your computer before you started using antivirus, it may be too late to save it. In the worst case, you will have to reinstall the entire operating system or manually check all databases and program components to find the malicious code. However, this is impossible for the layman. Only a programmer can tell the good codes from the malicious ones. But you can learn to program too. In our article, we’ll give you some advice,
how to start programming with great free beginner courses.

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Install an antivirus and an antimalware program the first time you start your new computer. Make sure you also turn on Windows Defender, which is part of Windows.

Never click on unknown attachments and links

You can rely on your antivirus, antimalware and firewall, but, unfortunately, they can’t identify every threat. It is therefore important to know how to be safe online. You must be vigilant at all times on the internet and not click on suspicious links. This eliminates online risks and increases PC protection. There are an incredible number of variants of malicious code being created every minute to attack your device and reduce your online protection.

A typical virus spreader is an e-mail attachment, which is also the most common source of computer infection. Opening a malicious attachment even from a known address can have disastrous consequences. The second most common source of problems in the form of dangerous links or downloads is websites. Protecting yourself from malware is therefore sometimes up to you – be vigilant and cautious!

Phishing is a method in which a cyber attacker creates fake websites and emails. These malicious websites and emails look very familiar, sometimes it is difficult to identify them as a threat. First and foremost, these are sites that are designed from the outset to hack security (e.g. adult content sites or various bogus lotteries).

Secure use of the internet and websites is also ensured by SSL certificates, which are displayed next to the URL in the form of a green lock. However, sometimes even websites of reputable companies that have neglected to protect themselves happen to be attacked. Nowadays, creating a secure site over https is free, so even a green lock icon next to the URL or a “secure” indicator does not guarantee 100% security and trustworthiness of the site. These tips are the basic principles of internet safety.

What can happen if you open a suspicious attachment or visit a fake website?

Attackers create email addresses and websites that appear legitimate, trustworthy and imitate official sites. They try to gain access to the user’s account, data or computer. So enter the page directly, type in the web address yourself, or open it from a saved bookmark.

Do not work on a computer in an admin account

A login account is used to secure the PC. However, you should never use an administrator account for normal work , and certainly not while working online in a web browser. The administrator has all rights, including the installation of unknown programs that may contain a virus. If you work and move around the internet without these rights, the system will not allow you to install malicious code.

What happens if you run malicious code in the admin account?

A hacker can easily bypass or remove security protections and gain control of your computer and the data on it. If you open the malicious code in an ordinary user account, the attack is limited to that user account and its data.

Only use software from trusted sources

Dangers lurk online also in the form of unofficial versions of programs or applications. Similarly, Slovak legislation makes it unlawful to use illegal software and you can be fined for it. The advantage of legal software is its security. This is especially true for operating systems. Legal versions are regularly updated, minimising the risk of attack through existing bugs and “holes” that hackers have already discovered.

Legal programs, software or operating systems are maintained by real and legitimate companies that not only update them regularly, but also “upgrade” them to a higher, more advanced version. The same goes for all the other applications you install on your computer.

What happens if you download untrusted software?

As they say, nothing is free. You can find many times more scam programmes or offers on the internet than anywhere else. In an attempt to force the victim to run malicious code, attackers distribute interesting software, such as a free version of a well-known paid-for software, but which contains the attacker’s code. By running the installation, the user installs not only the software but also the malicious code.

Beware of automatically generated logins

Have you noticed that when you start new hardware or software that requires a user account login, it automatically lists “admin” as the username? Hackers are aware of this and exploit it. If they want to hack into your account in this case, they’ve already done half the work, they just need to figure out the password. Therefore, basic computer security includes changing your login name to something more complex, even if the system doesn’t always let you do so. Other names such as “administrator“ or “guest” are familiar and therefore dangerous.

Did you know that…

…many classic and automatic account names and default passwords are common knowledge, which makes it easy for attackers to gain access?

Turn off or uninstall everything you don’t need

Every application and service poses a potential security risk. Even more vulnerable are those that have been running for a long time without you actually using or updating them. They unnecessarily increase the risk of an attack and, last but not least, they put a strain on your computer’s system resources, slowing it down. In short, shut down anything you don’t use, or at best uninstall it. This principle is also one of the basic internet safety rules.

More tips from our IT administrators

Don’t underestimate the deposit

What would you do if something happened to your PC and you lost all the files stored on it? Apart from panicking and clutching your head, you’d surely regret not having saved everything you needed elsewhere. It’s important to back up your data so you can get to it if your computer gets damaged. Even a hacker attack or technical failure won’t take away your backups, for example on an external drive.

Rely on the help of professionals

If you don’t know what and how you should set up your computer to keep it protected, contact a professional. This avoids the potential loss or misuse of your sensitive data, which can have disastrous consequences. The other option is to start taking care of your device’s security yourself. It is not difficult to study information on this subject and learn something new.

Safety education as part of benefits

You can also learn more about IT and security at our company. For example, we regularly participate in Hackerfest, and our colleagues use the experience to protect their data. We also offer you many training opportunities or great company benefits. Join our team and you can respond to latest job offers in IT. Work for a company where you can grow your career.

Joseph’s job search based on a friend’s recommendation paid off

Posted on by Zuzana Kocáková

Everyone knows that it is not a problem to find a job in the IT sphere. But the reality is a little different – in fact, it is the job that is looking for an IT developer. Companies, like us, advertise their job offers on various portals, publish them on social networks and use the services of recruitment agencies. Plus, with targeted advertising, the chosen offer is very likely to reach the right person. Yet even today, many get a job the good old-fashioned way – by referral from a friend. Our new colleague had a similar experience. Although Jozef has seen our company’s advertisements many times in the past, the driving force for the change of job was the personal experience of his friend, now also a colleague. Jozef works at msg life Slovakia as a Java Developer. Although he had no previous experience in the insurance segment, he decided to apply for a vacancy with us. “I have worked in various positions, for example in the gastronomy industry, but it has always been as a Java developer. I started working in the insurance industry when I joined msg life Slovakia, but I am using many of my experiences from previous jobs here as well,” says Josef. It is a vivid example that if one can make use of one’s knowledge, it is easier to find one’s way in a new area. “Many candidates are concerned that they will not be sufficiently qualified because they have never worked in insurance or finance. However, this is not a problem for development positions. If a candidate has sufficient experience in their field, they can easily apply it to any field,” confirms HR manager Dominika.

All recommendations are appreciated

msg life Slovakia has current open positions and latest job offers for candidates with knowledge of Java programming language in the field of Development / IT:

All vacancies can be found in the Careers section. Trust but verify – feel free to ask a friend who works for us for references, just like Jozef did. It will make your job search easier. On the other hand, we always appreciate a good recommendation for a contact from our employees, and we will reward it accordingly with a financial bonus for referring a new colleague, the so-called “referral bonus”. “O msg life I first heard about msg life from a friend, who had been working here for about eight years. Although I knew the company from several online job portals, I was only interested in the company from a friend’s reference. I was particularly attracted by the offer I received, all the conditions and benefits, but also by the fact that I already knew someone here,” says Jozef about his beginnings. According to him, the company offers sufficient stability as well as opportunities for development.

Language courses and new opportunities

As our new colleague Jozef further states: “One of the things that interested me the most upon arrival was the opportunity to use languages, as well as the benefit of German courses. I communicate in English for several hours every day and I firmly believe that in a few months I will start to speak German fluently as well.”

German courses are provided online and are free of charge, of course. Part of the course even counts towards your working time, so you are paid for it. And that’s a pretty good incentive to improve your German, a language spoken by more than 120 million people. In addition to education, we also care about health. This is evidenced by the fact that we have almost completely switched to home office or full remote form of cooperation

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Java Developer Medior

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Development, support, motivation and good relationships

A job that is fun and intrinsically fulfilling is related to running a company and a friendly team. Our HR department regularly maintains the team spirit by organizing various team events, where yoga lovers and adrenaline enthusiasts alike will find something to enjoy. The collective was one of the other decisive factors for Jozef. “I had information from a friend about how some things work here, and I also learned that the people working here are very helpful, which was confirmed when I started,” adds Jozef. “We are not just trying to expand the range of benefits for our employees. We think that this would not be sufficient over time. Above all, we try to make our colleagues enjoy their work. And we do that by giving them the opportunity to grow. That’s why we prepare various language courses for our employees and give them the opportunity to gain insight into other professions so that they can pursue what they really enjoy,” adds recruiter Dominika. Java developer Jozef is currently involved in the development of msg life Slovakia product called Life Factory.
It is a software used by insurance companies such as Generali, Axa and Uniqa to provide life insurance. “It’s quite a big project, so I’m still in the learning stage, but in that time I’ve already managed to contribute modifications that have led to an improvement in the quality of the software,” says Jozef. If you too are looking for a change and want to be involved in projects that help improve the world of insurance, you’re sure to find a suitable job among our vacancies. If after reading this article you don’t find any old friends among our current employees, don’t despair, you can still apply in the classic way.

Back pain from sitting at a computer: tips for correct posture and workout

Posted on by Zuzana Kocáková

Almost every person who has a sedentary job is familiar with back pain problems. Hours without movement, stiff muscles, incorrect sitting position or a poorly adjusted monitor. These are all causes of back pain. How to prevent these inconveniences and also possible serious health problems in the future? We asked the experts from the rehabilitation centre Fitclinic. They advised us exercises for the back that not only work, but also do not take long and their effects appear after just a few exercises.

Any activity that is done frequently and regularly ehausts our body. An exception is not even working at the computer. Although sitting is not physically strenuous, sedentary work can affect our bodies in a variety of ways. Especially during home office, we tend not to follow the principles of proper sitting. Not only our eyes suffer, but also our backs and hands. In cooperation with physiotherapy and rehabilitation specialists, we have therefore written down rules and exercises to prevent back pain and subsequent treatment.

Back pain as a warning signal

Back pain is often caused by sedentary jobs during which we sit incorrectly at a computer. However, we can get rid of the pain quite easily, all it takes is the determination to follow the principles of proper sitting. Learn to sit in the right position, keep your back straight when working at the computer and don’t forget to take a few minutes a day to do some simple exercises.

Back pain when working with a computer
Back pain is often caused by sitting incorrectly at a computer.

Not only will you avoid pain, but you can also get rid of it altogether. You can also help yourself with an ergonomic chair, medical aids such as a posture corrector or Pilates exercises. If the back pain persists after a long period of time despite proper sitting and exercise, there may be a more serious health problem. In that case, it is necessary to visit a specialist.

The basics are a straight back and proper sitting at the computer

It doesn’t matter if you’re walking down the street, driving a car, walking up the stairs to your apartment, holding a baby or just sitting at your computer. In all activities we should follow the basic rule – straight back.

✔️ You can also prevent neck and eye pain by adjusting your monitor correctly.

✔️ The top of the screen should be at the height of your head.

Proper sitting at the computer
Adjusting your desk and monitor will help you avoid pain.

Back and cervical spine exercises

Not only the back, but also the neck, trapezius, forearms or wrists deserve relaxation. They are under the same pressure as our spine. How to do it? When relaxing the spine, we start in a sitting position. We sit with our backs on the edge of the chair so that we feel that we are sitting on the sit bones. We lean our palms on the lower back. The feet are placed full length on the ground below the level of the knees, not standing on tiptoes. “In this position, we bend backwards with our head tilted back as far as we can, hold it for two seconds and then hunch down a little. Repeat the exercise ten times,” experts advise.

✔️ We do the standing bend with our hands on the waist then slowly bend backwards.

✔️ We breathe in before the movement and breathe out during the movement.

Standing bend
The standing bend is a simple exercise to exercise the back.

There are two methods to exercise the nape. The first is standing, when we lower our shoulders and raise them together with the inhale. Stay in this position for about 20 seconds and slowly with an exhalation lower the shoulders to the starting position. “The important thing is that the release does not last shorter than the tension. Repeat this exercise five times in a row,” say physiotherapists.

✔️ We can also add our hands to the bend.

✔️ Just repeat the previous exercise, include the arms and if necessary complete the movement by bending over.

Standing bend with arms outstretched
Repeat the bend with outstretched arms several times.

The second method is seated exercises: “We’ll slide one hand under the bottom. Tilt the head to the opposite side until the tension is felt. Place the palm of the other hand on the temple area on the opposite side of the head. With the inhale, press your head slightly into the palm of your hand and hold for 20 seconds. As we exhale, we lower the head again in the direction of the bow deeper to the next point of tension, where we stop.” It is good to repeat the exercises at least five times.

✔️ The neck and chest can also be exercised with the help of a towel.

✔️ Lean your head into it, point your elbows forward and slowly tilt your head back.

✔️ We breathe in before the movement and breathe out during the movement.

Exercising the chest part
Exercise your neck and chest.

Shoulder and arm exercises

Although it doesn’t seem like it, shoulders or arms can also feel tension when you work sedentarily. Improper sitting can even lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. It is therefore important to exercise regularly. We start with the trapezius and end with the wrists. For a simple exercise, it is enough to turn one hand with the open palm down to one side and turn the head to the opposite side. Slowly push your hand down, and when you are in this position, start running your fingers slowly up and down the trapezius. “We apply medium pressure and remember to keep our backs in a stretched position at all times. We can repeat the exercises seven to eight times,” advise the experts from Fitclinic.

✔️ The so-called flexors of the forearm can also suffer from sedentary work.

✔️ We will excercise them by leaning on the table with our hands.

Flexor excercises
Flexors also suffer when working with a PC.

Do the same for the forearm. Extend the left hand in front of you, fingers pointing towards the floor, and use the right hand to increase the extension of the fingers by pressing them towards the body. Then switch hands and try to stay in the position for ten seconds. “In the second part of this exercise, we again extend the left arm, but bend the wrist so that the fingers point towards the sky. With the right hand, increase the angle by pulling the fingers towards the body.” Repeat the same with the other arm, hold for ten seconds and repeat the whole exercise four to five times.

✔️ We exercise the extensors of the forearm by stretching one hand with the other one while standing.

Exercising extensors
Extensors can also suffer when working with computers.

We should not forget about the wrists either. While standing lean back on the table so that both palms are touching the table, with fingers extended. “The exercise is to slowly push our hands into the table and relax them. We must not forget to keep a straight back here either. The shoulder blades should be pushed backwards and downwards,” physiotherapists explain the correct procedure. Repeat the exercise seven to eight times.

From student job to IT software testing: how Danka became a tester

Posted on by Zuzana Kocáková

At msg life Slovakia we are keen on a personal approach to every employee. Not only to make them feel comfortable with us, but above all to give them the opportunity to develop and succeed. Over more than twenty years, we have found that if we give our colleagues the opportunity to try different things and also the space to progress, they not only enjoy their work, but they are really good at it. A great example is my colleague Danka, who had never done software testing before and despite that she got the opportunity to participate in an international project. A student part-time job turned into a career opportunity.

“My first work experience with msg life Slovakia was in the summer of 2009, when I took part in the company’s Sommerfest as an animator for children,“ Danka recalls her beginnings in the company. Although she studied international management and her student part-time jobs were more in the field of gastronomy, accounting or teaching, she decided to look into the world of IT. She joined the Bratislava office in December 2009 as an assistant in the Facility Management team, where she focused mainly on HR, administration, accounting, business travel, intranet management, preparation of corporate events and Office Management. Instead of thinking about how to find a part-time job, she took the opportunity that presented itself.

Fascinated by the IT field

Danka gradually became so interested in working in IT that she decided to focus on Management in Information Systems at the Master’s degree level. “I was gradually finding out from colleagues who does what and IT software testing seemed rightly linked to what I was interested in and what I could meet the criteria for. I followed a similar path in my choice of subjects at school. I was aware that I was interested in software development itself and how it works,” adds Danka. She was also able to get to know the IT world better thanks to her flexible working hours, as she needed time to study full-time at university. However, a part-time job in IT soon opened up other career opportunities for her.

It didn’t take long for the ambitious student to get the opportunity to participate in a foreign project. “In the last semester of my studies I got my first tester job opportunity. It was an American project and I really enjoyed the work, especially because of the use of English – I rarely used languages in Facility Management.” Danka describes her first experience with testing. After her studies, our company msg life approached Danka with a job offer and she afterwards started training for the position of regression tester, where she stayed for about three years. She has completed various basic training courses and Danka is still training in software testing today.

Danka worked her way up to the position of tester
Danka enjoys working as a tester where she is constantly learning something new.

Space for continuous learning

“IT software tester jobs are so broad that it’s ideal to continually educate yourself on many aspects. Testing, application development, orientation in the insurance industry or specific client requirements, but also working with people, it is all related and the more one learns, the better one sees the connections,” says IT tester Danka. According to her words, there is still room for education and improvement in this sphere. Whether it is languages, computer skills, working with people, time management, eliminating and managing stressful situations or realizing that every problem is solvable. “You take the theory from professional courses, sometimes you remember it in practice, you can apply something, but only thanks to gradual experience and colleagues you get one step further,” she adds. It was her colleagues who were one of the main reasons why Danka decided to work at msg life Slovakia.

“I have always had very smart, friendly and knowledgeable colleagues at msg life. We have grown from two to six very diverse and interesting people in a close working team. Apart from my husband, I also met long-time friends here. I remember that from the beginning everyone in the company seemed very nice and friendly, there was a family atmosphere,” says Danka. Very quickly she even got along with her team from abroad: “I enjoyed meeting my colleagues in person, with whom I spent hours on the phone on a daily basis. I remember my great surprise when I absolutely could not match these people to the photographs I knew them from or to the image I had formed of them. But at the same time, they were familiar to me by voice.”

At work as at home

What Danka likes most about IT software testing is the feeling of a job well done. In addition, she likes to train her colleagues because she finds it fulfilling when she sees that they understand the assignment and enjoy the work as much as she does. At msg life Slovakia, she is satisfied thanks to the company’s approach to employees.

“Thanks to msg, I believe in employers who care about employee satisfaction in all aspects. My colleagues at msg care about the most pleasant working and friendly environment and benefits. And I am not talking about the management’s personal or even family approach to employees’ requests or problems. I felt comfortable from the beginning and over time I felt like at home. I am proud to work for a company that takes great care of its employees. At first, I was very pleasantly surprised that I was always asked if I was interested in a particular task,” says Danka.

Benefits of working at msg life Slovakia

Danka is currently on maternity leave and therefore looks at her work in an IT company from a different angle. “As a mother of three children, I am now aware of the benefits of flexible working hours, part-time work or even a family atmosphere in a company that doesn’t discourage the occasional visit from children in its premises. In addition, msg gives me a sense of job stability, which as a mother I also value highly. Returning to the company after maternity leave is now a big challenge for me, but I am also looking forward to new challenges. The work here has always been diverse and I have enjoyed it very much,” adds Danka.

If you are interested in the story of our Java tester, feel free to check out our job offers. Maybe a job among them will appeal to you, which will make you reconsider your current job or change your profession, as Danka did. Do not hesitate to compare the requirements of the tester vs developer offer and if you are interested, apply directly for the position of programmer. IT jobs are always very well paid and it’s easy to find a vacancy. Many of the positions are currently in partial Home Office or Full Remote mode.

Programming is the future! Learn to code with programming courses online

Posted on by Zuzana Kocáková

Programming is not something everyone can do, it is a skill that needs to be learned and dedicated to over a long period of time. For this reason, the programming profession is in high demand, as there are never enough programmers. They are needed for the creation of websites or e-shops, the number of which is constantly growing. So there is no doubt that the decision to enter the world of programming is a good one. In this article, we won’t tell you how to code, but where and why learn to code. We’ve put together an overview of useful free and paid programming courses online for beginners, where you’ll find out how quickly you can learn to code. Find your online free programming course today!

To start with, it would be a good idea to find out whether you find IT courses completely easy or whether you need more time to learn. However, in most cases this can never be assessed in a completely realistic way. People tend to overestimate themselves or, on the contrary, underestimate themselves. However, there are indicators that can be used to at least roughly estimate one’s own capacity and how long it takes to learn to code:

  • Propositional logic. We didn’t all have this subject at school, but the basics of propositional logic are also used in mathematics. If you were friends with numbers at school, you get a point.
  • Thinking in contexts, causality, abstract imagination. Can you imagine what happens after you enter a command without needing to see it? If your answer is yes, you have a very useful skill for programming.
  • Basic knowledge of computers and information technology. It’s good to at least roughly understand what a server is, that you can use a remote server, but also that you can make one from your own computer. This knowledge will help you when programming in PHP for beginners.
  • Spatial imagination. With this intellectual ability, you’ll find it easier to navigate the architecture of a site that you’ve only imagined in your head so far. You will also find it easier to read existing codes or data structures.

If you haven’t discovered these qualities in yourself yet, it doesn’t automatically mean you don’t have them. Through programming you can discover them in yourself. In the same way, there are many different programming languages – each of which can make it easier or harder to write algorithms and overall programming. Java Programming for Beginners provides a comprehensive look at Java programming basics in the language. The Java course is an ideal way to get started with programming, with an emphasis on simplicity and understanding for those who are at the beginning of their programming journey.

Thanks to modern technology, you can learn online from the comfort of your home. It is not for nothing that it is said that today ignorance is a matter of choice, not of options. After all, there is Google, which offers an endless fount of knowledge and also many programming courses for free for beginners. Whenever we start programming, the first question is what is programming. But our programming courses will tell you much more.

Free programming courses

We’ve made a list of the best websites and learning platforms that offer programming courses online free with a certificate. So if you haven’t been to programming school, you’ll definitely benefit from a programming course. For example, the Java Programming course provides a comprehensive view of the Java programming language for participants regardless of their previous experience. Not all free courses offer a certificate, so we have prepared for you some paid courses that are even in Slovak. IT certificate courses are guaranteed to boost your CV. Choose from options to help you learn to code. Get started with self-learning programming today and check out our tips for programming courses online.

You can also find IT courses for free on Youtube.com

YouTube in general is one of the best educational aids. You’ll find useful IT video tutorials for beginners and advanced users. The freely available video library offers educational videos of all kinds to teach you the basics of programming. You’re guaranteed to find what you need on YouTube. Plus, you can choose, because unlike other platforms and sites, you’ll find dozens of different videos focused on one specific “lesson”. That’s why some people call it an online programming school. Don’t wait and find out how to program with YouTube!

For example, you can type “Java programming courses” or “Java programming for beginners”, “Java course” or any other programming language into the search box. Then just choose from the videos on offer. It may take some time to find a suitable channel and a lecturer that you can easily understand during their explanation. Therefore, there is no harm at all in checking out IT courses online from different people to find the most suitable teacher. So the beginnings of programming will be a bit more challenging, but don’t be discouraged. YouTube is also a good place to find a suitable mentor whose courses you would be willing to pay for later. The way to get started with programming has never been easier.

Super channel with Codecademy free courses

Among the most popular and at the same time the highest quality sites that provide free online programming courses is definitely Codecademy.com. Learning how to code has never been easier. The codecademy courses will teach you everything from HTML and CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby and Python. Python programming is the stepping stone to the world of IT for many. In the end, the only way to find out what to program in is to try all the languages. This website will certainly be enough for you to learn how to program a good website in a relatively short time. The IT courses at Codecademy are simple and interactive. They will give you enough time to study a specific command and understand it. Codecademy boasts that it has taught more than 24 million people how to code, and that number will surely be higher today. Codecademy courses are immediately available to you by simply creating an account via email and password.

Choose the online learning platform Udemy.com

Another online educational platform, where everyone can find something for themselves thanks to the many courses, is Udemy.com. Almost all IT Udemy courses for beginners are free of charge. You’ll also find plenty of tutorials for the more advanced. Some Udemy courses are offered for a fee, but this is more of a nominal amount. Prices are usually around 20 euros. Free IT Udemy courses are taught via video lectures and an interesting option is programming for business – HTML programming for beginners and CSS or introduction to programming in Python. You might also find a guide useful to introduce you to programming and teach you the C++ programming language or C programming for beginners.

Coursera free courses and IT tutorials

Coursera.org was founded in 2012 and has a very broad focus. Over time, this online course provider has grown into a huge technology-education company, offering more than a thousand courses from 119 institutions. The specialty of this site is cooperation with world-class universities such as the University of Washington, Stanford University, the University of Toronto and many others. The advantage is the possibility of teaching not only via computer, but also via smartphone thanks to the mobile application. The Coursera courses are certified not only by universities but also by companies such as Google or IBM. Although they also offer fee-based IT courses, you’ll find a range of free introductory programming courses in a variety of specialisms, some even with a certificate. So Coursera is another way to learn how to code for free.

W3schools courses and free tutorials

On this platform you will find free text tutorials that are accessible without registration. There are JavaScript courses, focusing on learning SQL for beginners, HTML, CSS, PHP, if you are starting to program in Python, jQuery or if you are starting to program in Java. A new feature is a comprehensive video tutorial that covers all the basics of HTML for the price of $10. Page w3schools.com is often referred to as the base for CSS language (Cascading Style Sheets) and HTML programming. You don’t need any previous experience or programming knowledge to take advantage of these free IT w3schools courses. W3schools is therefore an introduction to programming for complete beginners. You’ll get free exercises to learn the basics of programming very easily. The site does support ads, but they are not very intrusive. In addition, it also offers a variety of sophisticated paid programming courses with a certificate.

See also edX Virtual University

Educational page edX.org is like a virtual university. It is a joint project of two world-renowned universities – Harvard and MIT. For the creators of this platform, profit was not the primary concern, and as a result, approximately 60 educational institutions now offer free online programming courses. The platform also includes courses that are taught at the best universities in the world. In addition to universities, various other major organisations also add study materials. Most of the edX courses are free, only the certificate is charged if you need to get it after the course. But if not, you’ll find there a quality education for free. The edX.org environment is very clear, easy to navigate, and the free IT courses are interesting. So you’re guaranteed to find a suitable free online programming course there too.

Interactive online courses available at Code Avengers

Our highly engaging interactive online programming courses teach you how to program games using JavaScript, HTML and CSS, in addition to websites and apps. Courses on Codeavengers.com are designed for a variety of ages – from courses for children as young as 5 years old to courses dedicated to teachers. They are only 12 hours long and you can choose to take them in English, Russian, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Turkish and Portuguese. Activities and projects that teach you a lot are fun and effective. Online programming has never been more accessible.

You can start learning the basics of CSS at css-tricks.com

We wrote about what Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are in the article The Most Used Programming Languages. In short, CSS is responsible for how a website looks. This includes font colour and style, backgrounds, images and their layout. It’s not hard to realize that design has an essentially infinite range of possibilities, and therefore it’s not humanly possible to remember all the codes. There is a great website for such situations CSS-tricks.com. It includes hundreds of short CSS video tutorials so you can quickly figure out how to code what you need.

Programming is the job of the future
Programmer is one of the promising professions of the future.

Free courses vs paid courses

IT courses for free are in most cases not in Slovak or Czech. If your English is at a lower level, you’ll struggle to understand the content of the online programming course. It would also take you an unnecessary amount of time. In this case, it is better to choose one of the Slovak IT academies, the number of which is constantly growing. Although their courses are mostly paid, there are also a few free ones.

Informatika s Mišom (Informatics with Miso)

Many free courses in Slovak are offered by Informatics with Michal. Michal is posting lessons about object-oriented programming, C++, Python and Git on Youtube. He also has an interesting podcast in which he discusses various IT topics, including an interview with our Java programmer Matus.

Slovak online courses for beginner programmers

Find online programming courses on the Street of Code learning platform. All courses are currently free and you can learn OOP programming, Kotlin or how to learn Python programming. You can find them at https://streetofcode.sk/kurzy. The courses also include assignments and quizzes so you can test your newly acquired knowledge.

The guys at Street of Code also have a podcast for aspiring male and female programmers. It has over 100 episodes and talks about all sorts of things that junior programmers come across. Whether it’s the first days on the job, how to improve yourself or how to find a job and prepare for an interview. You can find all their content at https://streetofcode.sk/.

Paid programming courses

VITA educational platform for programmers

VITA is another great option for those interested in programming. This platform offers up to 550+ online accredited courses focusing on different programming languages such as Python, C++, Java, or R. VITA sets itself apart with its hands-on approach to teaching, which is built on the principle of learning by doing. Students learn through real-world projects and real-world examples in a fun way. Courses are suitable not only for beginners, but also for advanced programmers who want to expand their knowledge. Very popular is the annual subscription with access to all courses. In addition to classical programming languages, the platform also covers areas such as IT system and server administration, databases, websites, cybersecurity and data protection, SAP and ABAP, and preparation for professional certifications. Upon successful completion of the courses, students receive a certificate that increases their chances of employment in the IT sector. It is also possible to obtain an accredited certificate or internationally valid certifications for an additional fee. The VITA platform also places emphasis on individual development and helps its graduates achieve success in the professional market. It also provides professional degrees such as BBA, MBA, DBA, MPA and MSc. For more information about the course offerings, please visit vita.sk.

Paid platform for online courses Skillmea

You can find a wide selection of courses, as well as the way they are delivered, at Skillmea.sk. The lecturer, who guides you through the very basics of programming via video tutorials, goes by the nickname Yablko. He explains and teaches in a very simple, clear and understandable way, so that it is perhaps impossible to misunderstand anything. The instructor simply teaches exactly how programming should be taught. It offers the basics of HTML, CSS and PHP programming.

Skillmea offers some courses for free, so you can find out in advance if the lecturer suits you. Just log in on the website and almost every course will offer you a few free lessons. Skillmea offers paid courses at a very reasonable price, with total access costing €49 per month. You can view any lesson as many times as you want during the month. Upon successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate.

GreenFoxAcademy.sk IT courses academy

IT Academy GreenFoxAxademy.sk offers super-intensive courses and evening/weekend courses suitable alongside employment. It is taught online, so the lecturer is with you in real time, even if not physically. During the lesson, they respond to your questions, explain and help you. These specialists are so confident in their training that they offer a full refund of the course fee if, according to the terms of your contract, you fail to find a job within six months of completing the course. You can also get a job with us, we offer a variety of positions with great employee benefits.

Online learning is also available at it-academy.sk

If online distance learning doesn’t suit you, it-academy.sk is the solution for you. The courses are usually organised in a full-time form at their headquarters in Bratislava. The length of the programming courses depends on the difficulty – sometimes it can be several days. The Academy probably has every IT course you can imagine. Upon successful completion, you will receive a certificate or even an accredited certificate from the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic. They also offer courses for paid databases such as Oracle.

Why learn programming?

Now you know the answer to the question of how to learn programming. You’ve also got a great list of educational sites, so you don’t have to deal with the additional question of where to learn to code. If you’re wondering why to program and what benefits will it bring you? It is a way to develop critical thinking, create innovation and gain the ability to solve a wide range of problems. Completing IT coding courses for beginners will open the door to interesting and stable job opportunities. Many, if not all, of them will allow you to grow and learn further in the field, provide stable IT jobs and interesting salaries for programmers. Check out our software developer jobs blog for information, tips and advice on professional development and career opportunities.

We also regularly search for IT testers, Java developers, actuaries with different specializations or DevOps engineers. We also offer a tailor-made position as part of the job offer. Check out our latest job offers and find your ideal job in the world of IT. If you’re on the fence about working for us, check out our blog to see how different roles work. You will learn more, for example, about the position of test manager, software developer and others.