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”We Help Talented Young People Unleash Their Potential”: Interviews With Wargaming Forge Mentors and Graduates From Prague

Wargaming Forge is a training program created for a new generation of ambitious and determined professionals who want to build a career in the gaming industry.

We talked about opportunities, training, tasks, and much more with mentors Kiryl Kudrautsau (Environment Art Lead) and Valeriya Zavistovich (QA Team Lead), as well as with the graduates and now employees of the Prague office, Francesca Tarabocchia (Environment Artist, finished  BigRock/ Institute of Magic Technologies in Italy) and Irina Timofeeva (QA Engineer, studies at Prague University of Economics and Business).

By the way, between January 31 and February 28, 2022, you can apply for an internship in Data Science. Don't wait until the last minute—send your application (to insert link) now and take this opportunity to improve your skills with a team of professionals.


What is your general impression of participating in Wargaming Forge? As mentors, what impressed you the most about the program?

Kiryl: It felt great to see young and talented people who showed potential, and to help them develop this potential.

Valeriya: It was wonderful! I consider it a win-win project for all parties: Students get a unique opportunity to get a new profession, start their career in a great company, get immersed in real projects, and learn from professionals. Mentors get the opportunity to develop their mentoring skills and acquire new knowledge from the program itself and gain new colleagues.       

I was impressed by the wealth of knowledge of the people who applied for our program. Some of them had an idea about the profession, while for others, this field was something completely new. And of course, we got several promising employees in our development team as a result.

What knowledge did you share with your students during the program?

Kiryl: Wargaming Forge gives an opportunity to learn from the experts of the field and boost your career. So, I shared practical knowledge, to help the students stand out in future, and information about not only how to implement a project technically, but also how to plan it, keep track of deadlines, and assess and mitigate risks. Great emphasis was placed on developing a sense of beauty—on what “beautiful” means.

Valeriya: I shared knowledge that would help the students find jobs as QA engineers in almost any company, like gaming, web, mobile, etc. I aimed to teach them the basics, avoiding boring theoretic material that is not so important when working on a real project. I think I succeeded in that, because they have been working on a real project for three months now without much support from their more experienced colleagues.

How do your colleagues help graduates who completed an internship to join the team?

Kiryl: It happens so naturally that I can't really see a pattern. It's just that, at some point, you notice that the interns are no longer interns—they're your teammates.

Valeriya: In the second half of the program, each student had their own mentor.  Our colleagues were passionate about the program and tried to help the students. Now, they hardly need any help. They have become a natural part of the team.


Here's what the former students of the program—those who successfully completed their training and are already working at Wargaming—told us.

Why did you decide to start the training, and why did you choose Wargaming Forge?

Irina:

When I was in college, I studied testing and it was very interesting. During holidays, I looked at job postings, and when I saw the information about recruiting for QA training at Wargaming, I realized that this was the perfect option for me. I thought, “I like testing, I love games, and Wargaming's professionals will teach me everything.”

Francesca:

Back then, before joining Wargaming, I had no work experience at all, and all I knew about game art came from self-learning and short courses. I needed to make the first step from learning into working in the industry, and an internship was the best option. Most of the internships, though, were accessible only to those enrolled in college degrees, and that was not my case. Luckily, I found out about the Wargaming Forge program—that didn't have such requirements.

What impressed you the most during your training?

Irina:

The people. Everyone was very friendly and always ready to help. Everyone respected each other. We asked our mentors a million questions, but they were always patient and helpful. I was also impressed by such extensive training. We started from scratch and ended up learning most types of testing. I didn't expect to get so much knowledge—it's priceless!

Francesca:

When I decided to come to Prague and join the internship, I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but what I didn't expect was the mentors to be so committed to really helping us through this, making the best out of these six months of the internship, passing on as much knowledge as possible, and motivating us.

Do you use the knowledge you acquired in your current work?

Irina:

The more I work, the more I realize that all the knowledge and skills I acquired help me. I use them every day. We were lucky that the training was not only theoretical but also practical. Even during the internship, we participated in real projects already.

Which qualities are required to successfully complete training at Wargaming Forge?

Francesca:

Having come here without any work experience, I honestly found every moment of the internship incredibly helpful and interesting—from technical stuff to managing the workload and working with the team. I think all of what I learned will be fundamental in the next steps.

How was the graduation party? 😊

Francesca:

The party was really nice! I was happy we took a moment to share what we all thought about this experience, and it was a fitting ending to this small journey. And the gifts were really cute!😊

Was it hard at first to work on real tasks in Wargaming?

Irina:

It wasn't very hard because, thanks to the internship, I already knew my coworkers and had an idea of what I would be doing. Sometimes I face difficulties, but that's the way the ball bounces. 

How was your onboarding?

Francesca:

The internship really walked me through the process and made integrating easier, which would have probably been chaotic and hard to face otherwise. The mentors were always happy to help us, and the rest of the team was also really welcoming and supportive whenever they could be. They made us feel at home in the team, and I’m really thankful for that.

What was your first impression of the company?

Irina:

Positive. We have a great office in the center of Prague. The benefits are good, and I can feel the employer cares about us. And I especially like the friendly atmosphere in the company.

Francesca:

From what I saw in the first months, I thought that it was a great work environment—very friendly and open.

Do you feel that working for Wargaming makes you stronger and more experienced as a professional?

Irina:

Of course I do! I'm learning new things all the time. I'm also working on my communication skills, which are no less important.

Francesca:

I was practically starting from nothing, so looking back on these months, it feels like a roller coaster of new experiences and a lot of good advice from many people more experienced than me. I will do my best to treasure all of it.

What are your plans for professional growth?

Irina:

I'm just at the beginning of my journey. In the future, I want to become a good, experienced QA specialist. 

Maybe someday, I'll be able to help other people and teach them everything I know. Just as it happened to me at Wargaming Forge.

Francesca:

For now, I’ll be focusing on learning more about new programs, getting faster and better at what I learned to do so far, and just moving on from that internship level into being a real asset for the team. Then, we’ll see!


Are you passionate about data science? Do you want to gain knowledge and experience that will help you advance your career—all while being part of a talented, friendly and multicultural team in one of the best locations in Europe? Then apply right now and become a Wargaming Forge professional!

A career at Wargaming awaits you!