The second “Zirvedekiler” event, organized by the IEEE Üsküdar Üniversitesi Student Branch Club, was held this year. The event, held at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Central Campus Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall, brought students together with experts in their fields. “Zirvedekiler’22” this year aimed to shed light on students' careers by covering topics such as software, electrical-electronics, industry, bioengineering, molecular biology, and genetics. On the first day of the event; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, Head of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Software Engineering Department; Daron Yöndem, Microsoft Azure Application Development Lead; Cenk Akın, Beltur CEO; Tahir Yıldız, Teknosa E-commerce Group Head; Pınar Namdar, Ericsson Human Resources Coordinator; and İhsan Soytemiz, President of the Turkish Biologists Association, took part as speakers. Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk, Vice Rector, who delivered the opening speech of the event, drew attention to the importance of multidisciplinary work.
Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk: “Team and group work are important for big endeavors”
In his opening speech, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk emphasized the importance of multidisciplinary work; “I thank our guests who will provide all-round material and spiritual support for the activities that will last for 2 days. Although the IEEE Club is generally a club where electrical-electronics engineers are involved and develop, it operates in our university with a multidisciplinary approach. Because I know that there are molecular biology students from my department and other general students who actively participate in the club. As you know, everything has become multidisciplinary. I congratulate our friends who, at this age, have grasped how important team and group work is for individuals to be sufficient for themselves but also to achieve great things. I extend my respects to everyone who contributed.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel: “Interesting sectors are emerging every day”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, Head of the Software Engineering Department, made notable statements about the metaverse. Ergüzel said; “Although related to electrical-electronics engineering, IEEE is an institution that dominates the sector for article publishing. It is good that our students also contribute to this work. If I talk about the metaverse presentation, self-learning algorithms are being used today. As a university, we continue our efforts. In the future, there will be important considerations for students in their career choices. Professional fields have developed and these will be important for students; just as knowing a foreign language is important, knowing programming will also be a necessity. Interesting sectors are emerging, such as artificial intelligence engineers. Plan yourselves according to the future, and build your future accordingly.”
Daron Yöndem: “Don’t stand idle, work in vain”
Daron Yöndem, Microsoft Azure Application Development Lead, delivered a presentation titled “Don’t Stand Idle, Work in Vain”. He emphasized the importance of taking action through the metaphors of emptiness, stone, and money. Daron conveyed these words with the saying, ‘Did your arm get tired from throwing stones?’; “During my middle and high school years, even though I wasn't interested in history and geography classes, I made my assignments enjoyable by relating them to computers and technology. During high school, my articles started to be published as an editor on a technology page. The stones you throw 'in vain' become valuable over time, and subsequently, you start earning money from these endeavors. We want to plan the path completely to reach a conclusion, but there are too many possibilities and variables. My claim is: don’t stand idle, work in vain. But produce something.”
Cenk Akın: “Cherish your hobby to be happy”
Beltur CEO Cenk Akın gave advice to participants based on his professional life and initiatives. Akın, emphasizing the importance of headhunting and being open to development, advocated for the naturalness of inter-sectoral transitions. Akın said: “Trust yourselves, you can work in different fields. After all, you are not trees; you don't take root. The most important thing is to turn your hobby into a job. Then you will enjoy what you do and be productive. Cherish your hobby to be happy. You need to answer questions like: 'What do you want to be in the future, what are your strengths, do you know yourself?' You should know what you will be doing when you reach 70. You must adapt to your current situation; your time is harder than ours. At Beltur, we have 110 locations and 1300 people working, with various businesses. In the past, satisfying the stomach was enough; now we are trying to satisfy souls.”
Tahir Yıldız: “It is important to learn how to learn”
The first speaker of the afternoon session, Tahir Yıldız, Teknosa E-commerce Group Manager, touched upon the importance of loving one's job and the normalcy of career transitions. Yıldız said; “I always progressed through trial and error in life. Although I graduated from Mechanical Engineering, I didn't know what kind of job I would do. I did a master's degree, which contributed, and I decided to work in marketing. My life changed and took on another dimension with my story of entering e-commerce. I experienced turning points in my career and progressed. It is important to learn how to learn. Meeting the right job is very important. Pursue jobs you enjoy, do a job you love, this will be much better.”
Pınar Namdar: “Set your priorities correctly”
Pınar Namdar, Ericsson Human Resources Coordinator, made statements about the importance of continuity in a career. Namdar said; “I have worked in various roles at Ericsson. I am in a dynamic sector, so it develops rapidly, and consequently, changes are very intense. Balancing both work and private life is very important; define your priorities and make them your focus. When this balance is established, a foundation is formed. Working long hours is a thing of the past. As a human resources manager, working long hours stems from an individual's inability to organize things. Continuity is necessary; people with routines in their careers have more balanced lives. It is necessary to be innovative and curious; following the world adds a lot.”
İhsan Soytemiz: “Knowledge is as valuable as a weapon”
İhsan Soytemiz, President of the Turkish Biologists Association, the last speaker on the first day of the event, made striking statements about the importance of knowledge. Soytemiz said; “The more knowledge you have, the more weapons you have; knowledge is that important. You advance in your profession based on your knowledge. The more you master a subject, the more projects you will carry out. I have a team for the healthy foods of the future, and our work related to our field continues. There are global studies on new generation probiotics, being rediscovered and presented to humanity.”
On the last day of the summit, Prof. Dr. Nesin Özören from Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, Tolga Dinçer, CEO of DT Bilişim Grubu, İsa Turgut İnci, Deputy General Manager of YTÜ Yıldız Teknopark, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Salih Gencer, Director of Medipol Üniversitesi Cancer Research Center, took part as speakers.
The Zirvedekiler’22 event, keenly followed by academics and students, concluded with the presentation of plaques to the speakers and a group photo.