And brilliant ideas for a million dollars"

And brilliant ideas for a million dollars"
The owner of the web studio MILK Group (development and marketing of Internet projects, software and applications) Aksana Pruttskova is a graduate of the 2009 Higher School of Business Informatics of the State University - Higher School of Economics. She talks about how for eight months to become a professional in e-business and launch her own Internet project.
- Aksana, as far as I know, your profession is journalism. And what is your calling?
- The last five years I am an entrepreneur. Once it published corporate magazines and newspapers, and then switched to projects on the Internet. If at first the Internet was an optional addition to my work in the traditional press, now it is an integral part of life. At some point, I felt that I was sorely lacking in knowledge and educational literature. More precisely - there are books on e-business, but their quality leaves much to be desired. It was possible to work in a large company and gradually master practical skills, but I chose the program of professional retraining in Vyshka and for eight months mastered the basics of this business both in theory and in practice.
- Why did you choose the Higher School of Economics? Have you considered other options?
- There were no special difficulties with the choice. Of the two programs - at the State University of Management and at the Higher School of Business Informatics of the SU-HSE - I chose the program of the Vyshka. Firstly, I liked the list of disciplines of the program and the teaching staff, and secondly, the SU-HSE - the reputation of the university, combining the solidity of education with innovation.
- The program "Management in the field of e-business and Internet projects" is designed for eight months. Is this enough time for training?
- The training program was very intensive. Learning and working at the same time is not at all easy, but, perhaps, this is the only way for a relatively short period of time to get the necessary training. In addition, our group continued to develop the program in the summer. The course began in April, and during the summer holidays we had a practice, that is, in fact, we studied for almost a year.
- What was especially important for you in the program?
- A remarkable stage of the program was a cross-cutting project, which could be dealt with both within the framework of real activity and in the format of a "dream company". Thanks to this project all theoretical knowledge is practiced in real time. For example, in the classroom for modeling business processes, you develop a business strategy for your company, and in advertising and public relations classes - a PR campaign that performs a specific task. All projects are discussed in class, so every student not only directs his project, but also participates in all other projects of the group, playing completely different roles. By the way, the project seminar was led by Fyodor Virin, a professional who can at first glance assess whether the project will be successful or not.

- Is it easy to work with professionals of this level?

- During the first project seminars Fedor all severely criticized, the guys even took offense at him sometimes. He still criticizes us, but less often. We just need to understand that if a person estimates a thousand projects a year, he sees at a glance all the flaws in the work presented. His recommendations and advice helped me a lot. Fedor directed my practice, and then under his leadership I wrote and defended my thesis.
- With what kind of education and work experience do students come to the program?
- On the level of training, we were very different from each other, and by the middle of the program all "leveled off." For example, one girl at the beginning of training did not know anything about the Internet, she could only use e-mail, and now she has collected a team that writes a flash game for the social network. Another among our guys - two manage online stores and three - web-studios.
- Were there any courses in the program that turned out to be unnecessary?
- When you do your own business, for you all disciplines are important. I want to get a maximum of theory and practice. Someone on the course seemed that we do not need theoretical knowledge on marketing and management, but I do not agree with this. To make a successful project on the Internet, you need to know the basics of many disciplines.
- And what it is necessary to know and be able to launch an Internet project?
- In any project, the main thing is common sense. It's silly to run an Internet project, proceeding from the fact that "if I'm interested, it means - and the rest will be interesting." You can not leave behind the research and analysis of the situation on the market. As a cross-cutting project, I created a company for developing applications for the IPhone, and it seemed to me that I understand everything about those who own such a phone. But when I did the research, talked to people, I discovered a lot of new things.
- Are you satisfied with the results of the training?
If I evaluate the results of my studies, they are perfectly reflected in the annual tax return. In addition, I have the necessary knowledge, new acquaintances, friends with the same hobbies as me, and brilliant ideas for a million dollars. And most importantly, there was a certainty that everything would turn out.
Lyudmila Mezentseva, News service of the SU-HSE portal