A series of alumni testimonials about French colleges and universities. The alumni share their personal experiences about their courses, part-time jobs, internships, job search, etc. I have focused on alumni because it can help prospective and current students get a complete picture of the course and future opportunities.
In this particular article, Pradyumna KANAKAPURA was kind enough to share his Master’s experiences from ISEP, Paris Institute of Digital Technology.
Alumni & Course Information
| Name | Mr. Pradyumna KANAKAPURA |
| LinkedIn Profile | pradyumna-kanakapura |
| Degree | Diplôme d’ingénieur “RNCP/CGE certified” |
| Course Specialization | |
| Year of Graduation | 2022 |
| College | |
| City | Paris |
| Course Intake | September |
| Course Duration | 24 months |
| Course Fees | 8,900€ |
| Funding for the course | Bank education loan |
| Monthly Expenses (Rent, utilities, etc) | 550€ |
| French level before the Course | A1 |
| French level after Graduation | A2 |
| Status after Graduation | Salaried Employee |
| Current Status | DevOps Engineer at Snowpack |
ISEP Campus in Paris City
Course Info – IEMDP
The latest brochure can be downloaded from the course website.
Personal Experiences during the Course
- The highlight of my studies was being instructed by professionals from various enterprises, providing room for brainstorming.
- Many of the subjects we studied provided opportunities to engage in multicultural settings and offered guidance on effective teamwork.
- The majority of the courses were practical, allowing us to engage in project work during summer breaks. The laboratory facilities were really good and there were no restrictions to perform tests.
- The course was not at all intense and unfortunately did not make us industry-ready. So be cautious in choosing the university/grand écoles.
- As a student, I was fortunate to have a lot of advantages from the French govt eg: transport, free visits to the museum, etc.
- The bottom line is that I would not recommend any students where I did my Masters.
Return on Investment (ROI)
- I believe with what I have spent, it will take at least 3 years for me to recover given my commitments.
Multi-cultural Aspects of the Course
- ISEP organized a lot of programs during the year for inclusion and to explore new cultures.
- Frequent parties were hosted by different clubs to build the network.
- Since I joined during COVID, though I was in CROUS it was not so great immersion experience except for saying Bonjours.
Part-time Job Experience
- I did not do any part-time job during the Masters.
Internship Experience
- I was fortunate to get the Internship early at Nokia Bell Labs and finish the course on time without an extension.
- It was wonderful that my manager mostly focused on what I learned during the period than on the deliverables.
- The manager helped me a lot to get full-time there, but due to unforeseen problems, it did not materialize.
Job Search Experience
- Following my Internship I flew to India and was attending the interviews from there and I was fortunate to get one after 8 months. This is not recommended, doesn’t work for all.
- I predominantly used LinkedIn, Welcometothejungle, Indeed, careers page, etc. I found my current job through LinkedIn.
- I have applied to more than 800+ positions before landing this opportunity.
- Right after the Internship, I had to look for other options and high-demand jobs in the market as there was almost nothing in the space of IoT and Telecom.
- Of course, this problem was because of a lack of language skills and also technical experiences.
Advice for Juniors
- Try to do your own research and utilize the social platform to understand how exactly the education system works and how to benefit from the scholarships or grants.
- Make sure that the Master that you are planning to do has a good job market in the country and has less odds of securing one after completion.
- Not everyone gets compensated very well considering your previous experiences if any. Be prepared to start from scratch even with X years of experience.
- Try to get in touch with the alumni and get more information about the job prospects and the course and not to forget to work on building a LinkedIn profile.
- If you are someone, who writes code then do not forget to add your Github/Repo link in your Resume along with LinkedIn. Be strong with your basics.
- There is no Placement assistance unlike in India where students choose the university/college based on these criteria.
- There are job fairs and for that, you should be able to converse in French. Do work on your French skills and it is not easy.
- Utilize the Schengen visa and try to visit multiple countries and explore other cultures.
Practical Information
After successful completion of the program, the graduates will be awarded the engineering master’s degree (“Diplôme d’ingénieur”).
Contact Information:
- 01 49 54 52 43 Information request
- 01 49 54 52 24 Head of International Relations / Thomas Ea
- 01 49 54 52 79 Mobility Manager / Beata Mikovicova
- 01 49 52 52 91 Asia region mobility / Yue Liu
- 01 49 54 52 67 Partnership Development & recruitment / Hang Sun
- 01 49 54 52 22 Internship / François Falconnet – Responsable des stages
- 01 46 54 52 12 Handicap referent
- logement@isep.fr Housing Office for accomodation
How to apply?
Complete the online application form and upload the following documents:
- ID photo
- Copy of passport
- CV
- Statement of purpose
- 1 letter of recommendation
- Copy of transcript of records for each university previously attended, in original language as well as certified translations into French or English, including copy of the degrees.
- TOEFL (minimum score of 550-PB / 213-CBT / 79-iBT) or equivalent test (IELTS…) for applicants from non-English-speaking countries
- Copy of Bachelor’s degree
The applications will be assessed by an admission committee. If your application is selected, you will be contacted for an interview. The results will be given shortly.
Campus Address:
- Campus NDC
28, rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, 75006 Paris - Campus NDL
10, rue de Vanves, 92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux
Disclaimer
- These are original testimonials collected from the alumni via Linkedin.
- Opinions expressed are from the alumni and so the author or the blog cannot be held responsible.
- These testimonials include both facts and opinions. Facts will not change but opinions might differ based on personal experiences, perspectives, etc.
