Giorgi Pkhaladze: “It is one of the best countries for self-development”

Giorgi Pkhaladze from Georgia graduated in 2017 with the Master’s in Health Care Technology and is currently working at DreamApply, a company well-known to each international student in Estonia. Giorgi is sharing his experience studying and working in Estonia.

How it started

I had a degree in a law, but after working as a lawyer I have found out that it wasn’t my passion. I was seeking a new occupation, which would be related to the general medicine and IT field. After some time I found out that TalTech was the only university providing a similar course to what I wanted, called “Health Care Technology”. After attending the TalTech’s presentation in Tbilisi, I was sure that it was the university where I would continue my study.

University times

Funny

It was in April-May, when snow finally melted and the city turned green again. The weather was perfect, but we had a regular class to practice with the medical equipment and it had to take place indoors. When professor Ross entered the room, he noted that we weren’t ready for sitting in there for the next 4 hours, so he suggested us to have a class in the backyard of Mektory building. It was the best class I have ever attended. It was a bit tricky to bring in and out all our medical equipment, but still I will never forget it! Peeter Ross is actually my favourite professor and his courses are brilliant.

Challenging

I didn’t have the background in programming, nor medicine. So, it was the most challenging for me to pass the exams of the two subjects: Introduction in programming and Anatomy. And nevertheless, all the hours I spent in the library paid off and helped me to pass both exams.

University friends

Our group was very international. We had class members from three different continents. In and out the university we spent time together, also during the holidays were traveling and exploring different parts of Estonia. After graduation, we agreed to meet each other at least once a year. Now it has become a tradition — every year we choose a destination country and meet each other there.

Things I miss…

Lunch breaks, friends and Mektory building :D

Things I definitely do not miss…

7-hours class with 1-hour break :D

First job

In 2016 Georgia started digitalization of the medical field and I got a chance to consult the government regarding e-prescriptions and electronic medical database.
Currently I am working as a project manager for Estonian company DreamApply. We provide universities, including TalTech with the platform for admission of international students. In DreamApply we see our goal in making the education available for everyone all over the world.

“Depends on season”

Life in Estonia depends on the season. It is one of the best countries for self-development, but at first you have to survive the winter. The most important is to keep working on the self-development. We have a great opportunity to study and work, be it remotely, so just take and use it.