Dear valued students,

The relentless pursuit of superiority among nations continues in today's world, where millions of people are forced to migrate from their homes, lose their lives, and hundreds of thousands of children are left orphaned during these struggles and wars. In this century we live in, our world is confronted with wars, disasters, terrorism, and hunger. Under these conditions, the primary factor that will determine the ultimate outcome of inter-state competition is the level of technological advancement. It is imperative for us to achieve technological superiority in order to safeguard our country's independence and ensure the well-being of our people. To achieve this goal, we need cultured, ethical, hardworking, professionally knowledgeable and skilled, patriotic engineers who perform their duties with dedication.

Dear prospective university candidates, the main factors you should consider in choosing a profession are your skills and interests. It is not possible to succeed in a profession that does not match your skills. Similarly, even if you are attracted to and choose a profession that is popular but you do not enjoy it, you may not be able to work in that profession for a short period. The reason for this is that the foundation of professional success lies in the inclination and willingness towards the work being done. In addition to hard work, these two are essential for the emergence of original ideas and the creation of new inventions.

Dear prospective university candidates, changes in the world have accelerated in the last century, especially in the last 10 years. While the North Pole, covered in ice for thousands of years, has become the center of international shipping, the climate change it has created shows us that nothing will be the same on our planet. Developments in technology are disrupting norms, leading to changes and advancements that exceed even our dreams. Technologies such as autonomous (driverless) vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, robots that look and behave like humans, software robots that plan appointments and reservations such as hospitals, restaurants, and airline tickets for users in virtual environments, and intelligent applications and virtual assistants that often interact with us and solve our problems in phone and internet conversations will evolve further in the near future, leading to the elimination of many professions and the emergence of many new ones. It is predicted that within the next 20 years, more than 200 professions will be replaced by robots and software, and similarly, nearly 300 new professions will emerge. Considering the time from your university education to your retirement in your working life, you will not even reach the middle of your working life after 20 years. Therefore, changes in professions will directly affect you. Some of today's popular professions and university departments with the highest scores will lose their importance in the next 10 years and will completely disappear within 20 years. What is more important than which professions will disappear is which professions will gain importance and what new professions will emerge depending on the developments in technology. One of the answers to this question is undoubtedly the indication that software engineering will be among the brightest professions of the next 50 years. This situation is also in line with the increasing interest in software engineering every year.

Dear prospective engineering candidates, the profession of software engineering ranks among the top professions of not only today but also the future. Software engineering is defined to include the main branches of engineering required for the development of software products with a focus on "software design and architecture", "software testing", "software security", "software project management", and "software quality assurance". Studies based on artificial intelligence such as big data, deep learning, deep neural networks, image processing, optimization, and machine learning, which are among the most popular topics of today, are included in the curriculum of many engineering departments. Consequently, each engineering discipline uses software tools containing artificial intelligence algorithms in solving the problems within its professional activities. The relationship between Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence is very different from that of other engineering disciplines. While other engineering disciplines use artificial intelligence algorithms and tools containing these algorithms to solve their problems, Software Engineering develops artificial intelligence algorithms and tools containing these algorithms. Moreover, thanks to the development of artificial intelligence algorithms with software design principles and design patterns, algorithms and tools that work independently of the problem and platform emerge. Providing such an ability to software tools is only possible through the application of software engineering discipline.

Dear valued engineering candidates, as the Department of Software Engineering at Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Technology, we have graduated for the fifth time this year. Our graduates start their professional lives by starting to work in the most reputable companies in our country. On the day I prepared this article, I received a call from a software company operating within the Boyner group. The person on the phone informed me that they had subjected about 30 people, including our graduate, to an exam consisting of a few steps, and that the only successful person in these exams was our new graduate named Hande. What I heard about our graduate is not only gratifying but also demonstrates the quality of education provided in our department. Our graduates work in leading companies of the defense industry such as Havelsan, as well as software industry leaders such as Ericsson, Netaş, Sabancı, Koç Digital, EnerjiSA, Masomo, Sahibinden, Insider. Not only our graduates but also our students in the 3rd and 4th grades have a very high rate of entering professional life. In short, our department's students do not have employment problems. Moreover, the starting salaries of our students/graduates vary between 2 and 7 times the minimum wage. This situation is a result of the professional knowledge and skills of our students. Our students have 60 days of internship from the third summer and 15 weeks of on-the-job training during the first half of the fourth grade (only available to students studying in departments within technology faculties). Internship and on-the-job training also provide our students with approximately 6 months of professional experience gained directly in the field. Employers and intern engineers get to know each other closely in such a long period of 6 months both professionally and in terms of workplace behavior and culture. Evaluation reports reaching our department from workplaces include expressions that we are proud of our students. Many companies also inform us of their willingness to work with our students after graduation. This situation is also an indicator and result of the quality of education provided in our department. Our students who have studied abroad within the framework of Erasmus exchange programs are trained successfully in line with the requirements of the software industry. In addition, our senior students carry out important projects within the scope of design project and graduation project courses both to increase their professional knowledge and skills and to turn them into useful products. Every year, our students' studies within the framework of TUBITAK undergraduate projects are supported. Click here to get information about these projects.

Dear prospective engineering candidates, As the Department of Software Engineering at the Faculty of Technology, Karadeniz Technical University, our scores and rankings continue to rise each year. However, we have noticed an unusual discrepancy between the minimum and maximum scores of students who choose our department. This has various implications on the educational process. Specifically, our courses require a substantial academic background, both theoretically and practically. This reliance on analytical thinking and subjects based on mathematics and science often poses challenges for some of our students, particularly those with lower scores or those who have made misguided choices in selecting our department. Therefore, having a very high score and ranking will not be a loss for you. Success in software engineering depends not only on your vocational inclinations but also on your proficiency in mathematics and the sciences. Software engineering is a profession that contributes to activities across all fields, from A to Z. Furthermore, our software engineering curriculum is designed to meet the needs of today's conditions and industry requirements most effectively. Our students begin developing algorithms from their first year and continue to work on significant projects until graduation. By showcasing these projects on platforms like GitHub, they gain an advantageous position in job applications. In other words, what sets apart graduates of Software Engineering from those of other departments is their preparation with the most current knowledge and skills required by the industry. Considering these aspects, while some professions may experience declines, the rapid increase in the popularity of software engineering as a profession will continue. In the next 10 years, software engineering will be among the most preferred professions. I extend my respects to your families and teachers who have contributed to your upbringing. I hope your choices lead to good outcomes for you. I look forward to seeing you among us.

Best regards,

Prof. Dr. Hamdi Tolga KAHRAMAN
Department Chair