What would Michał Ziółkowski, Chief Technology Information Officer at Play, do if he were 20 again and just starting out in IT? “I’d study at 42 Warsaw, build a portfolio from day one, and take part in hackathons”, he says without hesitation.
42 Warsaw is a free coding school where instead of traditional lecturers, you meet the best practitioners in the tech industry. Michał Ziółkowski is one of them. Read on to find out what employers in IT are really looking for.
Does a degree still matter in IT?
As Chief Technology Information Officer at Play, Michał Ziółkowski manages a team of over 1,400 people responsible for the mobile network, cybersecurity, and data centres of one of Poland’s largest telecoms operators.
Asked what he’d tell his 25-years-younger self, he answers without hesitation: “Study at 42 Warsaw, build a portfolio, and take part in hackathons.” Because today, it’s not a diploma that opens doors in IT. It’s completed projects, experience working in teams, and the willingness to act before you feel fully ready.
Networking in IT
One of the greatest advantages of 42 Warsaw is who you get to meet on campus. We don’t have traditional lecturers delivering knowledge through an academic template. Instead, we bring in the best practitioners from the industry: people who build and develop technology at leading companies in Poland every day.
Our experts don’t just show up and disappear. They stay long after the session ends, chatting with students and answering questions. Furthermore, they share insights from real-world experience.
From Michał, we learned about his early days at a technical school in Bydgoszcz – back when a computer was a luxury, not a given. We heard how throughout his career he consistently did one thing: volunteered for projects before anyone asked. How he built relationships not through LinkedIn, but through working together on hard problems. And how you learn fastest when there’s no way to avoid the challenge in front of you.
Join 42 Warsaw – applications are open!
These conversations offer stories you won’t find in any textbook. You hear about difficult decisions, personal turning points, and the principles that shaped a career. Moreover, you get direct contact with people who might one day become your employer or mentor.
If you’re looking for a place to learn hands-on, surrounded by the best in the field, check out the 42 Warsaw application process.
