Today Thursday 15.09.16 Itamar Marom is finishing the programming course. The programming course is the flagship course of the ICT Division in the IDF.
The course took place at BSMAH, the military academy for computer professions and cyber defense and lasted about six months. The programmers are at the cutting edge of technology in the field of computerized development and the products of their work affect both operational and current areas.
Private Itamar Marom tells about himself: "I'm 19 years old, I've lived in Haifa since I was three, I grew up in the city.
I am the eldest brother of two younger brothers. I play guitar, play basketball and keep swimming for several years.
I studied at Leo Buck and extended five physics units and ten computer units. My father works at Intel and he is the one who connected me to the world of computers. I also have relatives who opened various hi-tech companies in San Francisco, I always drew inspiration from them and enjoyed hearing stories from them about the big world.
In the computer major I studied five out of the ten units in computers were dissertations. We studied and delved into the topic of artificial intelligence at school, that is, coding self-learning ability for the computer. My thesis was a computer game that incorporates artificial intelligence capabilities. Every computer system has a specific purpose for which it was invented. In a computer game the goal is to win. The computer has several possible actions and in each game it will collect information that it can use in the next game. Basically the computer will learn which moves give it the best statistical chance of winning.
I chose the programmers course because I was very interested in cyber and I heard that there is a military course for cyber defense. When I got to the exams I was exposed to the programming course. In the end when they asked me what I preferred, I chose programming. The course is pre-military and lasts about six months. The course is intense and challenging, starting every day at eight in the morning and ending at nine in the evening. Learners from all programming worlds, diverse programming languages, database management, websites and applications. Our exercises are very much connected to the field and the activities of the IDF. We learn about operational systems such as "Iron Dome" and the "Beacon" system, which aims to control and control fighting forces in real time. In addition, a year and a half ago, the course was changed, upgraded and adapted to the latest technological innovations in the high-tech world. You learn in an interesting and innovative way that is also relevant to work in any civil technology company.
A high point in the programming course was in six projects, big tests called "stairs". The last step was really big and lasted a week and a half. Everything was very close to the work we will have in the various IDF units. Just like in civilian companies, it is about working in teams. When we successfully completed the last step, I felt like I had gone through a crazy path. I remembered my time in high school and realized how much I know now. I realized how much I had developed, I felt a sense of satisfaction. I understood that I have the tools to do what I want and I felt at a high professional level. After six months I am proud of everything I learned and went through.
The biggest difficulty in the course was learning. The trainees are required to learn a lot of material through self-learning. It is difficult at first for anyone who has not experienced it. There is a lot of trial and error time in front of the computer and learning from different texts. This prepares us for the real work, in private no one will teach us new material like in school and the world is only going to develop, therefore in the course we sharpen this ability. After some time I overcame this difficulty simply because I did not give up. I developed a high self-learning ability during the course.
My message to the younger generation: I highly recommend attending the course! The course is suitable for those who find the topic of programming interesting and attractive, it is an ideal place. I think it's worth studying and going deeper for the course, experimenting with self-learning and preparing for exams, it's not the only recipe for success, but it can help and make it a lot easier. The BSM has a website on the Internet through which you can start learning material for the programming course. Both professionally and personally, the trainees undergo a significant change in the course. Besides programming, there are many lectures from outside, both technological and values. We are careful and try to shape our character both as programmers who go to work in a team As soldiers in the IDF and moral people in general. You don't have to come with a previous background in programming, there are some graduates who learned programming from scratch in the course, this doesn't happen in many places. The commanders in the course invest and work very hard for the success of each and every trainee. Prior knowledge helps but determination and an open mind to learn are the required qualities. In addition, the atmosphere in the course is excellent and it is simply a wonderful experience."
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It's all about connections. To get to the screenings and get accepted you need protection. I know excellent people in computer science and physics who were not distinguished or were not accepted because of a lack of connections.