What did you study before, what BSc did you have before joining the Biodata Analysis program?
Szabolcs K.:I graduated with a BSc in Molecular Bionics, then I did a Masters degree in nanobiotechnology at a university in Denmark, where I participated in large-scale experiments and ran computer simulations.
I have never had dedicated bioinformatics courses before. I have occasionally read articles on the subject, used such programs, but I have never received any instruction from any specialist or expert.

The Biodata Analysis program was good for the exact reason because it complemented and put in place the basic biological knowledge and programming skills I had acquired previously.

Why did you choose Biodata Analysis at Pázmány University from the many bioinformatics training programs?
Szabolcs K.:I checked all the European Masters courses, but there were very few one-year Masters programs and the ones that were available were very expensive.
Biodata Analysis was the most affordable, the cost was very favorable compared to the others I found, which was important because I financed the tuition myself, with student loans.

Were you able to do this program while working in a job?
Szabolcs K.:Since the program was fully online, it was very flexible both in terms of location and schedule. We agreed with the lecturers to meet every 1-2 weeks for online consultations or, in cases where there were (online) lectures scheduled for every week, those were recorded and you could also watch them later. So I had complete freedom both in terms of location and schedule, which made it easy to complete the program besides working in a job.

Were the lecturers available to support your studies?
Szabolcs K.:The lecturers were very well prepared, you could see that this was their life, their profession. They were also very helpful, if I got stuck, they were available for a consultation.
They were also flexible with the deadlines, which was a great help, because it meant that I could complete the training relatively stress-free, even while working full time.
I was allowed to choose the topic of my thesis myself, and as it was in line with my work at the company, I didn't have to do all the thesis work after working hours, as part of my work at the company fit well into my thesis, which saved me quite some time.

Who would you recommend Biodata Analysis program to?
Szabolcs K.: For example, to people who are interested in bioinformatics and have some experience but did not have specialized bioinformatics courses or prior professional knowledge. For them I think it is a very good complementary training.

Thank you for your time. Congratulations on your degree, and I wish you all the best for your future career.
Szabolcs K.: Thank you.