Educational Jorney in Vienna
The answer to the question of why I'm still unemployed. This will be updated as time goes on. I hope...
The European freedom in education has a downside. If you’re an idiot like me, don’t know what you want, and aren’t confident in the success of your endeavors, there’s a chance you’ll spread yourself too thin trying to do everything at once. So, after giving it a lot of thought, I decided to somehow pin down a concrete study plan for myself.
For now, it looks like this.
gantt
title My University Progress
dateFormat YY-MM
axisFormat %y-%m
tickInterval 6month
section Bioinf
Exams : active, bio1, 24-10, 34M
Project : bio2, 26-08, 6M
Thesis : after bio2, 6M
section Math
Exams : active, math1, 25-03, 19M
Seminars : active, math2, 25-10, 9M
Thesis : after math2, 6M
I really want to finish both master’s programs for two reasons. Firstly, I simply find them interesting. Secondly, it seems to me that many gebildete Personen in Austria have more than one degree, and since I want to integrate into that part of Austrian society, I need to work harder than the average student.
Master Mathematics
My primary interest lies in applied mathematics. I devote most of my time and effort to this field, in other words, it is my top priority. The curriculum of this program can, in general, be represented by the following diagram.
mindmap
root(Applied mathematics and scientific computing<br/>120 ECTS)
Core Modules<br/>30 ECTS
Numerical Analysis<br/>10 ECTS
Optimization<br/>6 ECTS
Applied Analysis<br/>6 ECTS
Research Seminars<br/>8 ECTS
Specialized Electives<br/>21 ECTS
Interdisciplinary Modules<br/>24 ECTS
Geometry and Topology<br/>8 ECTS
Analysis<br/>6 ECTS
Stochastics<br/>4 ECTS
Further Electives<br/>15 ECTS
Master Thesis<br/>27 ECTS
Defensio<br/>3 ECTS
My current course progress and overall impressions are summarized in the table below.
| Course | Type | ECTS | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Numerical Analysis | VO | 7 | 1 |
| Advanced Numerical Analysis | PS | 4 | In progress |
Lecturer: Assoz.-Prof. Dr. Vladimir Kazeev Tutor: Dr. Enrico Zampa Semester: PS in 2026S, VO in 2025S Description: | |||
| Nonlinear Optimization | VO | 6 | 1 |
| Nonlinear Optimization | PS | 4 | 2 |
Lecturer: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Radu Ioan Bot Tutor: Mag. Chiara Schindler Semester: 2025W Description: | 🧾 Lecture Notes | ||
| Applied Analysis | VO | 6 | In Progress |
Lecturers: Priv.-Doz. Dr. Monika Dörfler, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Norbert Mauser, Dr. Hans Peter Stimming Semester: 2025W Description: | 🧾 Lecture Notes: Part 1, 🧾 Lecture Notes: Part 2 | ||
| Optimization | SE | 4 | 1 |
| 🎓 Seminar Work | |||
| Applied Mathematics | SE | 4 | In Progress |
| Convex Optimization | VO | 6 | 1 |
| Kinetic Theory Applied to Biology | VU | 7 | 1 |
| Mathematical Population Genetics | VO | 5 | 2 |
| 🧾 Lecture Notes | |||
| Low Dimensional Topology | VO | 6 | 1 |
| Stochastic Processes | VO | 6 | 2 |
| 🧾 Lecture Notes | |||
| Advanced Measure Theory | VO | 6 | 2 |
The course wasn’t difficult, but it was quite extensive. Professor Boţ provided excellent lecture notes, which made preparing for the exam enjoyable. It’s always nice when mathematical texts are rigorous.
Ms. Schindler was very understanding toward me. Because of stomach issues, I missed a number of seminars, and she agreed to let me complete them individually. And honestly, besides being very smart, she’s also really charming. Yeah, that sounds a bit cringe, but it’s true!
The course was interesting, and the problems were enjoyable to work through. But at some point, closer to the end, it felt like we got stuck in one place. There was quite a lot of hand-waving, which personally annoys me, though it’s understandable — otherwise the course would probably have been impossible to manage.
Although, to be fair, it would have been possible, but only with a huge amount of extra effort put into the course. The professor was already trying her best.
“The sexual reproducing is very boring.” © E. Scherzer
The lectures were good, and the lecturer was just pure flex. But the subject itself… Before this course, I thought I would specialize in biomathematics, but after taking it — no, please no.
I absolutely love topology. At the same time, topology courses drive me crazy. It often feels impossible to prove anything rigorously — doing everything properly would probably take 120 ECTS credits for a single course alone. On the bright side, I finally managed to understand Khovanov homology, which became the topic of my presentation.
Unfortunately, because of scheduling conflicts, I was unable to attend the classes, so I mostly studied from the recommended textbooks on my own. To be honest, I was disappointed after the exam. I had expected more from myself. Forgetting a proof that I had memorized beforehand was rather embarrassing.
At least now I am certain that, regardless of the circumstances — and under any New Year’s tree — I can define the Lebesgue integral.
Master Bioinformatics
This is my second field of study. Mathematics is certainly fascinating, but if an academic career does not work out, one still needs to earn a living, which is why I have placed some hopes in a degree in Computer Science. The curriculum here is less flexible and looks as follows.
mindmap
root(Bioinformatics<br/>120 ECTS)
Core Modules<br/>56 ECTS
Essentials of Mathematics, Informatics, and Biology<br/>30 ECTS
Algorithmic Bioinformatics<br/>6 ECTS
Bioinformatics of Sequences and Structures<br/>6 ECTS
Statistical Methods of Bioinformatics<br/>6 ECTS
Software<br/>Development Project<br/>8 ECTS
Specialized Electives<br/>20 ECTS
Special Disciplines<br/>14 ECTS
Master Thesis<br/>27 ECTS
Defensio<br/>3 ECTS
Even though this is technically the program through which my residence permit is being extended by the local authorities, and although it would probably be wiser to prioritize it instead, I do not devote nearly as much time and effort to it. Nevertheless, my progress is summarized in the table below.
| Course | Type | ECTS | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential Mathematics for Bioinformatics | Module Exam | 10 | 1 |
Examiner: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ivo Hofacker Semester: 2024W | |||
| Essential Computer Science for Bioinformatics | Module Exam | 10 | 3 |
Examiner: Dr. Heiko Andreas Schmidt Semester: 2024W | |||
| Essential Biology for Bioinformatics | Module Exam | 10 | 3 |
Examiner: Dr. Stefan Badelt Semester: 2026S | |||
| Fundamentals in Systems Biology | VO | 3 | 1 |
Lecturers: Assoz.-Prof. Dr. Christoph Flamm, Priv.-Doz. Dr. Stefanie Widder Semester: 2025W Description: | |||
| Computational Structural Biology | VO | 3 | 4 |
Instead of properly studying for the exam, I spent my time writing free verse to a girl who had absolutely no interest in me. Walking into the exam, my attitude was basically:
“Well, A–T and G–C — what else could they possibly want from me?”
In the end, I only passed on my second attempt.
Professor Flamm is a saint. Besides the lecture slides, he also provided LaTeX handouts.
ABSOLUTE RESPECT.
The lectures were organized as an intensive two-week block, with classes every day from 9 a.m. to noon. It completely disrupted my schedule, so I ended up not attending.
I basically just went through the slides. No offense to the professor — he is genuinely awesome and extremely busy — but the slides were awful.
I am doing my best, even though it may still not be enough. I hope everything works out in the end. My mother and grandmother support me financially throughout all of this, so I would feel terribly guilty if I failed.