Career and Cooperative Education Days ‘16 Took Place

On 23-24 May, 2016, “Career and Cooperative Education Days ‘16” took place at our university. Organized in cooperation with TOBB ETÜ Graduates Association (TOBB ETÜ-MED), the event brought university students together with leading firms of Turkey, and helped young students with career planning, and corporations with access to qualified labor force.

In his opening address, Prof. Adem ŞAHİN, the President of TOBB ETÜ, said that the event would be an annual organization taking place in the same time frame each year, culminating in an effort to bring together current students with enterprises founded by TOBB ETÜ graduates in September.

The first day of the event began with a speech by Mr. Abdulkadir Konukoğlu, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sanko Holding. Relaying his experience of more than half a century, Konukoğlu talked about the business life, SANKO, and Gaziantep. Konukoğlu said “Dream. Make sure you have an target and focus on it. Work tirelessly, and do not panic in the face of problems. If you panic, you’ll lose control” and added “I dropped out of secondary school and began working at my father’s factory. When entrusting me to the headman, dad told me ‘There are no dads at the factory. I’m your dad at home. From now on, don’t sneak into the administrative building either. You will use the personnel shuttle to and from home.’ I swept the floor. I swiped the benches. But I moved up by learning what each level of work entails, and by succeeding in that. I always tried to do my best, regardless of my position being a cleaner to sweep the floor, or a Chairman leading the Board of Directors. I worked with non-governmental organizations as well, to expand my circle. You should also try and work with non-governmental organizations to succeed in what you do. What satisfied me most was the Chairmanship of Gaziantep Sports Club. I learned about winning as well as losing. I saw that there were many sharing the glory when we won, but no one would be around when we lost, perhaps with the exception of ball boys.” He then added “Always focus on a single topic. If you do that, you will be successful. For instance, if I am on my way to the tractor plant, I push the off buttons in my mind for all other firms. I just focus on the matters concerning the site I am visiting. Regardless of what I feel as I leave there, once I am out I turn off the button in my mind, and turn on the one for the next destination, thinking hard about the issues I will be handling there.”

Konukoğlu also talked about the activities they engaged through the Sani Konukoğlu Foundation, and said “To date, we had 21 schools, 3 of which are faculty buildings, and 13 mosques built. Each year, we pay TRY 400 per month as gratuitous scholarships, for more than 1,500 university students. Furthermore, each year we provide aid to 10 thousand students for clothing, and 10 thousand for office supplies, in coordination with the Directorate of Education. We offer food aid to 40 thousand families per year, in cooperation with the Governor’s Office. Sharing is happiness. We earn as we share, and we share as we earn. I consider charity and paying alms as bank transfers to the judgment day. What is a bank transfer? It is using the internet for sending cash you haven’t seen physically. Do you believe the money is transferred with a single click? You do, right? In the same vein, I believe the good deeds we do serve as transfers to the judgment day. Indeed, the Director of the Religious Affairs, Prof. Mehmet Görmez, speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for Sani Konukoğlu Faculty of Theology we are building for Gaziantep University said charity work, which I deem a bank transfer to the judgment day, have their place in Holy Qoran as ‘everyone should think of what they deposited in advance’.” At the end of his address, Prof. Adem Şahin, the President of TOBB ETÜ, presented Konukoğlu with a plate voicing gratitude. 

Mr. Konukoğlu’s address was followed by that of Mrs. Semra Güral SÜRMELİ, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kütahya Porselen.

The program resumed after a forty-five minute concert break.

The third speaker of the day was Mr. Cihat Alagöz, the Chief Executive Officer of Tüyap Anadolu Fuarları A.Ş., and Vice Chairman of TOBB GGK.

Thereafter, a short coffee-break was followed by a talk by Mrs. Elvan Odabaşı KANAR, the General Director and Founding Dietitian of Formeo, about her experiences and recommendations.

One of the names about whom the audience was enthusiastic about was Muharrem DÖRTKAŞLI, the CEO of TAI-TUSAŞ. Having visited our school on numerous occasions previously, DÖRTKAŞLI talked about future projects, with his unique style and narrative. He also took time to say a few words on students who are about to graduate. We perhaps should also note that Muharrem DÖRTKAŞLI is a fanatical supporter of Beşiktaş football team, and had placed numerous Beşiktaş flags all around TUSAŞ after the team’s championship.

The last two speakers of the day, on the other hand, were Mr. Osman ÖZDEMİR, the Director of Human Resources at Türk Traktör and Mr. Ahmet Fethi AYHAN, Technology Group Director at Türk Telekom.

The second day of the event started with an address by Murat Karaöz. Working as a Mobile Security Engineer at Havelsan, a graduate of our school, Murat Karaöz shared his experience and advice with us. Talking about many issues from the work environment at Havelsan to social life, Karaöz said that Cyber Security is an extremely important matter today, and that a cyber attack directed at METU once led to blackouts throughout Turkey. Noting the fact that the largest share of the budget in the US is dedicated to Cyber Defense, Karaöz referred to the activities of and work environment at Havelsan’s SST (Cyber Defense Technology Center). Karaöz said that Seçsis was hosted inside Havelsan, and operated in a manner to preclude any external intervention, in complete isolation from the internet and foreign countries. Making a comparison with Aselsan, Tusaş and Roketsan, Karaöz said “Our headquarters’ location is a central one, right behind Kentpark and Cepa. I sometimes come across people who doesn’t know where Roketsan is in Ankara” causing a laughter in the audience.

After a brief coffee break, Mr. Engin Öncüoğlu, a Member of the Board of Directors of Öncüoğlu Architecture took the stage.

A member of the Board of Directors of Öncüoğlu + ACP Architecture and Urban Planning, as well as a part-time professor at the Department of Interior Design and Environment Design at our university, Engin ÖNCÜOĞLU made many recommendations to the youth in the audience, about the business world, commercial life, design, and architecture. Arguing that “the world we live in is a commercial one; but that doesn’t mean we don’t have architectural priorities”, Öncüoğlu continued his address by saying that they would not accept any project they didn’t see as a source of added value for the city. Noting his appreciation of the “3 semesters” and “joint training” practices at TOBB ETÜ, Öncüoğlu still underlined his awareness of the difficulties involved, and warned the audience that “throughout your term as an intern, you need to get a micro-level to macro-level understanding of the operations of the office you work at.” He emphasized the need that the details learned during internship should not be left there, and should be put into good use in one’s future studies. Mentioning the existence of numerous sub-disciplines of architecture, the speaker then underlined the importance of joint training as a most valuable opportunity given the fact that “the crux of the matter is about making you discover what makes you happy on the professional front.” In response to a question about Öncüoğlu’s thoughts about the young students’ ambitions to open up architecture, interior design, or design offices upon graduation, he said that sometimes taking risks was important, that such an inspiration was at least worth a try, that in later years of life one would think in more detail and more seriously when making decisions about her future.

The event Mr. Rifat HİSARCIKLIOĞLU, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees was unable to attend due to a funeral proceeded with a talk by Prof. Metin FEYZİOĞLU, the President of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations. Beginning his address by noting how valuable both TOBB and TOBB ETÜ is for both him and the rest of Turkey, Feyzioğlu then started to mention a few tricks of the attorney profession. He said that a suitable environment for attorneys was available only in countries which successfully implement pluralist participatory democracy and the rule of law. Noting that he was raised as someone in love with Law since his childhood, and his passion for the profession, and referring to the human-focus as the reason making him choose criminal law as his area of specialization, Feyzioğlu recommended evolution to generations which are capable of making analyses, establishing cause-effect relationships, and last but not least, aware of what being a human means. In the Q/A part of the session, he noted the dire need for nationalist and patriotic outlooks. He argued that we should get our inspiration from Yunus Emre, Rumi, and Hacıbektaş on the road from man to creator, through an understanding of the prevailing philosophy of these lands, and that such a perspective was the only way to overcome ethnic, secterian, and ideological differences. At the end of the interactive address, Burak Tolga Terzi, the President of the TOBB ETÜ Graduates Association presented Feyzioğlu with a plate to commemorate the day.

Another brief coffee break (where people had something to eat) the event progressed with an address by Prof. Mehmet Nejat Akar, from TOBB ETÜ Hospital, Pediatrics Department.

The very attractive culinary break saw the service of pasta. Last three speakers, Elif Ajdar ÖZEL, the Central Anatolia President of PERYÖN, Devrim AKSU, Human Resources Director of Aselsan, and Onur Şener making a Sahaja Yoga Presentation were followed by the closing concert.

Prepared by: Oğuzhan Türker