People
The best thing you can do in IT is to stay in the loop
Today, she works as a Machine Learning Engineer, connecting AI development teams across the globe. Yet, in the beginning, FIT alumna Kateřina Vrána doubted whether studying IT was even for her. "I am proud that I've come from those initial fears at the start of my studies to where I am now—and that I am working on projects with a real impact," she says.
At Tescan 3DIM, you are involved in developing a dental application that helps streamline medical care. What is your role in this?
For a long time, I worked as a Machine Learning Engineer, dealing with things like nerve detection or tooth segmentation in dental CT scans—from prototyping neural networks in Python to final integration into a C++ application. Since this spring, I have also taken on the role of AI/ML Coordinator. In this position, I manage the connection between individual development teams across our branches in Brno and around the world. It’s a role closely linked to development, but a much larger part of the agenda is focused on people, communication, and organization.
So, it's a mix of working with people and technology. Which suits you better?
Every job has aspects that suit you and others that can be challenging. In development, you can get stuck solving a complex problem or a well-hidden bug in the code. But it’s pleasant work with plenty of room for creativity. In prototyping machine learning models, the problems can be even more obscure and harder to detect, but it’s fascinating what can be solved thanks to this technology. As for working with people, I enjoy getting involved and trying to push forward procedural things where there is room for improvement. That’s what fulfills me in the coordinator role.
This is a diverse and interesting job that didn't even exist relatively recently. Do you think it's possible to prepare for IT professions that haven't even been created yet?
I think very few people could have predicted what IT professions would look like in a few years. Sometimes I attend AI-related events or conferences, and even the top experts in the field can't agree on what the relatively near future will hold. The best thing an IT aspirant can do is stay informed. The pace is truly frantic.
Do you think FIT prepared you for this pace?
The studies essentially gave me everything fundamental I needed to enter practice. In IT, you have to keep learning and following new trends; it’s such a broad field that a school, by principle, cannot teach you everything. However, the many practical projects where I could see an overlap into the real world were very beneficial. They allowed me to test how much I could handle and taught me that specific technological tools aren't as important as the principles of solving IT problems and the ability to adapt to different situations.
Was IT an obvious choice for you since childhood?
Not at all. I spent my childhood in a household of two biologists, and I didn't have much space for discovering information technology. I liked playing computer games, but the turning point probably didn't come until secondary school when we had our first programming class. I followed that with a programming seminar, which was quite trivial at the time, but it was enough to spark my interest and lead to my first thoughts about studying IT.
„I liked playing computer games, but the turning point probably didn't come until secondary school when we had our first programming class.“
Why did FIT "win" back then?
I must admit that the "win" was quite gradual. I didn't have much confidence that FIT was for me. I thought it would be too hard, and at first, I was leaning more toward mechanical engineering. At that time, FIT still had its own entrance exams, which discouraged me. But then I found out I could get in via National Comparative Exams (NSZ), so I tried it—and it worked. I didn't even apply anywhere else after that, even though I still had the impression I was "just giving it a try."
And it worked out. Do you remember your first impressions of the faculty?
Everyone was so tall! I went to a grammar school where girls were in the majority, and now it was suddenly the complete opposite. But it was a good time; right at the beginning, thanks to math exercises, I found a great group of classmates. We went through the rest of our studies together, worked on projects, and prepared for exams and finals. The curriculum was definitely more demanding than high school; I spent a lot of time studying and working on projects, including weekends. But in the end, it was all interesting in some way.
Did you encounter any moments during your studies where you felt you couldn't make it?
It was more of a continuous feeling of nervousness rather than isolated moments. There were always deadlines on the horizon, and you just had to deal with them. In the end, it was always enough to just put in the time, and it somehow worked out—from the first homework assignments to the diploma thesis and state exams. Those past successes then acted as motivation to keep trying.
Why do you think girls are afraid of this field? Was being a young woman ever an obstacle?
I was afraid that IT would be too hard, but I never thought that I shouldn't go into IT because it’s a field for men. I heard a few comments in that vein a couple of times, which wasn't very pleasant—but usually from laypeople outside the academic IT environment. Everyone has more or less of a prerequisite for something; I don't think IT is an exception. No one should let themselves be held back by gender or other prejudices if they are interested in a field and want to pursue it.
„I was afraid that IT would be too hard, but I never thought that I shouldn't go into IT because it’s a field for men.“
You work in the field of medical data processing. Is this the area where you see your future career path?
When I started, our company was still small and focused primarily on medical data. After the acquisition by Tescan, part of the development naturally shifted more toward electron microscopy, so the company’s focus and mine are gradually moving beyond the medical field. Nevertheless, medical data processing is an area I want to keep following—at least out of personal interest. Even today, machine learning in medicine has a demonstrably positive impact, even though it faces obstacles like a lack of quality data or strict regulatory conditions. But development is definitely happening—both globally and here—and it’s fascinating to see where this field is heading.
Ing. Kateřina Vrána is a graduate of FIT BUT, completing her studies in 2020. During her Master's studies, she began working part-time in the software team of 3Dim Laboratory (now part of Tescan), with whom she collaborated on her Bachelor's thesis. She remained in the field of medical imaging at the company after graduation; today, she serves as a Machine Learning Engineer and AI Coordinator.
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