Where do you work now and what does your job entail?
I work at Maastricht University at the Center for European Studies. I am a student affairs & international relations officer. In this role, I guide students before, during and after their study abroad programme with CES and I maintain relations with our partner universities in the US, Australia and Japan. I prepare university-specific programmes as well as semester programmes and I lead student groups on their study trips in Europe.
Why did you choose to work in this field?
It combines my passion for tourism (travel) and self-development. This job can be seen as a perfect balance between office work, student contact and travel. Universities are also really good employers and a place for international/cross-cultural work.
What did you learn during your studies that you now use in your work?
Besides overall skills in writing, analysing and experience of the ins & outs of university set-ups, I connect knowledge from my Master's on a daily basis to my work. I am aware of students' motivations for travel and how this influences their behaviour. I am aware of the appeal of the landmarks and mass tourism places and I can efficiently inform my students about their travels. Mostly I use my own research in my Master's thesis about the influence of travel on self-developments and I can observe first-hand how my students develop themselves while being abroad.
How did you experience this programme at Radboud University?
I want to share that I was quite sad to fulfil my Master in Tourism & Culture during COVID19. I don't think I got everything out of my studies and the university because of the limitation of education online. However, the content of the courses and the enthusiasm of the professors still managed to feed my endless passion for the topics and made this study a great success. I learned so much about my own behaviour as a tourist as well as tourism in the world. The field of tourism is endless and has a lot of hidden gems itself, shocking and beautiful. If you have any affinity with the world and "travel", this study will speak to you.
What would you recommend to future students when they go to choose a study?
I would recommend to have a look at the job market first. Talk to people in the field, envision where you see yourself work, check out a career convention etc. And then also realise that there are so so so many different jobs in the world for which 90% of them are taught at work and not at university. I did not even know a job like mine existed until I stumbled upon it. Find a study that excites you to know more and a job that feeds your interests.