What do you do at work?

I am doing my doctorate; it is part of the COMPLEX project which studies the effect of secondary EU law into national laws.

What do you like best about your job?

The flexibility, the never-ending acquisition of knowledge, my colleagues. The work is very enriching and allows me to understand better research and academia in general.

How did you get this job, and how is your career journey after graduating?

I applied to the job offer soon after graduation, I got the job in September, so only about 2/3 months after finishing the master’s degree at NTNU.

How do you use your skills learned from your studies in your job?

This master’s degree taught me a lot, I had excellent professors, and especially Lise Rye that was my thesis supervisor. This master has taught me practical things like how to do a policy analysis and as well as how to improve my research and writing skills.

What is your best career advice for current students?

To think about it early on, what would you like to do, in what sector and start to adapt your learning towards it, same for your internship and try to create your network of people.

What do you do at work?

Education and dialogue work. I teach youth about topics like dialogue, democracy, racism, and freedom of speech. My employer offers this kind of education to all schools in our region in Norway. In addition, I give some lectures every year at our sister institution, on the Nansen Academy, lectures on EU-related topics. Among these are 'the EU as a peace project', 'European identity', 'EU institutions and the European Parliament', with the last being the topic of my master's thesis.

What do you like best about your job?

I enjoy both the teaching part, but also working a place where I regularly can discuss and have dialogue with students about what is going on in the world.

How did you get this job, and how is your career journey after graduating?

During the European Studies masters course, I had two trainee positions. One for the Norwegian Embassy in Sarajevo and one for a Danish parliamentarian in the European Parliament, located in both Brussels and Strasbourg. Both of these were the main experiences I used to get my current job.

How do you use your skills learned from your studies in your job?

Firstly, I use my knowledge about the EU when having lectures on that topic. Important here is also having learned the skill to stay updated on the topic even after my studies. I also use my knowledge of international politics and history when teaching youth. Having that knowledge as a foundation, makes it easier for me to ask the right questions and to teach in the best possible way.

Did you have part-time paid jobs or voluntary jobs during your studies that are relevant to your job today?

I had one year in the Student Parliament at NTNU, that I have used in applications when knowledge of administration or political systems has been relevant. In addition I worked in the Student Media at Samfundet. Other than that, it is really my two trainee positions that has helped me the most. Those were not voluntary, but paid positions. But I should add that I got those trainee positions by first having done volunteer work, which I used in my applications for trainee positions.

What is your best career advice for current students?

Try to get an internship or two! To get those, having done some volunteering in organisations of some sort, helps a lot. But the experiences as a trainee have been more important in applications and interviews than what I actually studied. I had to postpone the writing of my master's thesis due to having two 6-month long internships, but that was well worth it. Not only for the work experience, but also to experience a different place, job, and culture.

What do you do at work?

I primarily work on coordinating Norwegian participation in the EU's Digital Europe Programme. In addition to this, I closely follow the EU's work on digitalisation. This is an area that has significant impact on Norway through the EEA Agreement.

What do you like best about your job?

What I like most about working at the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency, is the organization's societal mission: To serve as the government's foremost instrument for expediting and harmonizing the digitalisation of the Norwegian society. Working with EU matters in such a context is very motivating. The Union's ever-increasing focus on digitalisation brings great opportunities for Norway, while also presenting new challenges and dilemmas. In my opinion, this means that it is more important than ever to closely monitor what is happening in the EU in the field of digitalisation.

How did you get this job, and how is your career journey after graduating?

It is impossible to pinpoint a single answer to this question. What I can say is that my academic background and EU expertise were highly relevant. Additionally, I have international experience. During my studies, I worked as a trainee at the Norwegian Embassy in Prague, and later as a trainee at the Mid-Norway European Office in Brussels. I have also attended school in Spain. After finishing my master's, I worked for the Norwegian Atlantic Committee for a couple of years.

How do you use your skills learned from your studies in your job?

First and foremost, it is the analytical skills gained through a master's degree that I find most useful in my daily work. Being a social scientist makes you very versatile and useful in many different ways. Secondly, I would like to highlight that having in-depth knowledge of the EU, its history and political system, and especially Norway's relationship to the EU, is a great advantage.

Did you have part-time paid jobs or voluntary jobs during your studies that are relevant to your job today?
Did this experience help you in the job-seeking process?

Besides working abroad during my time as a student, I was also engaged voluntarily in various student organizations. I would particularly highlight my time as the leader of the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA) Trondheim. Throughout this period, I learned a lot, got friends for life, and gained valuable work experience. I am convinced that employers appreciate candidates that have been volunteering alongside their studies. Being a student while also engaging in voluntary activities demonstrates a candidate's work capacity. In this way, a candidate can stand out from a pool of applications.

What is your best career advice for current students?

To current students, I would like to offer three tips:

1) Always follow your interests. It is important to study something you find enjoyable. I have always been passionate about politics, society, languages and history, so European Studies was a "perfect match" for me.

2) Get involved in volunteer work and seek work experience. I do not think having top grades and an empty CV is necessarily an advantage when applying for jobs after graduation. As a student, there are many opportunities to gain valuable experience alongside your studies - do not miss out on them!

3) Lastly, I want to emphasize that there is a huge demand for EU expertise in Norway. Therefore, my final tip is: Stay determined through your studies and do not lose hope when things get though (I know how it feels!). Your skills will be needed!

What do you do at work?

I work for the Norwegian student welfare organisations (studentsamakipnadene) towards the government and parliament. My job consists of political analysis, developing political strategies, preparing board members for meetings, and lobby activity towards the Norwegian parliament and government.

What do you like best about your job?

I had a very active student life at NTNU, where I was engaged in lots of different activities and organisations. Now I get to work towards bettering the terms of student welfare nationally, which is something I am genuinely concerned with. My job is varied, and I get a lot of responsibility which challenges me, and I learn something new daily.

How did you get this job, and how is your career journey after graduating?

I applied for the job after I graduated, and I got a vacancy first, but was promoted to political advisor within 5 months. I have had this job since I graduated.

How do you use your skills learned from your studies in your job?

I use what I’ve learnt about political analysis and even though I am working on a national level instead of a European level, it has helped a lot to be able to navigate the political landscape and understand political structures and institutions. Especially the knowledge I have on political communication and analysis of elections has come in handy in my job.

Did you have part-time paid jobs or voluntary jobs during your studies that are relevant to your job today? Did this experience help you in the job-seeking process?

Yes, I had both part time jobs, internships, and volunteer work during my 5 years as a student at NTNU. Especially my experience with working politically for NTNUI and being a part of the student democracy helped me land this job. The references I had from both volunteer work and the internship were also valuable in the job seeking process.

What is your best career advice for current students?

Do not only focus on your studies. Find volunteer work that excites you and gives you a network that you can bring with you after your studies. And if you are studying European studies master you should use the opportunity to do an internship during your second term.