Alumni interview: Moving abroad to start my professional career

The job market is in constant evolution and I think this is quite a recognisable trend at a global level: some countries might be more advanced in progressing than others, but I think globally we’re going towards a specific direction with a few key trends emerging. 

The first one is linked to new skills related to technology, the digital world and the environment. The new priorities for companies are linked to big data, e-commerce, cloud computing, and AI. Among the new roles that you might have seen – and that did not exist until a few years ago – we have big data scientists, cloud architects, machine learning specialists, digital transition specialists… a lot of new jobs that companies need to fill globally. 

At the same time, there’s the wide phenomenon of ‘green jobs’ connected to sustainability and environment, circular economy, and environmental marketing. New roles are specialised in this area, starting from lawyers and managers, all the way to engineers and finance experts. 

A second trend is that of the new competences required by companies: it’s not just about hard skills anymore, but also soft skills that go beyond the classical ones. Problem-solving, lateral thinking, critical thinking and other similar qualities are all things companies usually look for in candidates, often with attitudinal tests. 

Broadly speaking, I think the main objective is always the same, that’s finding one’s own place in the world: indeed it might be a tautology, but I think it’s essential to understand what sort of career one wants to start, what professions might be good ones for us, what one wants do to with his/her life. And often, people don’t really take the time they need to understand it properly. I think this is a long-term goal that is still valid for students nowadays. 

However, if the idea of understanding “who we want to be” is still universal, I believe there are some new ways to do that, compared to when I was studying. 

One the one hand, we have the world of entrepreneurship. One of my personal goals in the long run was to work for a multinational company: a big, stable, international place… but I don’t think it’s what students necessarily want today. Clearly there must be some students who want that, but there’s definitely a good part of students (with growing numbers in the recent years) who are looking for different environments, more entrepreneurial, modern, more flexible. 

Sometimes this means working for start-ups, other times it could be opening one’s own company, trying to affirm ourselves like entrepreneurs. I remember a few years ago we would joke about it with some friends: “Let’s open our own startups so we’ll become our own boss”… not many people I was talking to at the time managed to move forward with it, but those who did was definitely satisfied that they were able to create something of their own. 

On the other hand, there’s the whole values topic: personally speaking, at the time I was more focused on the sort of job and role I would have, rather than on the company values. I think more and more students now have it clear in mind what sector they want to work for, well aware of what company values are and of their Corporate Social Responsibility practices… and all this awareness totally impacts on the personal goals of students about their future career.  

I can mostly speak about my experience in the Nordic countries: every single exam there was linked to a real-life business case, where we should apply theory and turn it into a practical resolution of the case.  

Also, someone from the company was always available to talk, answer questions and help out in the most strategic and complex steps. It was an experience which personally gave me a proper understanding of how companies work while studying. 

Studying in those countries is also free for European citizens. True, the cost of living might be a bit higher compared to other countries, but it is worth it for the type of academic and personal experience one gets. Similarly, the cost of studying is comparatively accessible in Belgium and the Netherlands.  

Although the UK is more expensive, I think they also fall within the ‘groundbreaking’ definition as they offer degrees which weren’t available in Italy when I was studying, their universities have great partnerships with companies and the professional path is more flexible. I’ve met plenty of people who obtained a degree in a certain subject and ended up working in a different sector not necessarily related to the subject studied.     

Let’s try to recap on the key factors influencing your choice: 

• Costs: We often think the master’s abroad is more costly, combining life and university costs. This might be true for some countries, but it’s not necessarily true. Attending a master’s at a good university and surviving in Milan is almost as expensive as attending a university abroad. 

• Timing: In Italy for a MSc we usually have the typical two years, while in other countries abroad it might be down to one year. This is quite a competitive advantage for students, who focus on all courses and experience in a single year and who can then start working before. 

I think it’s also important to say that there are great ways to get some international experience without having to do a full master’s abroad. There are Erasmus/Overseas programs for a short experience, but also ‘double degrees’ where you do half your course in Italy and half abroad and you get a double diploma from two different universities. 

How can a master’s degree guarantee an upgrade to your professional profile?  

I think the world of university careers today has a sort of funnel structure: you start with something more generic during your bachelor’s, but then specialise during the master’s. 

I’ll give you my personal experience as a benchmark: I started studying business and economics generically, to then specialise in marketing. During this time, I got to know the many different facets of marketing, from product management to digital marketing, from analytics to market research and consumer psychology. I decided to make a career out of this last one!  

The point is that while there are some very specific bachelor’s, there are also plenty of options for the future that allow you to develop and acquire new competences that are essential for the professional world.