The career opportunities made Maja choose software engineering
Maja is a second-year student at the international bachelor's programme Software Engineering and Management. It was the combination of programming and management that made her apply for the programme.
– I am driven by working in projects and at the same time being creative. At the programme, we always have two courses in parallel, where one is about programming and the other about management. This gives you a very good understanding of the background to what you are going to program.
Maja was born and raised in the Gothenburg area. Her interest in engineering began to grow in high school, where she studied science and became increasingly interested in mathematics.
– I started studying civil engineering in Halmstad but didn’t really like it. When it was time to apply to something new, I actually chose between Software Engineering and Management and becoming a police officer. I was a little lost.
It was the exciting engineering world that helped her decide.
– I chose Software Engineering and Management for various reasons, including the starting salary but also the variability that the engineering world entails. The software engineering industry has a massive development curve even after the training, which may not exist in the same way within the police force.
Creative, developing and challenging
In the software engineering and management programme, theoretical knowledge and methodology are combined with practical skills. It is one of few international bachelor's programmes in Sweden, which over the years has had applicants from over 90 countries. According to Maja, the international character is a clear advantage.
– It is great fun to study with people from all over the world, you learn so much about other cultures. Everyone in my class has a different background.
Maja does not see studying in a language other than her mother tongue as a problem.
– I worked abroad after high school and English therefore comes naturally to me. Since much of programming is in English, including course literature, it's just nice that the lessons are in English, too.
The programme shattered her prejudices
There are a lot of prejudices about the engineering industry that make many, especially girls, withdraw from applying. For Maja, these prejudices were shattered all at once.
– Before the first day, I remember that I was nervous. Partly because it is a fairly male-dominated industry, partly because I had prejudices about people who study software engineering. But I was pleasantly surprised, all my classmates are so wonderful!
She continues:
– I think that many people have a stereotypical view of those who work in this industry. I think these stereotypes makes many, especially girls, reluctant to apply. I applied even though I had these prejudices, and I’m glad I did because it’s nothing like that. If you are open-minded enough to be able to change your opinion, it is no problem to start studying software engineering.
Do you have any study tips for students who have just started?
• Go to the lectures!
• Ask questions. If you have a question, 10 others are probably wondering the same thing.
• Find your way to learn. Some learn by painting, others by taking notes. Find a way to remember.
