Erika Damayanti Simanjuntak studies MSc Innovation and Industrial Management
Erika Damayanti Simanjuntak is from Bandung, Indonesia. Today she is studying her first year at the MSc programme in Innovation and Industrial Management at the School of Business, Economics and Law.
Erika worked as Finance and Treasury in the biggest real estate developer in Bandung for 7 years. At that time, she felt that her knowledge was limited to her job scope and wanted to develop and deepen her skills and knowledge. After some research, she found MSc Innovation and Industrial Management and decided to apply. The choice of moving to Sweden was easy, “Sweden is the land of innovators and also very progressive in the sustainability area, which I am really interested in” says Erika.
For future students Erika shares three tips.
1. Make sure the programme you are interested in will give knowledge or skills you want. For example, I checked the syllabus for my program before applying. I also went through the university website to see what the university could offer me outside of the programme of my interest.
2. Check out the job market. For example, I found out that Volvo is located in Göteborg. This opens many doors for students who are interested in working for Volvo, for example you could write your thesis there. If you want to stay in Gothenburg after graduation, I think it is a good idea to scan the future job market to find out what possibilities you will meet when graduating.
3. Bring something that you cannot live without. For me, it is my laptop and skincare. I have experienced that Sweden is more expensive compared to Indonesia, but that does not mean you need to bring everything from your home country. Electronic is always more expensive, so bring your phone, laptop, tablet, portable speaker or power bank. However, anything else you can buy in Sweden, especially winter clothing. Sweden can be cold during the winter. If you are from a warm country like me, buy your winter clothing here.
