What if you want the experience of the Western educational system but you’re so in love with Bucharest that you don’t really want to leave? Is there a solution?
It’s the exact situation Livia Florea was in after graduating Politehnica University with a degree in Computer Science. She wanted to develop her management skills and try the European experience, but at the same time she was (and still is) involved in the Bucharest community and she didn’t want to pause her projects.
The answer for all her requirements was the MSM Master in Management program! We talked to Livia about her experience and she has quite a story. Check it out:
Tell us a bit about your bachelor. Why did you choose to go for a Master program after it?
I have studied Electrical Engineering with a specialty in Computer Science at Politehnica University of Bucharest and I wanted to continue my studies because I consider a bachelor degree is not enough for the job market now. Also for this reason, I wanted to finish my bachelor degree with experience, thus for the whole 4 years of my bachelor I was continuously involved in different NGOs and other extra-curricular activities.
Livia and her Bachelor thesis, a smart dress with lights controlled by a fitbit app
How did you decide for MsM Master in Management program? Did you change your area after the bachelor? Why?
Because of all my extra-curricular activities I discovered that management skills are extremely important nowadays in any job, but especially if you aim for any management position. With this in mind, I was looking for a master in management program abroad, because I wanted to experience the western educational system.
I am a person that is extremely involved in the community in Bucharest, this being the only reason why I would’ve continued my studies in Romania. When I found out that MSM Romania offers all my 3 wishes together, namely a master in management program with the western educational approach that is happening in Bucharest, I did not wait a second before applying.
What expectations did you have before starting the program? Were those expectations met?
I started this master thinking I will learn how to approach managing people and a department/company, and I finished this master knowing a lot more than this, starting with knowledge, people, experiences. This was a highly transformational year both for me and my career.
How do you feel about the curriculum? Does it cover all your needs?
The curriculum covers all my needs and much more. At MSM Romania it is not only about what you learn, it’s also how you learn it and by who it is taught. The teachers are professionals and all of them have amazing presentation and communication skills, which makes it so easy to learn from them.
The study materials are very well written and easy and we had access to different libraries with very useful books and articles. The approach is always hands-on in order to understand how to use all you learn in practice. Also, when working on the assignments, I never felt I was doing work in vain, I saw how it really helps me.
How did you find your time in The Netherlands?
The time in Maastricht was amazing, the city is like a slightly bigger Sighisoara, it has amazing architecture, the people are great, the city center is full of terraces and pubs and they have very nice places for partying at night. The Maastricht Carnaval was something I have never experienced before, the whole city was dressed up for 5 days, all the people on the street were costumed and at night the streets were full of people who were partying. It was like they had UNTOLD in the whole city for 5 days in a row.
Livia, center, with her colleagues in Maastricht
How about the internships? Did you find them useful? What did you like most and least about them?
I really loved the internships, they were useful and fun and I felt I really helped the projects we were assigned on. What I liked the most is also what I liked the least, namely that most of the time we were let to work in the group on the problem and we did not engage so much with the owners.
What are your plans now that you graduated?
This year was an accelerated curve for learning both when talking about hard and soft skills. During this year I founded an NGO named buchARTest which is trying to color and transform Bucharest in BuchARTest by doing works of mural art in the city and this is one of the things I will do after graduation. I want to go on an entrepreneurial way as much as I want to work in a management position within an organisation. I hope that after the graduation I will know exactly what I want to do and I can state with my whole heart that this master in management gave me a path and a way of thinking that will help no matter what my choice will be.
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The next intake of Master in Management starts in October 2020. Find out more about the program here.