How did you come to study in the UK?

For high school I did the International Baccalaureate in Denmark and knew I wanted to go to the UK, but there was little to no guidance around how to do that. My career advisor at the time told me to Google it and eventually found my way to UCAS to start filtering through the possible university options. I went to Study Abroad Fairs and brought home all the course catalogues. I was the first to go to university in my family, so navigating the process was a challenge.

I chose Leeds Beckett because I liked the range and diversity of courses, and they had one of the better websites to browse too. The way we choose courses in Denmark is by selecting the three we most want to do and order them with our highest preference at the top, hoping to have our first choice accepted.

In the UK, I've learned that you apply to five similar courses at different universities. I didn't know that. So, I narrowed down my choice of university to Leeds Beckett and applied to five courses there instead. I got into all of them as far as I remember, but all the course leaders wrote a note about me seeming a little confused, but that was how I ultimately chose International Relations and Peace Studies.

Did you choose International Relations and Peace Studies with a career path in mind?

I don't think I ever really knew what I wanted to become when I was growing up. I didn't have a lot of direction from my home life either, although my parents have done relatively well.

I knew I wanted to learn, I knew I wanted to work in something that could contribute to making the world a better place, and International Relations and Peace Studies seemed like a good place to start.

My interest has always been strong towards the environment. Academically, that was later expressed in research around political ecology and auto-dependence during my master's in Political Economy of European Integration at the Berlin University of Economics and Law (HWR). I wanted to aim for the NGO, non-profit, research foundation areas of work, but the reality of going out and applying for them was brutal. I sent out 100s of application before doing my masters with no success.

On completing my masters, the economy had taken a nose-dive after the COVID-19 boom, and I had to re-evaluate my options and career ambitions. I worked at various start-ups. All the jobs and gigs I got, I had gotten through networking and, in particular, my mother's network. My mum moved to Berlin a few years before me and had established herself in the Berlin start-up HR-tech scene, which was very lucky for me.

While looking for permanent work I ended up sending over 635 applications, while working freelance for a leadership development start-up, Leader Labs, and doing bike tours of Berlin. In the autumn of 2023, I decided I didn't want to send anymore applications, as it clearly wasn't working, so I started to go all in on networking instead. I went to 3-4 events a week for three months.

It was inspiring. I went to lectures, embassy events from all different countries, and at the end, I started planning my own event - a workshop tour. The idea of the workshop tour is like a normal city walking tour, but with a workshop element in between the stops. To prepare for the first one, I connected with around 200 people in leadership positions on LinkedIn, who worked for companies I was interested in. I A/B tested the messages I sent to optimise my response rate and at the end of it, had a very successful first workshop. I had gained an interview lined up with an energy company who specialised in solar panels. This was the moment that I had faith to believe in myself again.

It took a long time though, with a lot of trial and error before I found what I was good at, what I like doing, and a way to make a living from it.

What benefits did you receive from your course that led to experience in your chosen area of work?

I was very active with the Students' Union. I ran in the SU elections for the VP Education role and although I didn't win, I learned a lot from the experience. I was the Event Coordinator of several societies (PIR, International) and started the Rotaract society both at Beckett and the wider Leeds branch. I even got to meet the Lord Major while working with he's charity through my connection with Rotary.

I also worked as a Marketing Ambassador, Course Ambassador, and International Ambassador (and later lead International Ambassador), and this early experience really taught me about some of my strengths. I learned how important storytelling and confidence is in the way I present myself and it really started my interest in leadership.

Modules like the Political Economy of the Global South with Tom Purcell and Decolonising Development with Tom Houseman, were foundational and life changing in shaping my ideological world view. The knowledge I got from these modules has definitely guided my later choices. It is worth mentioning though that neither of those modules were on my official course and I couldn't get them accredited unless I paid double for them. So, I unofficially audited them because I like learning.

The research methods module which I had with Tom Houseman, gave me some great training in reading and understanding the underlying structures and understanding to the world, which helped me navigate some difficult situations and led me to saying no to seemingly good opportunities but avoiding what I believe to be toxic environments.

The module Politics of Human Rights with Robin Redhead, was amazing. It gave me an introduction into what work in a human rights organisation could look like. I watched Robin support one of my course mates to bring her product to final assignment and into real-world use at an organisation that protects children. It made what we were learning more real to me and not just theoretical.

I also took advantage of the Language for All offering that Beckett did at the time. In my first year, I took Arabic because I thought it was fitting to my International Relations and Peace Studies, and still think the writing is beautiful. In my third year, I took German which was an interesting experience as I'd previously learned German in the Danish school system.

How has Beckett Careers helped support you to be ready for the workplace?

While I was at university, I used the Job Shop quite a lot and I had several long term and short term jobs through them. At one point, I was a research translator and content moderator for Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish.

I didn't have much contact with Beckett Careers. It was only through a job preparation seminar where they took us through how to shape our CVs.

What does the future look like for you now?

It's taken five years for me to get to where I am, but now on a leadership track to support my family and build upon my career in Germany. I've learned how to play to my strengths and how to articulate them in the job market.

I'm here today due to the immense support from my family, in particular my mother who had established a network in Berlin and let me get a foot in the door. I probably couldn’t have done it by myself. I am fortunate enough to have financial security, either through the Danish government funding my living expenses while studying, my amazing husband, and also the German government when we both found ourselves out of work. I'm pleased to say the future is looking bright.

What would your top tips be for someone improving their employability for a future job now?

1. Learn a language: It might just be for me, but I always advocate for learning a language. Being multilingual has opened doors for me professionally. Language skills are not only valuable in international roles - they also show adaptability and cultural awareness. I'm Danish, and I've lived in Denmark, England, and now Germany, where I do all of my work in German. I had to overcome my own insecurity and just start speaking and learning along the way. That process was uncomfortable at times, but it has opened so many doors for me - professionally and personally
2. Get involved beyond the classroom: Some of the most valuable experiences came from my involvement with societies, the SU, and Rotary. Running for VP Education, coordinating events, and founding Rotaract gave me leadership experience and a network that helped me later in life
3. Learn to navigate setbacks: I didn't win the SU election and still had to send out hundreds of applications even after completing my master's. These experiences though, taught me resilience and how to refine my approach
4. Seek out learning opportunities, even unofficial ones: Modules like Political Economy of the Global South and Decolonising Development shaped my worldview, even though I couldn't get credit for them. If you're passionate about a topic, pursue it anyway - it will pay off in unexpected ways
5. Use university resources strategically: The Job Shop helped me find work as a translator and moderator, which gave me real-world experience and income. Even if you don't use every service, find the ones that work for you
6. And finally, play to your strengths and learn to articulate them: It took me years to figure out how to present myself in the job market. Once I did, I built a career in Germany and now support my family. Self-awareness and communication are key