Nguyen Nguyen is in her second year of Laurea's Business Information Technology degree programme. Nguyen enjoys a challenge both in studies and at work, and she is working in an international listed company during her studies. The degree programme was a jump into the unknown for her, as the technology sector was not previously familiar to her.

- I chose this program because it was something completely new for me, Nguyen says.

Nguyen's studies are entirely online. She feels that online studies enable flexibility and independence.

- The most interesting part of my studies has been web development, where I can build my own website from scratch. I haven't done anything like that before, so it feels like a challenge has been accomplished, Nguyen says.

“International students are already brave enough to go to a new country to study”

Nguyen is currently working full-time as a junior system specialist at Nord Pool in addition to her studies. Like in her studies, Nguyen is interested in continuous learning.

- We focus on the electrical energy trading in Europe which is honestly something I haven’t heard of before. So everyday there’s something new to learn and that fascinates me, Nguyen says.
- I get to work in different environments and meet people around the world.

Nguyen's job is international and the working language is English. The team has many different nationalities. Nguyen would like to emphasise to other companies the potential of international students as employees:

- International students are already brave enough to study in a new country. This means that they are willing to be challenged and they can adapt to a new environment.

Opportunities can be found in smaller companies

When Nguyen sent her application to the company, she was still a first-year student with almost no experience. She encourages other international students not to be afraid of contacting interesting companies, as the application process and interview alone can be valuable experience.

- Don’t think you're not good enough. If you get all the way to the end, that will be great. But if you get to the first or second round, you still get a chance to learn, Nguyen explains.

For students looking for an internship or job, Nguyen has another tip:

- Look further than the large organisations. I have been talking to a few international students recently, and I feel that when looking for a job, they often focus only on the large companies. Smaller companies and start-ups offer a lot of chances to learn and grow professionally.

Watch Nguyen's video interview below: