Essential skills for any work situation
He has built several valuable competences during his studies, proven to be useful to manage his projects at work proficiently. Different types of examinations taught him to be confident in writing professional reports, team work, and delivering quality speeches with a presentation.
“The way certain courses are designed, it helps you as a student to build different skills like working in groups, time management and also planning the whole project or assignments which I can relate to my current job were the time plan is very important and helps you provide a rough estimate of the work that needs to be completed.”
Some courses were particularly relevant to prepare for a professional career, with assignments designed to simulate future work tasks.
“I would like to point out courses like six-sigma, logistics in supply chain, logistics networks and transport, GIS and Positioning systems which had very practical project work and assignments which helped to get your head around real-life situations and real problems that you could work on during an employment.”
The whole education setup in Sweden was different from his experiences in India. Rohit mentions the resources offered to students; the library which he found very accessible, study rooms available for students to book for private study sessions, and laboratories and computer rooms which are always maintained and available.
“I would like to mention how professors and teaching assistance was always available and I have never gotten a “no” in any circumstance.”
Stunning nature and international environment
Coming from a city of over 6 million people, Norrköping was initially a bit of a shock. But Rohit soon learned to appreciate the smaller city with its walking trails along the stream, or sitting outside Campus on a wooden decking to study or chill. And if you like nature, Sweden is the country to be in, according to Rohit. He appreciated LiU being an international environment that not only lets students learn about Swedish culture but meet people and future colleagues from all over the world. Besides studying, he participated in all sorts of activities to meet new friends, from parties and theme events to a trip to Lapland in northern Sweden.
“Certain words that can describe my life outside of academics would be sociable, travelling, learning new cultures, learning new etiquette, unbreakable friendships, sweet memories, making new families. In fact I plan to visit Ireland to meet a friend and his family for Christmas, they have been kind enough to invite me and let me be part of their celebration.”
Finally, Rohit's advice to someone who wants to study and stay on to work in Sweden, is to try and learn some Swedish while studying – with help from your new Swedish friends (and you may have to force them, as Swedes like to practice their English when given the chance). While most people in Sweden speak good English and the programme is given completely in English, if you want to stay in Sweden it is a good tactic to learn some basic conversation skills in Swedish to impress and increase your chances with potential employers, says Rohit.