When I graduated with an MSc in European Union Politics (now MSc Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe) from the LSE European Institute (EI), I found myself without a plan for the first time since leaving high school. This state was intentional, comfortable, and simultaneously scary.
I grew up in the middle of nowhere in a rather pro-European member state and have lived in several EU member states with various degrees of European integration. During my school years, I focused on history to understand the origins of the current state of the world and moved on to political science to comprehend political processes and societal issues of today.
When I joined LSE, I was already familiar with the challenges of the European project. However, it was at the EI where I truly developed an appreciation for European integration processes and politics through discussions and collaborations with a diverse European study body and faculty. Bizarrely, it was during the year of the Brexit referendum and people would often ask me repeatedly, if it made sense to study EU politics in the UK. It did then, and it certainly still does.
After giving considerable thought to analysing global problems, I embraced idleness to reflect on my next steps. Before getting bored, I was swiftly propelled out of this state. Rather coincidentally, I started working in a public-funded consultancy for EU research funding, something I would have never imagined myself doing.
However, my journey into the job market quickly led me to a fulfilling career, where people work on tackling today’s societal challenges and driving tomorrow’s innovations. Immersing myself in the research and innovation community has been an absolute joy, as I collaborate with resourceful, creative individuals, and support them in any way possible. Now, I hold the position of Senior Policy Advisor for Environment and Energy in the EU Office of one of the largest applied research organisations globally, striving to amplify the voices of researchers and innovators heard in the Brussels bubble. When people ask about my profession, it can sometimes be difficult to make them understand, and I will not attempt to explain it here. The bottom line is that I’ve found a career, which does not allow me to make any predictions of the future, but which combines science and politics, led to a new research field (Science and Technology Studies, in which I’m currently a doctoral candidate), and feels sometimes like the doors are open to everywhere.
The research bubble in Brussels is a complex realm, but if my time at the EI taught me anything, it is the appreciation for diverse perspectives, valid arguments, and solid compromises. Add a spark of decency, much more humanity and boundless curiosity and the EI is the best preparation for working in the European Union.
