– My dream of getting a consulting job became a reality through a master's degree in business at UiS

I am studying for a master's degree in economics and administration at UiS because:

After graduating with a bachelor's degree, I wanted to learn more, and I realised that a master's degree in economics is often the entrance ticket to the most sought-after jobs. After conversations with both friends and a professor at the Business School, I found out that a master's degree at UiS will open doors and give me attractive opportunities. The University of Stavanger's proximity to the local business community and talented lecturers are other reasons why I chose a master's degree in economics at UiS.

I chose to specialise in finance because:

I like to understand how things are connected. In finance, one looks at the different aspects of a business to understand what are value drivers, bottlenecks and opportunities. The broad knowledge you must have to understand a company that you intend to analyse and the in-depth understanding of what creates value, was the reason why I chose finance.

This is what a typical day of study looks like for me:

Here the answer is quite different before and during COVID-19. Now I am sitting in my home office working to complete my master's thesis, and practically all communication takes place online. I used the campus a lot before the Covid pandemic, both the reading room to work as focused as possible, and the group rooms to work in teams. A little pro-tip here is to use the professors for what they are worth. They have a lot of valuable knowledge and can often help you understand ideas, concepts and formulas in a good way, if you did not understand it in the lecture. By working on campus, you have the opportunity to pop into their office and ask for help.

Tell us about something you remember particularly well from your studies.

I would have to say my contact with businesses. UiS has recently started an internship scheme, where I was lucky enough to be in the first batch. I got to work with portfolio management in Validé's investment department, as well as meet many exciting and high-profile investors and start-ups. After the internship, I also got to work part-time at Validé alongside my studies.

I also took a course in Supply chain management, where we visited several of the major players in the energy industry in the region, both in renewables and in oil and gas. Half of the students came from an MBA program at the Wisconsin School of Business, most of whom were from India and China, and the other half were UiS students. Working with talented students from other backgrounds, and who also had several years of work experience, was an eye-opener that gave me a very large learning benefit, both academically and personally.

The study environment at the programme can be described as follows:

A good sense of community and a climate of cooperation between the students. Good student organizations that promote both the social and the academic aspects. Easy to get to know new people through both the Fadderuken, teamwork in many courses and the student societies.

This is my dream job:

For a long time I have wanted to work as a consultant and to tackle the challenges facing the business community. This winter I was lucky enough to land a job as a consultant within Business Analytics at BDO in Stavanger. My dream of getting a consulting job became a reality through a master's degree in economics at UiS.