For many students, graduation is a wonderful moment filled with pride and a real sense of achievement. Unfortunately, for some, there are also other feelings present, such as uncertainty and anxiety about the future. It is therefore important that during your studies you already look ahead to the future. What would you like to do after graduation and which steps do you need to take to get there?

This academic year, Erasmus School of Economics launched its Careers Skills Programme. This programme is obligatory for all Bachelor students at our school. With this programme we hope to stimulate students to start thinking about their future and to prepare themselves well for it. One of the goals also is to acquaint students with the excellent career activities that our study associations offer. As dean, I fully endorse the value and importance of these activities. Your studies are an excellent time to get to know different companies, to get a feel for how it is to work there, and to build your network. Attending the Erasmus Recruitment Days and similar events can help make sure that your first full-time job is a job that you love.

As an Erasmus School of Economics graduate you can pride yourself in having excellent knowledge and skills in your preferred economic or econometric field. These are highly valued by many organizations. However, it is important to develop skills in other fields as well. For example, communication or leadership skills, but also very practical skills, such as making a CV or writing business e-mails. The Career Skills programme provides a starting point for this but make sure to explore other opportunities as well. Some things you can only learn in practice, so an internship is also a very valuable experience. Why not check out the https://erasmusrecruitment.nl/ platform today to see if there are any internship opportunities offered that appeal to you?

To conclude, I would like to encourage you to start thinking about and preparing for your future career early on. A graduation is best enjoyed with a bright and certain future ahead!

Prof. dr. Patrick Groenen, Dean Erasmus School of Economics