What knowledge and skills did you learn during your Master’s programme that are really useful to you now?
During this Master’s programme, I've learned how to view things critically and see multiple perspectives. Furthermore, I'm now able to do anthropological research independently and report my results.
What did you find most challenging in your Master’s programme? Did you encounter any obstacles?
Most challenging was choosing my research subject, because it feels like a very important decision. After all, you engage yourself in this topic for more than half a year, so you want it to be something you find really interesting. Second, the most challenging period of the Master’s was the last stage: writing the thesis. This stage consists of three months, in which you really have to motivate yourself daily to sit behind your computer and continue writing.
Could you say a little about the job you do now?
I'm currently thinking about what kind of job I would like to do. Ideally, I would like to work for an NGO that promotes environmental justice and fight climate change. I'm also very interested in agriculture and what a potential agricultural transition could look like, and of course, how this could be achieved.
What do you like about your profession and what makes working in your field so interesting and/or relevant?
What I really like about Anthropology and Development Studies, is that it is so diverse. You can apply it to any field to discover underlying issues or explore how this specific group of people gives meaning to their world. Therefore, the group of Master's students always has a wide variety of interests, which makes for interesting discussions and enriches your view of the world. Moreover, I feel like I can have a diverse career in which I can take on different roles and engage in multiple topics over the years.
Do you have any tips/suggestions for prospective students?
Begin thinking about possible topics for your thesis well before the start of your Master’s. I compiled a list of different topics which gave me something to fall back on at the start of the Master’s when I was trying to figure out which topic to focus on for the rest of the year.