Meet Alex, graduate of Multimedia & Creative Technologies

Alex is currently studying an MSc Management of Technology at UBI Business School in Brussels.

Read this interview and find out:

• About Alex's decision to further his studies after KdG
• His personal development and the key skills he has acquired.
• What advice he can offer new students of Multimedia & Creative Technologies.

Alex, Tell us about your decision to continue studying.

During my last year at KdG, I started to really enjoy the entrepreneurial and business classes. I used to always prefer the technical projects much more, but this kind of changed along the way. After my graduation, I felt like it was too early for me to find a company and start working as a developer or designer.

During my bachelor project, I had to talk to a lot of experts, come up with new business ideas, do research. I loved it! It made me realise that I wanted to explore this more.

While I learned a lot at KdG, I wanted to dive deeper and switch from a technical to a more social approach. I’m still fascinated by technology, but my 3 years of MCT helped me become so much more confident in the way I interact with people, the way I present my ideas, the way I take charge during group projects. This is why I thought that a switch to a management degree with a focus on technology was the perfect fit for me.

How did you find the programme that you are now studying?

A Management of Technology or IT Management programme  is not as common as one would think, and the universities that do provide it often have restrictions. Some require a Master’s degree, others require at least 3 years of professional experience.

While browsing the web, I found my current school (UBI Business School). The Management of Technology programme is brand new and this is the first year that it is organised. The content of the programme perfectly matched all the things I was looking for, and the requirement was a Bachelor’s degree which allowed me to apply.

How was the transition from your Bachelor’s to a Master's?

It was surprisingly easy to adapt. Obviously there are a lot of new things that come at you all at once, but overall I managed quite well. Maybe the expectations are a little higher given that it is a Master’s degree, but I got used to the transition quickly.

There is definitely a difference in the way I have to work now. I loved the project based approach at KdG where you had to apply your technical skills and actually make something. Now it’s a lot more abstract. Learning about change management, ethics and responsibility in regards to businesses and taking a closer look at the soft skills needed for management positions is quite different.

I have to continuously write essays and make presentations. I had to get used to the academic writing and referencing, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. The programme is very international with people from all over the world, which was the same with MCT.

How did KdG prepare you for this next step?

KdG helped me a lot for this next step. I became much more confident during my 3 years at the school, and I managed to explore so many different things in order to understand what I want to do later in my life. The international environment also helped me to develop my social skills and to handle more complex situations.

What were the key skills that you developed as a KdG student?

Apart from the obvious technical skills that are taught during the programme, I improved my social skills a lot. Being in such an international environment with so many different nationalities and cultures is amazing, but comes with a set of challenges. People react and express themselves differently, and there is still a language barrier even though everyone speaks English. Being able to handle these situations and developing a sense of empathy in order to understand your peers is something you learn throughout your journey at KdG and is incredibly valuable.

How have you grown personally during your studies?

I’ve become a completely different person! I started my studies as a shy and scared person but completely changed over the course of these past years. I’ve become much more confident, started to engage and contribute much more in class, started taking the lead during group projects when I felt it was necessary and found the confidence again to present in front of people. There really is a big difference between the person I am now and the person I was 3 years ago.

Have there been key moments when you noticed a change?

I noticed these changes mostly during group projects and presentations. Especially the bachelor project, where there was a lot of stress, preparation and research involved. I needed to reach out to people, interview them, pitch and discuss ideas and of course present in front of a jury. The bachelor project really marked a significant milestone in my life and felt like the final piece of the puzzle that allowed me to feel much more confident and at ease.

Do you already have a career in mind?

Not yet. I feel like the direction I am going in is definitely the right one, but I don’t know exactly what I want to do. I would love to start my own business at some point, that would be my dream.

Three years ago I had no idea what I wanted to do. Last year I was convinced I wanted to work as a software developer, and today I’m studying management of technology! Things can change so quickly in this stage of a person’s life, so I just want to wait and see. I’m only in my 3rd month of my master’s, so I still have some time to figure things out.

What advice can you offer future MCT students?

Be curious! Keep on exploring the technologies that are taught, because it really is a unique opportunity to discover so many different things in such a short time. Some students might feel as if they are not “good enough” at something specific because the MCT programme chooses to give you a broad overview instead of going in-depth.

My new studies as well as my part-time job have shown me how incredibly useful it is to be a “jack of all trades”. There are so many instances where I am able to use the skills that I learned in order to make a quick design, make changes to a website, improve a presentation, edit a video. Being able to do so many different things is a fantastic advantage and will help you no matter where you end up.

Curiosity and creativity are at the core of MCT and will tremendously help you during this programme as well as anything you do in the future.