By Ellen Holm Tambjerg, Outreach, AAU Energy

What do you do here at AAU Energy and what did you do before?

I am currently in the first semester of my master’s degree in Electrical Power Systems and High Voltage Engineering here at AAU Energy in Aalborg. Before that, I was working as an electrician for 2 years after I completed my apprenticeship. I then decided to do the foundation course for engineering at AAU Energy in Esbjerg, where I also did the first four semesters of my bachelor, before I moved to Aalborg to complete my bachelor and begin my master’s.

 

What were your plans and have you ended up where you thought you would?

When I started my apprenticeship as an electrician, my intentions were to work in the field for the rest of my working life. Since I come from a family without any academics, the choice of becoming an electrician was natural and easy. I enjoyed the work, but during my apprenticeship, I found myself on the search for different challenges, and I just wanted to try something new. As a result of that, I looked into the opportunity of additional studies and found the foundation course at AAU Energy.

 

How was the transition from working as an electrician to studying?

The transition was radical and, in some ways, difficult. I was working with some aspects of what we learn here at AAU Energy, but in a very different way. As an electrician, you just have to make things work and use the theory in practice, while everything we do here has to be justified, thoroughly examined, and documented. On top of that, I had to get used to life as a student and not making as much money as before, but I adapted to that quite quickly.

The foundation course was a great time for me, where I met many other students with the same background, qualifications, and challenges as myself. It was also quite tough, and I had to learn a lot in a short period of time. This was both challenging and exciting, but at the end of it, I gained all of the knowledge and qualifications necessary to start my bachelor’s degree. It especially helped that the other students were in the same position as me, and that many of us also started the bachelor together.

 

Does your background have any advantages or disadvantages in your study life?

I feel like my background provides me with an insight into the practical use of the theory we learn here, and I am able to relate it to how it works in real life in a different way than most of my fellow students. I don’t feel like I am lacking anything compared to the other students, since I gained all of the necessary knowledge at the foundation course, but we definitely complement each other well with our different backgrounds.

 

What is the biggest difference between your life then and now?

It has been a while since I began studying, and I have over time adapted to everyday life at the university. In the laboratories, it sometimes becomes obvious that I have experience with the tools in a way that the others don’t, but the differences have become smaller over the course of our studies. It was also a transition to move from Esbjerg to Aalborg, and especially to begin here at 5th semester, where everyone else knew each other. But now I have gotten to know them as well.

 

Would you recommend taking a different route to others?

For me, this career path has definitely been the right decision and I have never regretted it at all. I would also recommend it to others, especially to follow the urge to do something different if you think you lack challenges.

 

What are your plans for the future?

When I finish my master’s degree, I hope to work at a company such as Energinet or Ørsted. I want to get back into reality and combine my experience from both my studies and my previous work life. I imagine that my background as an electrician is going to be an advantage in my job hunt. It is at least a little different than that of most graduates from AAU Energy, and it was just the right way for me.