Oscar Söderlund studies MSc Knowledge-based Entrepreneurship
Oscar Söderlund comes from Gothenburg and is a first year student in the Master’s programme in Knowledge-based Entrepreneurship. He did his Bachelor’s degree at the Barney Barnett School of Business & Free Enterprise at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida (USA).
Why did you choose the MSc KBE program?
-I am always on the lookout for new challenges and problems to solve and I have a passion for creation and development. For me to be able to grow and develop myself even further I was looking for a program that could give me the knowledge of how to apply this passion in the business life. I applied for the KBE program because I believe it can provide me with the knowledge of how to create, transform, and develop businesses.
What was your expectations for the program?
-My expectations of the program were that it would put me into an environment with like-minded students and professors, people whose passion is to create and develop businesses. To be an entrepreneur is to many people vague and hard to define, to me an entrepreneur is a person who solves a problem and creates opportunities that society or an individual business is not yet aware of. I am in the o program to become a knowledgeable entrepreneur that transforms and develops businesses, and that is what I expect of this program.
Is there anything in particular that you are looking forward to within the program?
-We just started one course where we work with external idea providers to help them and GU ventures evaluate an entrepreneurial idea. I am eager and optimistic about what we can achieve during the coming 12 months working with this idea jointly with GU Ventures and developing it into a potential global business. What is worth to point out is that we get to do this while still being in a learning environment, where we learn about new methods and concepts that we can directly apply to the project that we work on.
What is the hardest with the program?
-You have to stay on track with the reading material and concepts/methods that are discussed and presented in class. Majority of the classes this far have not an actual course book but we are instead assigned numerous academic articles to read and understand. For me coming from education in the US this was a complete change, but 6 months in to the program I have adjusted, and now I am confident that it is a better framework for us students to learn from.
What do you think about the teachers?
-Knowledgeable, interested, and passionate. I think that those three words sums up the professors we have had up until now very good. Our program coordinator Rick Middel and senior lecturer Erik Gustafsson are the two lecturers we have been exposed to the most in the past 6 months and they are great. All the professors and quest appearances we have been introduced to have all been great and I think that is one competitive advantage of Handels.
What will you do in the future?
-I want to inspire people and companies to reach their ultimate potential. Since I am passionate about creating and developing businesses my first goal is to be a management consultant so that I can build connections and learn as much as possible about the tech industry, while helping companies grow. From that, I want to branch out onto new opportunities and further develop my cause to inspire.
What do you think about the job opportunities?
-I think we as entrepreneurs graduating from Handels in Gothenburg have a competitive advantage over other institutions. By having a degree as an entrepreneur with knowledge about various managerial tasks I think we as students are particularly interesting for recruiters because we are adaptable and solution oriented. As long as we students perform well and deliver results I think that the future for all of us are good.
What do you like the most about the school?
-The motived students, teachers and the daily encouragement to become the best of our ability. The University of Gothenburg is a great resource for us as students to absorb knowledge from.
What makes Gothenburg and Sweden a great place to study?
-There are many students with unique backgrounds and students from all over the world that studies at Handels. For students there are various activities and organizations to participate in and Gothenburg is a city that enables every person to find something that interests them. Sweden is a country with high level of intercultural communication which makes the transition into the society easy. I personally think Sweden is a great place for international students to study in just because of our values and degree of openness. Also, Gothenburg is a great place for startups.
Any tips for future students?
-I would encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone, the University of Gothenburg is a place with high level of credibility and unique opportunities are created here.