What did you do before you started studying the Master’s programme in Strategic Communication?

I worked as a Project Manager (Marketing) for a business-to-business (B2B) learning & technology company in India. I worked hands-on in creating go-to-market strategies and executing marketing communication activities and tech projects for both Fortune 500 clients and our own internal corporate brand. Breaking down complex concepts into bite-sized simplified content, executing drip email campaigns, arranging educational webinars for prospects, handling social media accounts and writing SEO focused content (such as blog posts, articles, white papers) on behalf of the leadership team was part of my job role. Since this was a tight knit, fast growing company, I had an opportunity to work in a dual and broad role both from a project managerial and marketing capacity. Due to my diligence, I received the opportunity to be the single point of contact for all marketing initiatives.

What was the best thing about the programme?

I am probably biased when I say this but I had the most fun while learning about crisis communication, quantitative methods and the philosophy of social sciences. This is because we had actual organization crisis simulations as part of the course and sessions with crisis experts from the industry. I thoroughly enjoyed quantitative methods as I have always had a knack for numbers and this course allowed me to explore it further alongside statistical lab work and analysis. The philosophy of social science course pleasantly surprised me. I have had a very objective way of thinking due to my engineering background. But, with the help of this course, I opened my mind to the subjective way of thinking and how people perceive things so much more differently that cannot usually be captured with an objective mindset.

But, the best thing about the programme was that I had classmates from over 20 countries. This helped me understand global perspectives through intercultural settings within the classroom, thereby giving me access to an international network that I could count on further down my career path.

What do you currently work with?

I am currently working as a Performance Marketer in a telecommunications company where I am responsible for driving all online acquisition marketing channels. This involves managing the strategyand execution of all paid digital marketing channels such as Google Ads, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. to help acquire new customers. My work requires a good understanding of data and sound quantitative methods to drive optimization efforts for digital campaigns. It also involves brand and organization communication knowledge to ensure that we not only have the same messaging but also are able to reflect the voice of the customer (VoC) in our marketing campaigns.

What is the biggest challenge in your current job?

You may learn everything there is related to communication, everything related to crisis, everything there is in relation to good team work and morale etc. But, there will come a time when no amount of theoretical knowledge will be able to provide you with the right answer. You need to then take things one step at a time, without losing hope, and to have an open mind so as to allow yourself to learn from trial and error. I think sometimes being able to let go and ask for help is extremely difficult for high achievers like me. This is the biggest challenge I face in my current job.

What advice would you give to new students?

Read a lot - specially the papers that our faculty members have written about. It will definitely inspire you to take on a good research topic for your Master thesis and will enable you to find a research problem that you can contribute towards. Also, be acquainted with non-coursework related material. Times are changing, which means industries are evolving and digitalization plays an important part of the everyday organization life, more so in post Corona times. Because of this, it is also necessary to learn or re-learn new specialized skills that will complement theoretical learning. This could be done by signing up for a digital marketing course on Google Ads, acquainting yourself with content-based SEO best practices, a course in Photoshop or a negotiation skills workshop or maybe something completely out of the ordinary. Its always good to develop and re-invent yourself and stay proactive so to make the most of your time here. There are so many free journals and software that you can use both from the comfort of your home and from Lund University Libraries with your LU Student status. Definitely try to make the most of it! If you have any questions, you can always ask the librarian who is always happy to help. Having said this, skills can ofcourse be learnt, however, a positive never-give-up attitude is a must to excel in life – so always be aware of your inner thoughts and take care of your mental health especially during the winter months.