Alumni views
Business Information Systems (MSc)
Name: Lotte de Rooij
Current position: Project advisor at Almere Kennisstad
‘After I'd completed my Master's degree in Information Studies, specialising in Business Information Systems, my plan was to do a second Master's in Anthropology before I really started working. That plan soon took a different turn when a contact from the Information Studies programme called me about a job at an organisation called Almere Kennisstad in the city of Almere.'
‘Almere Kennisstad works to contribute to Almere's economic and social development by implementing ICT in various social sectors. I was taken on as a junior project advisor for the research and education sector, working three days a week. It was perfect, because I could still complete my Master's degree in Anthropology.'
‘The role of project advisors at Almere Kennisstad is to focus in particular on the conceptual phase of a project. That means looking for good ideas, bringing people together, lots of brainstorming, looking for project leaders, securing budgets and just getting it all nailed down. Once a project is up and running, the adviser's role winds down. In my sector - education and research - the most important focus areas are the use ICT to update the learning process and the promotion of a climate of innovation for research and development.'
‘What I love about this job is that I am contributing to the development of a project where we create something out of nothing. I really look forward to turning a good idea into an actual project by working with all sorts of other parties. The sector I've landed in is a perfect fit for me and also fits well with my Master's degree in Information Studies. The use of ICT in research, and particularly in education, is still a nascent area. There's so much potential! The Information Studies programme focuses heavily on learning and innovation. As an adviser, I can now put that theory into practice.'
‘One of the things I really learnt from the study programme was to put myself in the user's shoes, ask questions about information, knowledge and learning, and particularly about different ways of sharing knowledge. I also learned a lot about how knowledge and information are bound by context. I can really put that into practice in this job. Also, doing research is actually part of executing a project. I picked up basic project management skills during my studies and I'm keen to develop them further now.'