The possibilities are limitless!

What made you decide to start studying at KTH?

I knew I wanted to study Engineering Physics and heard that KTH has a really good reputation among physicists. I have lived in Stockholm all my life and really like it here, so it was a quite easy decision. When I started I was convinced that I wanted to work with space and modern physics, but it didn’t take long before I realized that my favorite courses were mechanics and more “applicable” subjects. I wrote my bachelor thesis at Solid Mechanics, and then I knew I wanted to do my Master there as well.

What do you see as the greatest aspects of your programme?

I really like that all theory you learn is connected to solving real physical problems. It is a great mix between theory and practice, both with laboratory work and a lot of guest lecturers and cases from the industry.

Where do you work with today?

After graduation I started working as a test engineer at Scania. I really liked that job, I felt that I had use of everything I learnt during my Master. After a little over a year I was offered to become an industrial PhD student, which I am today. That means I am still employed by Scania, but I do my research at Solid Mechanics at KTH.

What can you work as after graduating from this track at the Engineering Mechanics programme?

The possibilities are limitless! Of my friends from the Solid Mechanics track, I don’t know two who works with the same thing. If you are in to the academic life, you will have a good opportunity to do a PhD after your Master, but most graduated students’ starts working somewhere else. Classic jobs are calculation engineer and test engineer, but also project leader and management consultant are common. Here at Scania, many senior managers have a background in Engineering mechanics.

Is it hard to find a job after graduating from this track?

No, not at all. I, and a lot of the other students, already had been offered jobs before we were finished.

Five things that you would like to give as advice to students?

Most important, have fun! Enjoy your years here; mix your studies with a coffee in the sun at “Borggården”, participation in one of the many student activities and the luxury that you actually can sleep late in the mornings sometimes.

Find others to study together with. Working with others can be really motivating and you learn a lot when helping each other.

Choose a master that you really find interesting, don’t care about what others think and what your friend choose. If you thing the subject is fun, your studies will be so much easier!

Try to find summer internships. During the Master you’ll have a good opportunity to get a job where you’ll get an insight in what you can do when finished. And it’s good to have some contacts when it is time for the master thesis.

There will be a few courses that you’ll find hard and boring (those remarkably often come hand in hand). But remember that they don’t last forever, and the proud feeling when you’ve finally passed those exams will make that extra work worth it.

How did studies here at KTH differ in comparison to your previous experience?

You have to work a lot harder than before, but one has much more freedom on the same time. You can plan your studies as you want, if you don’t want to attend a morning lecture but instead read the course literature during late nights, nobody will stop you. This flexibility was one of the things I missed the most when I started working.