KTH: a natural choice for an international education
Jerry Mieskonen has always been interested in science and technology and therefore the choice to study at KTH was a natural step. His interest in working abroad also made the international flavour at KTH appealing.
Jerry just started his second year of the Civil and Architectural Engineering Master Programme. Before coming to KTH he studied construction engineering at Örebro University.
“I am very interested in the construction field and after high school I worked as a construction worker for one year,” he says. “It was a great experience but it also made me realise that I wanted to study more and get deeper knowledge about house construction.”
After three years at Örebro University, Jerry wanted to broaden his knowledge about house construction, because it was a field he wanted to work with, and found that KTH had a course that fitted him perfectly.
“I wanted to get an overall perspective on house construction and I would love to work with the design process in that particular field,” he says. “After evaluating several universities, KTH definitely looked like the best choice.”
Jerry says the move to Stockholm has been a positive experience and he has made lots of new friends at the university. Next semester he will concentrate on his thesis work in which students can either choose a subject at KTH or to work with a company.
“I will probably choose to work with a company and in the field of design calculation,” he says. “I am particularly interested in wood, steel and concrete. The demands are quite high on this level but because I already have been studying three years at a university I feel well prepared.”
Jerry says he likes working in a group and those at KTH include two to four people. The theoretical courses are often in larger lecture halls mixing students from various courses.
“Many students are from other countries and working in a group is a good way of improving my English, gathering knowledge about different cultures and getting a view about study in other countries. Right now I am working in a group with people from Germany and Italy.”
Even though the studies at KTH are demanding, Jerry has the time and energy to take on an evening class in steel dimensioning.
“It is manly for professionals but I find it really interesting and it adds credits to my master’s degree,” he says.
Last summer Jerry got a job during the summer break at Ramböll, a leading engineering, design and consultancy company with 200 offices in 19 countries. The job was in the house construction department and perfectly matched his background.
“I was involved in four projects during that time and mainly working with preparing drawings for different buildings. It was perfect as it mainly involved work that I am interested in. It also was a great opportunity to meet people in the industry and get an insight in to the overall process and house construction.”
Jerry says it would be tempting to work abroad after finishing his studies at KTH.
“That is one of the reasons why I choose to study at KTH because the education is globally viable and you get a lot of international contacts,” he says. “I think I will start working in Sweden though to get experienced in the field I want to work in and then try to look for work internationally. And I wouldn’t mind some place warm, actually.”
Name: Jerry Mieskonen
Country of origin: Sweden
Education: Civil and Architectural Engineering Master Programme
Jerry Mieskonen on KTH: “I wanted to get an overall perspective on house construction and I would love to work with project management in that particular field. After evaluating several universities, KTH definitely looked like the best choice.”
Text: Hendrik Bergstén
Bild: Maria Hult
