Nikos highlights the cultural diversity among students
Nikos Papakatsikas comes from Thessaloniki in Greece and is a graduate of the master's programme in Transport and Geoinformation Technology, now working as a transport analyst.
What made you decide to start studying at KTH?
When looking for opportunities abroad, an important aspect of your search is the potential of the country you will be living and studying in for a significant amount of time. Sweden combines the advantages of a future-focusing perspective, a strong and stable economy as well as a welcoming spirit. KTH is by all measures the best university in Sweden, and that is also obvious by the number of internationals that choose it. It is not always the case, but most often so many people cannot be wrong!
What do you see as the greatest aspects of your programme?
The greatest aspects of the Transport and Geoinformation Technology programme is the diversity among students, the small number of attendees and the direct connection of most of the core courses’ content with the industry requirements.
What does your current job involve?
I am currently a transport analyst at the Swedish branch of an international engineering consultancy. The role involves providing services to public authorities or private operators, mostly in developing transport models in the macroscopic or microscopic level, analysing transport data and testing different scenarios to find the best possible solution to the client’s problem.
How do you use the knowledge and skills gained during your studies?
I find that the theoretical knowledge provided by KTH is rich and assists me in thinking from a global perspective even when I act locally. The soft skills that I developed while working with students from other countries and backgrounds has helped me think out-of-the-box when that is required.
What kind of career opportunities are available in your field?
Consultancies are a vast source of career opportunities, as they combine various projects from many fields, where a lot of different types of competence are required. Apart from that, public authorities are often looking for graduate transport planners to build the future decision makers.
Five things that you would like to advise students?
1. Make your short-term actions consistent with a long-term plan.
2. Start early. Every day, every semester, every year.
3. Compare yourself with the better, not the worse, but also;
4. Regularly look at what you have achieved and be proud of that.
5. Seek help on how to think, not what.