Careers day - Career opportunities for Border studies graduates
On 18 June 2019, Christian Wille (University of Luxembourg) and Astrid Fellner (Saarland University) organised the first Border Studies Careers Day. Over 30 participants from the Greater Region came to Saarbrücken for the occasion, including undergraduates and master's students, professors and nine practitioners with experience of cross-border cooperation.
Contributors representing the media, the cultural and migration fields, local and regional authorities and spatial planning bodies took part in two round table discussions, talking about their daily work and the main challenges they face. These range from differences in training and career progression to issues touching on accountability, language and culture. Other authentic insights on cross-border career opportunities were presented to the students during the general discussion, and there were opportunities for personal exchanges during the "Walking Lunch".
As Judith Wörz, a student on the Border Studies master's course, confirms, this careers day successfully confronted practitioners' experiences with the expectations of future graduates: "The Border Studies careers day showed me how important it is to have a cross-border professional network. I also found it interesting to see what characteristics and skills the guests speakers consider important in cross-border jobs. In addition, I was also given some useful advice on how to apply for jobs after I graduate."
