Alumni: Jens Didrik Steen Holst
Jens Didrik Steen Holst, who is now 29 years old is currently working as a project manager in the renovation company De Lilla in Oslo, the capital of Norway. He graduated from La Salle in 2011. Jens just started his current job, so his normal working day more than anything contains a lot of learning so that he can adjust to the new position. During a typical day he carries out a thorough site inspection with other project leaders at the homes of potential customers. When all the necessary information is collected, he goes back to the office to write an offer on the requested renovation job. If the offer is accepted by the client, he has to coordinate and customize the workforce depending on the job specifications. Then he will have to oversee the overall project from the initiating phase until completion. When I asked Jens how he has benefited from the knowledge he obtained at La Salle, he told me that the general business education clearly is very useful for him. The concepts he uses the most in his everyday working life are strategic thinking, event/project management approaches and client management. He also pointed out that acting professionally, with proper business conduct and communications, is where he feels like he has the greatest advantage. He has encountered numerous co-workers and other people that don't adhere to what he views as proper business conduct. At La Salle he learned how to use this proper conduct in every situation and this is something he is sure will benefit him immensely in the future. Jens views his current job as a learning process and a stepping stone, because his true hope is to start a renovation company on his own. This is something he always wanted to do independently and on the side of another job, as he actually had expected to work within the sport industry. However, he decided to divert from his original plan and ended up jumping into renovation instead. From his previous jobs in the sports industry he gained valuable experience and he believes at some point he will make a comeback in the industry, when he finds the right opportunity. When I asked Jens to come up with some tips for students who currently study at La Salle, he said that nothing is more valuable than actual experience, so students should listen to more experienced people. He also recommended not to be too caught up the theory, but to try to find the right combination. Jens said that students should not be afraid to take the “highway”, as the secure choice is not necessarily the best choice. His last tip is to enjoy the experience!
A new addition to the blog this year is the alumni network. I have, and will continue to interview several professionals who graduated from La Salle. Here in the blog you can read summaries from the interviews and gain inspiration for where the degree obtained at La Salle can take you.