When Tobias Karlsson was studying Marketing Management at Jönköping International Business School, he started his own company alongside his studies. In this interview, Tobias tells us a little bit more about the perks of being a student entrepreneur and how his experiences led him to his dream job i Dublin.
I saw it as the perfect opportunity to gain real life experience as a complement to my studies, I also saw it as a great way to make some extra money besides my studies.
I have a consultant company, where I help companies with their marketing as well as business development. One of the companies I worked with was Go Banana, during my time there we grew from 3 to 7 stores and my job was to be in charge of both the local marketing in Jönköping but also the overall brand image for the franchise. I also worked as a student consultant at Science Park where I got the opportunity to help some companies with their business development.
I think that it’s a great fit. As a student your schedule changes a lot, it is therefore great to have a job that you can be flexible with and that you can do whenever it works for you.
I urge you however, to plan your time. You do not want to be in the situation where you have a lot with your business when the exams are closing in, but as long as you plan your time, it is no worries.
I was also during my time at JIBS involved in a lot of student projects (Spring Inspiration2019, 2,5 year at Jubel, Head Fadder at the kickoff & Project Manager Nextstep2020) so I would also like to highlight that it works out great to have a company while you are studying and being involved in projects at school.
You grow as an individual by the responsible you get, and you get paid doing so!
You get real life experience, which is a great complement to the academics, this will also make your resume stand out a lot which is great when you are applying for jobs.
It is flexible. If I want to study until eight- nine and then work with my own company, I can do that. I can plan my work for when it fits my schedule.
As mention, having your own business makes your resume stand out. During my last year at school I was in countless of job interviews and applied to several different jobs.
In almost all of those interviews did I get questions regarding my business and what that had thought me. It was not the only reason, but I definitely think that it was one of the reasons why I soon will move to Dublin and start to work at one of the largest tech companies in the world.
It can be hard to find customers, you have to be social and talk with a lot of people to find those that actually want to work with you. Unless you start as a student consultant at Science Park, then Science Park can help you by matching you with companies which I personally liked a lot since it gave me business without having to spend that much time looking for them.
Just do it! The timing is perfect, and you will grow so much as a person! Also, talk with Science Park, they will help you a lot. It is completely free and they can help you with all kinds of questions and matters. Good luck!
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