My goal is to get as much knowledge and experience in my field as possible so I can make an impact. Dina Bessarab
My job
I work as a structural engineer at Boligbeton A/S. My company produces prefabricated concrete elements, such as columns, beams and slabs, for various projects around Denmark.
My main responsibilities as a structural engineer are design and calculation of elements according to the specification for each project. I check whether our elements can resist the applied loads, as well as if they can be produced at our factories easily and efficiently.
What are the 3 best things about living and working in Denmark?
- Good work and personal life balance
- No strict hierarchy at the universities and work
- Hard work is well rewarded
How did you get the job you have today?
After graduation, I had a period where I was looking for a job. Almost every day, I would check job vacancies in my field, and one day I noticed an ad for a job that I thought suited both me and my skills perfectly. I applied and soon got an invitation for an interview, after which followed a job offer.
Why did you choose to study in Denmark?
My journey to Denmark started by researching different opportunities around Europe to study Civil Engineering in English. I stumbled upon VIA’s website with the programme description and after a bit of research I did not hesitate to apply.
I also contacted some of my friends, who I knew were already studying at VIA, and they confirmed that it was a good choice. I also knew that Denmark has a high level of education and very modern approach to teaching, and these were the final factors determining my choice.
What do you like most about your current job?
My job gives me the opportunity to work in the field of my education. Almost every day, I have a possibility to apply the knowledge that I gained during my studies.
Every day, I work in the production of elements, which gives me broader knowledge about the execution of projects and the whole chain from producing individual elements to actually putting whole buildings together.
Since my office is located right next to our production facility, I have a chance to see how elements that I have designed are being produced, and it gives me satisfaction to see the final product.
Previously, I had experience in working with consulting companies, and this is very different from working in production. This job gives me a different perspective on the building design and construction process, as well as expands my knowledge.
Since my company’s main language of communication is Danish, I have an opportunity to improve my language skills during day-to-day communication with my colleagues and clients. That also gives me the opportunity to improve my problem-solving skills while solving daily challenges for various projects that I am responsible for.
My advice
My advice would be to first and foremost learn the language. Speaking Danish opened a lot of doors for me professionally and helped to efficiently integrate into the society.
Another advice on how to best get into the job market is to get an internship in a Danish company. This gives an opportunity to expand the network that will certainly help after graduation.
What inspires you
My goal now is to get as much knowledge and experience in my field as possible. I hope that this will help me to get a bigger picture of the industry in Denmark and later enable me to make an impact in the areas that need to be updated and modernized.
Building and construction are some of the biggest and oldest branches of engineering, so there is certainly a lot of work to be done.