Interview with graduate
‘My thesis is nominated for an award. For me that’s the icing on the cake!’ Niels Kooiman Hospitality Management Alumnus and Master of Facility and Real Estate Management.
Text: Nicole Vijgen
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Within a year of obtaining his Hospitality Management bachelor’s degree, Niels Kooiman (24) passed the Master of Facility and Real Estate Management master’s degree at Zuyd. This didn’t only enrich his knowledge, but gave his career a real boost.
Immediately after completing his master’s degree, Niels started work at the renowned real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle (JJL) in the Zuidas district of Amsterdam. This fantastic opportunity was partly due to his master’s degree. This was a great match for his job as a property consultant where he gives strategic advice on the valuation of office complexes and logistics buildings. ‘During my master’s degree, I wrote a thesis on calculating the financial added value of an energy label for office complexes in the Amsterdam real estate world. My thesis was nominated for the FMN Student Awards. For me that’s the icing on the cake and a huge honour!’ Niels graduated cum laude for his master’s degree. Niels discovered that in a first-time job seeker’s role, they often look at your average grades. ‘That motivated me to get the best result I could for my master’s degree. Due to the coronavirus, I had more time 24 / voorbij zuyd
More in forma tion about furthe r s and a tudy Maste r at Zu can be yd found on
to study as my entire social life had come to a standstill.’ Perfect combination After higher general secondary education, Niels didn’t know what he wanted to study. The hotel business, where you study and immediately start working in the industry, appealed to him. So he opted for the Hotel Management School. For him it was also the perfect combination for an instructive and great student life! The planned internships in Hong Kong and London during his bachelor’s degree couldn’t go ahead because of the coronavirus. He realized that he was in a difficult sector. The obvious choice was further study. Two master’s degrees on your CV After finishing this master’s degree you don’t just get one diploma but two, from the ‘Master of Facility and Real Estate Management at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences’ as well as the ‘Facility and Real Estate Management’
diploma from the University of Greenwich.’ ‘I think it’s really cool that I also have an English master’s degree. I always studied everything in English at Zuyd anyway. The master’s degree was in English too. An English master’s degree helps reduce that step towards a career abroad. Working abroad seems like an ace idea to me.’ Challenging Niels really enjoyed the combination of individual and group work during the master’s degree. The best challenge was the project at Maastricht Institute of Arts, in which he worked with students from this study programme to redesign the programme building’s ground floor. The layout of the space was adapted in such a way that the general public could also get an idea of what happens at the art academy. The programme really prepares you for working life. But don’t get me wrong, work takes some getting used to and is really different from study.’
