Dear future Atlanticists, when I decided to do a Master's in Atlantic Studies/History, Culture and Society, I was going through a bit of a “career” crisis. I was actually studying for a Master of Education in Spanish/History and realized during the various school internships that I wasn't sure whether I really wanted to become a teacher. The Master's in Atlantic Studies/History, Culture and Society in the double master's program was therefore the perfect complement to my teaching degree. The courses, especially with my combination of subjects, complemented each other and the Master's in Atlantic Studies/History, Culture and Society also allowed me to focus on international and intercultural transatlantic relations. The interdisciplinary focus of the degree program and the mandatory study abroad or internship would also prove to be very valuable in the future. After completing my mandatory internship at an African NGO in Barcelona, I applied for a six-month internship at Continental AG in the HR department in winter 2019 and finally started in January 2020. I was then taken on as a payroll clerk and now work as a payroll specialist in the Group's technical payroll department. Looking back, the Master's in Atlantic Studies/History, Culture and Society was the best possible choice for me. Especially in a large international corporation like Continental, I was able to use the soft skills I acquired during my studies in a variety of ways. Thanks to the interdisciplinary nature of the course, I was also able to familiarize myself quickly and independently with new and unfamiliar topics in my professional environment, and the intercultural focus of the course also proved to be very valuable. The compulsory international internship also gave me the necessary professional experience, without which it is virtually impossible to succeed in today's extremely competitive job market.  

Joshua Calderón

Dear future Atlanticists, when I decided to study for a Master's degree in Atlantic Studies in History, Culture and Society at the University of Hanover in the summer of 2010, there were two main reasons: firstly, I was attracted by the interdisciplinary nature of the course, and secondly, it was clear to me that I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to spend a semester abroad integrated into the course. Over the two years, I took advantage of all the opportunities offered by the degree program, got a taste of new areas, pursued some, discarded others and completed my semester abroad at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. I started looking at possible fields and opportunities for work in my 4th semester so that I could seamlessly transition into working life after completing my 4th semester. After a year in a temporary position as a junior manager in event and sports management at the German Equestrian Federation, the umbrella organization for equestrian sports, I was offered a permanent position in an internationally operating commercial enterprise as a manager for German equestrian training programs abroad (especially China), as well as event management (sports and culture in the equestrian sector). Here I am responsible for the conceptual planning in advance (contracts, travel coordination, cost planning, teaching & schedules, advertising measures, sponsoring), the practical implementation on site, in cooperation with the Chinese organizer, as well as the follow-up (press releases, accounting, etc.). Even though China may initially seem a long way from the Atlantic, I was able to “take away” a lot from the course for my future career and transfer it to the Pacific world. Apart from the compulsory courses, I chose all the seminars that I thought were important for my career. Conference organization in the area of independent studies, business English as a language courses, etc. In addition, working with fellow students from different disciplines made me more aware of other perspectives and how to deal with them. In this “clash of the disciplines”, the content and interpersonal discussions of the degree program gave me space for personal growth and for dealing with certain problems that can arise in such an environment. I have learned to deal with situations that I may not like or be comfortable with, but which I now encounter on a daily basis in my working environment and whose potential needs to be recognized and exploited. The Jamaican semester abroad, in which not everything always worked out as planned, also prepared me perfectly for my projects in China - in addition to “soft skills”, “survival skills” were often also required. I wouldn't want to have missed the experiences I had there during the semester and when writing the coursework for this stay. They have led me to approach many things today with unconventional solutions and a healthy dose of pragmatism. I am now working in my desired industry, also thanks to the skills I was able to acquire during my Master's in Atlantic Studies. Nevertheless, you shouldn't forget that when studying a humanities subject without a defined job description, a certain amount of hard work and ambition, as well as internships during your studies and extracurricular activities, are essential. The university can't do everything for you.

Lena Rindermann