Talal Saleh
A short flashback. After completing my BSc. Electrical Engineering degree in 2017 I wanted to pursue higher education so I started searching and applying for master programs. I got selected for some programs but, at that time I was not exactly sure what I was looking for in my master’s degree. During this process I went through a slight depression. I experienced a void between my interests and master programs. Maybe because I lacked industrial experience or I had less exposure to the future power systems. As a result, due to a gap in my interests and financial reasons I decided to go for a job.
Long story short, in 2019 when I had already gained some experience in the industry my brother told me about MSc. Smart Energy program at the University of Vaasa. I looked into the program details and course structure and I realized that this is what I was looking for in my master’s degree. A combination of multi-discipline taught in a single program. One of the most interesting feature in the Smart Energy program for me was the integration of Energy systems, Business and Digitalization modules combined into a single program, which led me to choose smart energy program at University of Vaasa – and the fact that I was also offered scholarship.
I have found Smart Energy program a very flexible program. Student can choose any course of his/her interests. The contents of the courses are very interesting to study as it focuses on industrial solutions and future perspectives. However, what I have also observed is that the smart energy program focuses more on research; which also means that one must have good academic writing skills to get excellent grades in some of the courses!
Other than the course structure, the master’s program also has a good international reputation. Despite completing my first year entirely online, I had the opportunity to meet students online from Middle East and Asia studying in the master’s program at the University of Vaasa. Although I haven’t visited Finland yet but what I have heard from a lot of people is that Finland is one of the most beautiful places to live in and the city of Vaasa is an Energy hub with many opportunities waiting. As a person with love for programming, background in electrical engineering and hoping to run my own start-up one day, Smart Energy master’s program is my right choice.
