Name: Veronika Veits
Position: European Commission, Directorate-General Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
What is important to consider when working internationally?
For international work one has to have flexibility, curiosity for others and openness for other cultures and mindsets. It is also clear that in the long term one can maintain only a limited Austrian social network and receive less support from family members, especially when it comes to child care.
How do you see the chances for BOKU students and alumni in the EU?
The type of university education is much less relevant in the EU institutions as in the Austrian recruiting process. What counts more are „soft skills“: the ability to perform intercultural communication, good analytical understanding as foundation for solution oriented thinking, negotiation skills, etc. The increasing complexity of challenges that the EU has to face requires a broad spectrum of skills and talent as well as interdisciplinary thinking. Because of a broad educational spectrum BOKU graduates have for sure the necessary skills for the various European political areas. Helpful is Interest in operations and key topics of the EU, language proficiency (EN, FR) and preparation for a so called concours (selection process of the EU), as recommended by the respective Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria and EU websites.
What would you give as advice to yourself as a 20-year-old based on your current experience?
I would recommend to everyone to seize the opportunties life offers, even when they are linked to diffictult decisions. Optimism and humor are two important life companions.
