Digital Summer School 2023: Feature Your Future

Imagine you are walking and come to a fork in the road. There is a sign with arrows pointing in different directions. Expecting to read place names, you step closer, but all the arrows say is: Please enter destination yourself.
That's what studying is like. It's liberating (you can make adult decisions as an adult) and demanding in equal measure, because studying not only means learning a lot, but also doing internships and stays abroad, networking, getting involved in initiatives, keeping your head above water financially with a part-time job, as well as doing care work. All of this has its justified place, but often there is not enough room to ask: Where do I want to go? If you can't write anything down on the sign, you either stay at the fork in the road for a very long time or just go aimlessly somewhere. The Graduate School's Summer School offers precisely this space: a support programme for Master's students and doctoral candidates to become clear about what their actual goal is.

But career development does not take place in a vacuum. Ten years ago, sustainability was something a small group of idealists dealt with. Twenty years ago, people couldn't imagine that the internet would catch on - after all, there was the fax machine, the pinnacle and conclusion of communication technology. Sooner or later, everyone says the sentence "If I had known earlier that ...", followed by a resigned sigh. But perhaps these trends can be anticipated to some extent and one can learn to assess them correctly. "Only well-prepared people have solutions at hand," says Anna Sundermann, coordinator of the Summer School, and learning to use trends for oneself and getting a feeling for future working worlds is what the event in July is all about.

During the three intensive days, participants can expect workshops and keynotes on trends in academic working environments or methods such as future thinking, theory of change or design thinking. The Summer School also leaves room for networking and mutual stimulation in reflection spaces or at the cosy Science Pub Quiz. The workshop on trends and the world of work is run by the renowned non-profit think tank "Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies". This and the participation of the universities of Glasgow and Leuven underline the international orientation of the Summer School.

Above all, however, the Summer School is intended to empower. "These are very uncertain times," says Anna Sundermann. After the recently survived pandemic, everyday life has not exactly jolted, there is war in Europe, supply shortages and climate crises are reminders of the fragility of our society. "Of course, this triggers a great deal of uncertainty in some people. What can I do with my degree and where should I even go? Should I work in science or start a business, or should I go abroad first? But this event is meant to give you COURAGE. Courage for ideas and courage for realisations. Right now is a time when you can get started.

All students who are enrolled for a Master's degree or a doctorate at one of the three universities can register. You can find more information here.

The digital, international Summer School is part of the DigiTaL Transformation Lab (sub-project 9) and is financially supported by the Foundation Innovations in Higher Education.