Name: Simone Pfuderer
Current job and employer: Commodity Economist, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Degrees: Diplom Romanistik (Wirtschaftswissenschaften) (German undergraduate degree in modern languages with business administration), Justus-Liebig-Universitaet, Giessen, Germany, 1996
MSc in Economics, University of York,1998
MSc in Official Statistics, Southampton University, 2005
What was the most important transition when going from undergraduate to postgraduate?
The combination of a different country, different language and a different subject. The level of study was not a problem because the last two years of my German degree were more like a Master degree than a Bachelor.
Considering the cost of postgraduate study, do you feel it was a suitable investment in your future?
Yes, it gave me a chance to change the direction of my studies into the area I wanted to work in. I had a grant from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD). They are well-known in Germany for funding German students and academics to go abroad. There was information available from my university.
What part do you feel your postgraduate degree had in securing your current job?
It was a requirement since I did not have an undergraduate degree in economics. I had acquired a lot of the general study skills already, but I acquired the specialist economics skills and improved my English.
What advice would you give to students who are considering postgraduate study?
To think about carefully if they want to continue their studies in their current area or take the opportunity to do something else.
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